The Certificate Program
The Online Professional Certificate in Personal Training and Group
Exercise Training for Older Adults is a comprehensive Web-based program (with an
Optional Field Internship course) designed to establish a national standard to ensure the
development of safe and effective exercise programs for older adults by personal trainers,
allied health/medical and fitness professionals, and the general public.
The certificate
program has been designed to incorporate curriculum standards from the “International
Curriculum Guidelines for Preparing Physical Activity Instructors of Older Adults” in
Collaboration with and endorsed by the World Health Organization.
The program will supply essential educational pathways and job opportunities to begin a
career working with senior/older adults in the emerging fitness/health industry; for
established fitness professionals who desire advanced education in working with older
adults; and for allied health and medical professionals from all fields seeking to design
specialized exercise and wellness programs for their older adult clients and patients.
Graduating students will be prepared for a career working with older adults at senior
centers, medically-based fitness facilities, retirement communities, YMCA/JCC’s, hospitals,
community wellness programs, personal training studios, physical therapy clinics, long-term
care facilities, corporate fitness centers, collegiate settings, and private and commercial
health clubs. In addition, the certificate will also prepare individual 50+ exercise
enthusiasts in the development of a personalized program based on current research and
organizational guidelines.
The program is offered in partnership with the International Council on Active Aging
(ICAA), the American Senior Fitness Association (SFA), the
Aquatic Exercise Association (AEA), and Healthways SilverSneakers® Fitness
Program. Students graduating from the certificate program will receive a complimentary
one-year membership to the ICAA which includes registration discounts to the annual International
Active Aging Conference. In addition, graduating students will receive preferred discounts for
the SFA’s certification exams (Senior Personal Trainer Certification or the Senior Fitness
Instructor Certification), the AEA’s certification exam (Aquatic Exercise Association Fitness
Professional Certification), and for Healthways Instructor Accreditation for Older Adult
Exercise.
