Program Overview

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Physical Education, B.S.

The Bachelor of Science in Physical Education is offered by the College of Behavioral and Health Sciences at MTSU. The major in Physical Education offers preparation for teaching positions in public and private elementary and secondary schools in Tennessee. Students must complete a Secondary Education minor that includes student teaching.

Program Description

The Physical Education Teaching concentration is unique, placing students as future teachers in several field-based experiences in schools, thus allowing them to begin educating young learners while supervised by a university professor and a public school teacher. No other program in Tennessee and few programs in the country allow the number and quality of supervised field experiences in the schools that MTSU does. If you want a career in which you can enjoy sports and physical activity, and give back to children or youth through teaching or coaching while fulfilling a critical role in helping people achieve a quality level of health, fitness, and skill, MTSU's Physical Education program is right for you. This program has two concentrations: Physical Education Teaching and Sports Pedagogy.

Careers

Physical Education graduates put their skills and knowledge to use in a variety of professions ranging from teaching in various settings to working as therapists to managing others in the field. A variety of examples follow:

• Elementary physical education teacher
• Middle school physical education teacher
• High school physical education teacher
• Aerobics instructor
• Athletic clubs/center director
• Corporate fitness center manager
• Fitness trainer
• Health or fitness club manager
• Personal fitness trainer
• Somatics instructor
• Strength trainer
• Stress management consultant
• Weight management consultant
• Activities instructor
• Aquatics specialist
• Camp instructor/park ranger
• Commercial recreation instructor
• Correctional facilities recreation director
• Dance studio director/instructor
• Facility manager
• Intramural/recreational sports director
• Private clubs' fitness instructor
• Resort activities instructor
• Sports club instructor
• Sports tour operator
• Veterans' hospital recreation director
• Wilderness therapy program director
• YMCA/YWCA activities instructor
• Dance therapist
• Movement therapist
• Physical therapist
• Recreational therapist
• Youth sports
• Interscholastic school sports
• Collegiate sports
• Adult recreation
• Emergency services personnel instructor
• Military physical education specialist
• Professional dancer
• Protective services personnel instructor
• Administrative assistant
• Assistant director of administration
• Associate executive director
• Director of communications
• Executive director
• Meeting and event coordinator
• Membership coordinator

Requirements

The major in Physical Education offers preparation for teaching positions in public and private elementary and secondary schools in Tennessee. Students must complete a Secondary Education minor that includes student teaching.

Degree Requirements

• True Blue Core (TBC): 41 hours
• Major Requirement: 52 hours
• Secondary Education Minor: 27 hours
• TOTAL: 120 hours

Major Requirements

• PHED 2800 - Introduction to Physical Education
• HLTH 3300 - First Aid and Safety Education OR PHED 3300 - First Aid and Safety Education
• PHED 3430 - Skill Themes: Games, Gymnastics, and Rhythms
• PHED 3720 - Fitness Education K-12
• PHED 4000 - Pedagogy of Physical Education AND PHED 4001 - Pedagogy of Physical Education Practicum
• PHED 3900 - Adapted Physical Education
• PHED 3930 - Concepts and Tactics of Teaching Games
• PHED 4400 - Motor Behavior
• PHED 4470 - Educational Rhythms for Teachers
• PHED 4710 - Authentic Assessment in Teaching Physical Education
• PHED 4780 - Curriculum in Physical Education
• PHED 4800 - Elementary Physical Education Teaching Methods AND PHED 4801 - Elementary Physical Education Residency Field Experience
• PHED 4900 - Secondary Physical Education Teaching Methods AND PHED 4901 - Secondary Physical Education Residency Field Experience
• PHED 4910 - Applied Kinesiology and Biomechanics
• PHED 4930 - Teaching Territory Games
• PHED 4940 - Teaching Net and Wall Games
• PHED 4990 - Seminar in Teaching Physical Education

Curriculum

The following curriculum is the recommended sequence of courses. Consultation with an advisor is required each semester.

Freshman

• Written Communication: 3 credit hours
• Information Literacy: 3 credit hours
• Creativity and Cultural Expression: 6 credit hours
• Human Society and Social Relationships: 3 credit hours (HLTH 1530/HLTH 1531 recommended)
• Scientific Literacy: 4 credit hours
• History and Civic Learning: 6 credit hours
• PHED 2800 - Introduction to Physical Education
• HLTH 3300 - First Aid and Safety Education OR PHED 3300 - First Aid and Safety Education (or approved First Aid/CPR competency)

Sophomore

• Creativity and Cultural Expression Literature: 3 credit hours
• Non-Written Communication: 3 credit hours
• Scientific Literacy: 4 credit hours
• Quantitative Literacy (statistics rec.): 3 credit hours
• Human Society and Social Relationships: 3 credit hours
• PHED 3430 - Skill Themes: Games, Gymnastics, and Rhythms
• PHED 3720 - Fitness Education K-12
• PHED 3930 - Concepts and Tactics of Teaching Games
• PHED 4910 - Applied Kinesiology and Biomechanics
• PHED 4930 - Teaching Territory Games
• YOED 2500 - Planning and Assessment

