Health & Fitness Center Management

The LACC Health and Fitness Center Management Certificate of Achievement is designed to prepare students with the academic knowledge and practical skills required to successfully manage and lead a health and fitness center facility. The program provides both the new student and the returning to college career shifter, the opportunity to acquire the necessary academic knowledge in kinesiology, health and business so as to become a manager in a variety of health and fitness roles including: General Manager, Assistant General Manager, Operations Manager, Fitness Facility/Maintenance Manager, Director of Personal Training, Director of Group Fitness, Spa Manager, Front Desk Manager, Club Shop Manager, Assistant Personal Training Manager and/or Assistant Group Fitness Manger. This is a unique certificate program that blends business and kinesiology education and does not currently exist at any other California Community College. Students are recommended to have basic English writing and speaking skills, and the ability to perform moderate physical activity before beginning this program.

The Los Angeles City College’s Health and Fitness Center Management Certificate of Achievement is designed to prepare students to learn the skills and academic knowledge required to successfully manage and lead a health and fitness center facility. This unique certificate program will provide both the new student and the returning to college, career shifter, the opportunity to acquire the essential knowledge, skills, and credentials to become a successful health and fitness manager.

Currently there is no programs that exists in the Los Angeles Community College District or other community colleges in Los Angeles that provide a management preparation training program specific to the health and fitness industry. The need for such a program was clearly articulated by our advisory committee stating that the demand to find qualified health and fitness center management candidates is challenging and that this type of program would be highly coveted as a credential on an applicant’s resume. They further elaborated that the hiring candidate pool for health and fitness management is limited as some candidates may have experience in health and fitness but lack necessary skills in management (i.e. personal trainers or group exercise instructors). And other candidates have nonrelated management (typical of the career shifter) but lack relevant health and fitness industry experience and academic knowledge.

This Health and Fitness Center Management Certificate of Achievement has been carefully designed to prepare students with the academic knowledge in kinesiology, health, business, and the dynamic day-to-day nature of running a high-volume health and fitness facility. This certificate will prepare students to work in a variety of essential health and fitness center management roles including General Manager,Assistant General Manager, Operations Manager, Fitness Facility/Maintenance Manager, Director of Personal Training, Director of Group Fitness, Spa Manager,Front Desk Manager, Club Shop Manager, Assistant Personal Training Manager and/or Assistant Group Fitness Manager.

Students are required to take 7 Required Core Courses.

Students are also required to take 1 of 3 Health courses.

Students are also required to take 1 of 4 possible Marketing, Management, or CAOT courses.

Currently LACC Department of Kinesiology only has two active COA’s of which neither need adjustment at this time nor will in the future as new COA’s come online. In fact, the LACC kinesiology department has spent a considerable amount of time planning the current expansion of programs to strategically fit together in a cohesive and logical manor that support and enhance the kinesiology students’ applied experiences and educational pathways. We are working to draft and submit several new COA’s and local degrees that will complement and enhance the current kinesiology offerings. These COA’s are more career focused in lieu of the passage of AB 928 which has removed AREA E from the CALGETC. Thus, any updates to our current or future programs have been accounted for and do not require any current adjustments for this proposed program to be successful.

Currently there is only one program in greater Los Angeles that is similar, in name only, to this proposed program. Rio Hondo College offers a “Fitness and Sport Management Program”. However, Rio Hondo’s program uses the 0835.60 Coaching TOP code and has a very different curriculum than this Health and Fitness Center Management program. The Rio Hondo program is very focused on sport coaching (see below) and includes the word “sports” in titles of all 18 units of their program. Whereas LACC’s proposed program is very focused on fitness service, health, and business with no sports studies at all. It therefor did not seem necessary for the LACC Kinesiology Faculty to be in communication with Rio Hondo’s to discuss this proposed program.

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