Health and Physical Education Major (B.S.H.P.E.)
Program Overview
A major in Health and Physical Education (HPE) prepares students for careers as HPE teachers for children and youth grades pre-kindergarten through twelve (PreK-12 teaching license). All students interested in HPE will enter Ohio University as a pre-major (pre-health and physical education major code ND8926). Admission into the major is a competitive process requiring the student to formally apply to the major and be accepted, upon completion of the following:
- Must achieve 3.0 CUM GPA or higher for admission into the major
- Must maintain 2.75 CUM GPA or higher after admission into the major.
- Must complete all prerequisite coursework in specific order to advance into the major.
- Must repeat major coursework if the grade is below a C (2.0)
- Must complete all skill and fitness program assessments
- Must demonstrate appropriate levels of professionalism (Assessed throughout the program)
Admissions Information
Freshman/First-Year Admission
No requirements beyond University admission requirements to be in the premajor. Once all premajor requirements have been met as described above, the student must formally apply to the health and physical education major. Premajor to major forms can be obtained from your physical education advisor.
Change of Program Policy
All students changing their major to HPE must first start out in the premajor (ND8926). Please contact the Office of Student Affairs in 103 Patton Hall for more information on this process.
Admission to the Physical Education Major
Once all premajor requirements have been completed, the student must formally apply to the HPE major through their assigned advisor. Premajor to major forms can be obtained from your HPE advisor. Upon acceptance into the HPE major, the next step is Admission to Teacher Candidacy.
Admission to Teacher Candidacy
Generally, teacher candidates apply for admission to Teacher Candidacy during the second semester of their first year.
Requirements
These requirements are subject to change.
- Completion of 30 semester credit hours with cumulative GPA of 3.00.
- Completion of the following courses with a grade of C (2.0) or better in each course:
- Tier I Math course (1M) with a grade of C (2.0) or higher
- Tier I Freshman Composition course (1E) with a grade of C (2.0) or higher
- EDTE 1000 - Introduction to Teacher Education with a grade of C (2.0) or higher
- PSY 1010 - General Psychology with a grade of C (2.0) or higher
- Submission of test scores on one of the following assessments. Students only need to take and submit scores for one of the following tests, not all three: a) PRAXIS CORE (Academic Skills for Educators) Test, b) ACT, or c) SAT.
- Submission of the results of a background check through BCI and FBI. Ohio Revised Code: 3319.291D
- New Transfer Students: Transfer CUM GPA may be considered towards Teacher Candidacy.
Admission to Advanced Standing
After successfully completing the 2000-level block teacher candidates must apply for advanced standing to become eligible to take courses at the 3000- and 4000-level in the Patton College of Education. Students must receive a C (2.0) or higher in all HPE Teacher Candidacy courses and maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.75 or higher.
External Transfer Admission
All transfer students must start out in the premajor until all transfer courses have been equated and all requirements to advance to the HPE major have been met. Once this has been done the procedure is the same for those students who have transferred into the major internally.
Opportunities Upon Graduation
A degree in HPE prepares students to teach health and physical education from prekindergarten through grade twelve. Ohio teacher licensure is dependent upon students' scores on sections of the Ohio Assessments for Educators exam (Assessment of professional knowledge, multi-age and physical education content knowledge, and Health content knowledge). Aside from a teaching career in health and physical education, a bachelor's of science in health and physical education prepares students for employment in a variety of physical activity settings and provides a foundation for graduate level programs (e.g., coaching interscholastic athletics, youth services, campus, etc.).