Program Overview

The Health Enhancement K-12 program at Montana State University combines health education and physical education, emphasizing healthy lifestyle management and physical fitness. The curriculum focuses on developing critical thinking, decision-making, and problem-solving skills for future teachers and their students. Graduates pursue careers in elementary, middle, and high school teaching, as well as tutoring.

Program Outline

Outline:

The Health Enhancement K-12 program combines the areas of health education and physical education, with a focus on healthy lifestyle management and physical fitness. The contemporary curriculum aims to achieve healthy lifestyles through skillful movement, with an emphasis on physical fitness, healthy lifestyle management skills, and understanding of the total self (physical, intellectual, emotional and social). The program emphasizes the overall health of the individual and enhances critical thinking, decision-making, and problem-solving skills of future teachers and their students.

Course Plan:

Year One

Fall:

• HDFS 101IS - Indiv and Fam Dev: Lifespan (3 credits)
• HDFS 138 - Survey of Family Finance and Consumer Issues (3 credits)
• Choose one of the following: (3 credits)
• US 101US - First Year Seminar
• COMX 111US - Introduction to Public Speaking
• WRIT 101W - College Writing I (3 credits)
• Directed Electives (3 credits)
• EDEC 160 - Early Childhood Development (3 credits)
Spring:
• M 105Q - Contemporary Mathematics (3 credits)
• EDEC 108 - Introduction to Early Childhood Education (2 credits)
• EDEC 288 - Signing for Early Childhood Educators (3 credits)
• HDFS 263 - Relationships and Fam Systems (3 credits)
• NUTR 221CS - Basic Human Nutrition (3 credits)
• Electives (3 credits)

Year Two

Fall:

• EDEC 253 - Nutrition & Physical Activity in Early Childhood (3 credits)
• HDFS 237 - Managing Work and Family (3 credits)
• HDFS 260 - Middle Childhood and Adolescent Development (3 credits)
• HDFS 271 - Statistical Measures of Well-Being (3 credits)
• University Core IH/IA/D/IN (3 credits)
Spring:
• HDFS 371 - Research Methods in HHD (3 credits)
• NUTR 226 - Food Fundamentals (3 credits)
• NUTR 227 - Food Fundamentals Lab (2 credits)
• University Core IH/IA/D/IN (3 credits)
• Directed Electives (2 credits)

Year Three

Fall:

• EDEC 350 - Play and Learning in Early Childhood (3 credits)
• EDSP 306 - Exceptional Learners (3 credits)
• Directed Electives (3 credits)
• University Core IH/IA/D/IN (3 credits)
• HDFS 334 - Contemporary Housing Topics (3 credits)
Spring:
• EDEC 450 - Literacy in the EC Classroom (3 credits)
• HDFS 315 - Communication and Marketing in Community Education (3 credits)
• HDFS 337 - Personal and Family Finance I (3 credits)
• HDFS 460 - Parenting (3 credits)
• Directed Electives (3 credits)

Year Four

Fall:

• EDEC 430 - Social and Emotional Development in the Young Child (3 credits)
• HDFS 359 - Theories and Skills for the Human Services (3 credits)
• Choose one of the following: (3 credits)
• HDFS 455R - Program Planning and Administration in Family & Consumer Sciences
• HDFS 465R - Family Law & Public Policy
• HDFS 457 - Family Life Education (3 credits)
• HDFS 494 - Seminar/Workshop (1 credit)
• Electives (3 credits)
Spring:
• EDEC 498 - EC Internship (3 credits)
• HDFS 451 - Trauma and Recovery: A Lifespan Perspective (3 credits)
• HDFS 464 - Gndr, Rce, Clss, and Fam Diver (3 credits)
• HDFS 498 - Internship (3 credits)
• Electives (3 credits)

Careers:

Health Enhancement K-12 students at Montana State University go into careers such as:

• Elementary School Teaching
• Middle School Teaching
• High School Teaching
• Tutoring