ITHACA — The Council on Accreditation of Strength and Conditioning Education (CASCE) has awarded full accreditation to the concentration in strength and conditioning for performance and wellness in Ithaca College’s degree program in exercise science.

The CASCE approval makes Ithaca one of just two schools in the state and 17 in the U.S. to have an accredited undergraduate strength and conditioning program, according to a recent Ithaca College news release. Beginning in 2030, all strength and conditioning graduates who want to sit for the national certification exam will need to have graduated from an accredited program.

Once the focus of those seeking improved athletic performance, the field of strength and conditioning has taken on a greater importance to the entire population, particularly as that population ages, Ithaca College says. The college recently made revisions to the exercise science curriculum for students interested in the rapidly developing interdisciplinary field of strength and conditioning across the lifespan. It’s a move to adapt program offerings to the changing professional landscape.

“As we were starting this process, we asked ourselves, ‘Where do our students work after they graduate?’ “ Chris Hummel, clinical professor and chair of the Department of Exercise Science and Athletic Training, said in the release. “Many of them work at community centers or YMCAs, and at places like that, you could be working with everyone from a five-year old kid to an 85-year-old, so it’s critical that the program provides training to work with that diverse set of individuals.”

As part of the accreditation process, site reviewers visited Ithaca College to observe, interview faculty and staff, and examine facilities before making their final decision.

The college says that those facilities will be getting a major upgrade this fall with the completion of a new wellness and performance lab that will feature state-of-the-art equipment such as a metabolic cart and an agility track. The lab was funded by a $100,000 grant from the Alden Trust, which supports projects that directly impact the quality of the delivery of a school’s undergraduate academic offerings.

“The lab will transform the coursework that the professors offer by allowing hands-on experience to be integrated into classroom work,” said Christina Moylan, dean of the School of Health Sciences and Human Performance. “It really helps the program drive home the college’s broader educational philosophy of theory, practice, and performance.”

Founded in 1892, Ithaca College has about 5,000 students and offers 70 degree programs in its Schools of Business; Communications; Humanities and Sciences; Health Sciences and Human Performance; and Music, Theatre, and Dance.