The Department

The Exercise and Sport Studies Department (ESS) is committed to improving the quality of life at Smith College by providing an array of classes that allow for the exploration and better understanding of exercise and physical activity. Broadly, the department has three areas of concentration; performance courses, a minor, and a graduate program with a primary emphasis on training coaches of women’s teams.

Our minor focuses on theory courses that address biophysical, behavioral, health and sociocultural aspects of physical activity. At the performative level, the department offers more than 90 sections of performance and exercise related courses that fall under the categories of aquatics, racquet sports, equestrian, outdoor skills , conditioning & fitness, mind-body, and sport skills for individual activities. In the performance area, ESS serves over one thousand students each year.