Commonwealth University's Health and Physical Education program will prepare you to teach grades K-12 or work in a number of fields from coaching and aquatics, to facilitating health and wellness programs in correctional settings.

Health and Physical Education

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Commonwealth University's Health and Physical Education program will prepare you to teach grades K-12 or work in a number of fields from coaching and aquatics, to facilitating health and wellness programs in correctional settings.

Degrees & Offerings
  • B.S.
  • B.S.Ed.
Location
  • Lock Haven
Department
College
Program Contact
Chair, Department of K-12, Health and Physical Education, Middle Level & Secondary Education
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Commonwealth University's state- and nationally-accredited program will prepare you to become a certified health and physical education teacher for grades K-12. This program offers students from the first semester through graduation extensive hands-on professional experiences in the schools and other settings for planning and implementing learning activities.

Program highlights include:

  • Sport and Fitness Related Teaching Methods Courses
  • Health Related Content and Pedagogical Strategies
  • Curricular, Instructional and Assessment Strategies for Teaching Health Education and Physical Education
  • Early Hands-on Teaching Experiences
  • Opportunities to Volunteer to Coach in Area Schools
Health and Physical Education student using a lap top outside of Zimmerli Gymnasium on the Lock Haven campus

Concentration in Coaching

Whether taking the coaching concentration or minor, the combination of courses from sport management and exercise science, combined with health and physical education coursework will prepare students for coaching opportunities in multiple contexts and sites with a variety of age levels and target audiences.

Courses and Curriculum

Degree Requirements Degree Works

Note: Degree requirements effective for enrolled students beginning Fall 2023. All enrolled students, including matriculating students prior to Fall 2023, can review their degree program requirements and track progress to degree completion with our degree audit and advisement tool, Degree Works.

Degree Requirements Degree Works

Note: Degree requirements effective for enrolled students beginning Fall 2023. All enrolled students, including matriculating students prior to Fall 2023, can review their degree program requirements and track progress to degree completion with our degree audit and advisement tool, Degree Works.

Health and Physical Education students complete field experiences in PK-12 schools during freshman year and are expected to engage in practical teaching experiences each semester in which they plan and implement their own lessons related to courses in which they are enrolled. Other opportunities are provided for majors to gain practical teaching experiences with PK-12 students with and without disabilities. These early clinical teaching experiences and observation opportunities in schools provide an early comfort level for students to develop and grow during their program at LHU so that they are ready to teach upon graduation. 

The Bachelor of Science in Education in Health and Physical Education at CU provides students a Professional Semester of blocked classes during the fall semester of senior year just prior to Student Teaching.   These blocked courses include subject-specific “methods” courses related to both Health Education and Physical Education with practical field experiences with PK-12 students as well as courses focusing on curriculum, assessment, managing students. 

  1. Students will Develop and Apply Content and Foundational Knowledge (6 SLO competencies)  
  2. Students will Achieve and Demonstrate Skillfulness and Health-Related Fitness (2 SLO competencies)  
  3. Students will Develop and Implement Long and Short-Term Planning for K-12 Students (6 SLO competencies)  
  4. Students will Apply Strategies for Instructional Delivery and Classroom Management (5 SLO competencies)  
  5. Students will Develop and Apply Formative and Summative Strategies to Assess K-12 Student Learning (3 SLO competencies)
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Health & Physical Education

Accreditation

Accredited by: 

  • SHAPE America: Society of Health and Physical Educators 
  • PDE: Pennsylvania Department of Education 
  • CAEP: Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation 

Field Experiences

Beginning in the freshman year, students will participate in a variety of field experiences. Over the course of four years, students will spend time in PK-12 schools and other settings to complete experiences and meet mandated state and national expectations to develop professional competencies. Health and Physical Education teaching majors will complete two student teaching placements during their senior year at the elementary and secondary levels. 

High Impact Experiences

Mentorship Program

A mentorship program between first year students and current successful junior and senior health and physical education majors helps students become acclimated to the college atmosphere and to learn the ropes of the program. 

Facilities

Students complete teaching methods courses in one of three gymnasium spaces in Zimmerli Gymnasium as well as Rogers Gymnasium a few steps from Zimmerli.  Students complete a required swimming course in a state-of-the art swimming pool in Zimmerli Gymnasium as well.  Students also have access to view their own lessons they teach and set improvement goals using software-generated teaching and learning patterns in the HPE Assessment and Pedagogy Lab in Zimmerli.  Additionally, our Motor Learning Laboratory allows students to investigate principles related to the acquisition of motor skills in an applied context. Faculty are able to deliver courses in technology-enhanced classrooms with vast multimedia capabilities.  Students can access open computer labs and campus wireless network when using personally-owned devices.  Students can request technology resources from Stevenson Library, Media Services. 

Clubs and Organizations

  • S-PSEA: Student Pennsylvania State Education Association 
  • SHAPE-CU: Health and Physical Education Club
Learn More

Careers

With a degree in health and physical education, graduates can gain employment as a health and/or physical education teacher in a K-12 setting, but the opportunities don’t end there. Many coaching positions exist for all educational levels, including higher education. Graduates also work in the following areas:

Potential Job Opportunities

  • Health Clubs
  • Sport, Physical Activity and Recreational Programs in Correctional Facilities
  • YMCA and Sport Facility programs
  • Aquatics Programs and Facilities
  • Higher Education (with appropriate graduate degrees)
Health and Physical Education student using a lap top outside of Zimmerli Gymnasium on the Lock Haven campus

I chose CU-Lock Haven for Health and Physical Education because of the reputation Lock Haven has when it comes to education. Especially Health and Physical Education. Since becoming a bald eagle, I have experienced what this program has to offer and the wonderful opportunities it provides. I can now understand why Lock Haven has such an amazing reputation.

Zach Cole
Health and Physical Education
Health and Physical Education student sitting at a desk

The most impactful experience I have had since starting the Health and Physical education program was getting to go out into local schools and observing gym classes and seeing how much you can truly impact students as a teacher. Watching their faces light up as they enter the gym and seeing how motivated students are to participate when you create a good environment is one of the most impactful experiences a person can possibly have.

Rachel Kingsley
Health and Physical Education
Health and Physical Education student sitting at a desk
Health and Physical Education student using a lap top outside of Zimmerli Gymnasium on the Lock Haven campus

Connect with our Faculty

Evehart

Brett Everhart

  • Chair, Department of K-12, Health and Physical Education, Middle Level & Secondary Education
  • Lock Haven
CommonwealthU University Employee

Jennifer Thorp

  • Associate Professor, Health and Physical Education
  • Lock Haven
CommonwealthU University Employee

Cengiz Yakut

  • Professor, Health and Physical Education
  • Lock Haven

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