Junior

• PHED 4000 - Pedagogy of Physical Education AND PHED 4001 - Pedagogy of Physical Education Practicum
• PHED 3900 - Adapted Physical Education
• PHED 4400 - Motor Behavior
• PHED 4470 - Educational Rhythms for Teachers
• PHED 4710 - Authentic Assessment in Teaching Physical Education
• PHED 4780 - Curriculum in Physical Education
• PHED 4940 - Teaching Net and Wall Games
• YOED 3000 - Classroom Management
• YOED 3300 - Problem-Based Instructional Strategies

Senior

• PHED 4800 - Elementary Physical Education Teaching Methods AND PHED 4801 - Elementary Physical Education Residency Field Experience
• PHED 4900 - Secondary Physical Education Teaching Methods AND PHED 4901 - Secondary Physical Education Residency Field Experience
• PHED 4990 - Seminar in Teaching Physical Education
• YOED 4020 - Residency I: Grades K-12
• YOED 4400 - Residency II

Faculty

• Dr. Don Belcher, Associate Professor
• Jennifer Ross Craze, Lecturer
• Mrs. Hillary M. Hodges, Lecturer
• Angela Ramos, Master Instructor Coordinator
• Francisco Ramos-Grasa, Instructor

Information

Additional Information

• Forms & Manuals
  • Undergraduate
• Resources & Links

Degrees

• For complete curriculum details, click on REQUIREMENTS.

Undergraduate

After completing the program requirements in Physical Education Teacher Education, students will obtain a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree and K-12 teaching license. Sport Pedagogy graduates will receive a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree. Both concentrations consist of 120 credits, which includes 41 hours of General Studies.

Physical Education Teacher Education Program

The Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Physical Education is offered for students seeking a Tennessee K-12 Physical Education Teaching License. The major prepares teacher candidates in the areas of physical education content knowledge, instructional assessment, curriculum planning, and effective pedagogical skills. The program includes courses in the major disciplinary areas of physical education as well as courses that include significant clinical and practical experiences. Students majoring in this concentration are required to pursue a minor in Secondary Education. For more information, contact Dr. Don Belcher.

Sports Pedagogy Concentration

Physical Education is a comprehensive field that engages individuals of all ages, abilities, and cultures in movement experiences that contribute to their growth and development. Physical education is a dynamic field, constantly evolving as societal trends, demographics, and other factors impact upon it. Students majoring in this concentration may choose between a variety of minors (i.e., Athletic Coaching and Officiating, Dance, Health and Somatic Movement). For more information, contact Dr. Don Belcher.

Physical Activities Program

The purpose behind the HHP Department physical activity courses are to introduce students to a variety of lifetime sports, games, and/or activities. Participation in these physical activities is necessary for young adults in college to improve their fitness, skills, and knowledge for safe and satisfactory involvement in these activities over their lifespan. For more information, contact Dr. Bev Clanton.

Students majoring in Physical Education will be required to have a minor in Secondary Education. A second minor can be obtained if an individual is interested in attending additional terms. Other areas of interest for a minor may include health education, coaching, driver's education, and dance. Specific minors offered in the Department of Health and Human Performance are Athletic Coaching and Officiating, Driver and Traffic Safety Education, Communication Disorders, Health, Health and Physical Education, Health and Human Performance, Recreation, Health Care Service, Health Care Administration, and Somatic Movement Education.

Graduate

Students may obtain a MPH degree in Public Health with a concentration in Community Health. The Physical Activity program is designed to enhance the pedagogical skills and knowledge of students who already hold a bachelor's degree in physical education. Students who hold a bachelor's degree in another field may pursue an MHP in Public Health with a concentration in Physical Activity after completing required prerequisite courses. Another option is to combine the MHP program with the post-baccalaureate K-12 licensure program. Students must complete the Ready to Teach program in order to be admitted into the program.

Students may also pursue a Ph.D. in Human Performance with a concentration in Physical Education. The focus of this degree is to transition individuals from physical education teacher to the role of a physical education teacher educator and researcher. See the Physical Education Graduate Program Manager for details.

Other programs offered by HHP

Other undergraduate majors offered by the Health and Human Performance Department that lead to a B.S. include Exercise Science; Public Health; Tourism and Hospitality Management with three concentrations: Event Planning, Hospitality Management, and Tourism Management; Leisure and Sport Management; and Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology.

Other concentrations under the Ph.D. in Human Performance are Exercise Physiology, Health, and Leisure and Sport Management.

In addition, M.S. degrees are available with a major in Exercise Physiology and a major in Leisure, Sport, and Tourism Management with a choice of concentrations in Recreation and Leisure Services and Sport Industry.

Professional Licensure Disclosure

MTSU discloses that the Bachelor of Science (BS) in Physical Education is a teacher licensure preparation program accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) and approved by the Tennessee Department of Education. Admission to an undergraduate teacher licensure preparation program does not guarantee that students will obtain a teacher license. Successful completion of the program meets the educational requirements to apply for a practitioner teacher licensure in Tennessee.

The BS Physical Education disclosure provided on MTSU's professional licensure disclosure website indicates the states and territories where MTSU has determined, through reasonable and good faith effort, that the program does or does not meet the educational requirements for other US states and territories. Licensing authorities for each state set and enforce their own requirements and standards, which are subject to change. Current and prospective students not located in Tennessee or who plan to seek licensure or certification outside the state of Tennessee should contact the appropriate state licensing agency or board and discuss their plans with an advisor and the MTSU Office of Teacher Licensure before enrolling in the program to ensure they have the most up-to-date information and guidance regarding licensure requirements.