The Department of Teaching and Learning offers a highly respected dual undergraduate major in health education and physical education that prepares you to teach both disciplines in elementary, middle and high schools. The redesigned 127-credit 4-year Bachelor of Science Degree in the Health Education and Physical Education program will provide you with greater career flexibility and will lead to New York State Initial Teaching Certification in two distinct disciplines. 

Students in the program learn effective techniques of classroom management, curriculum design, and lesson planning for children in Kindergarten through Grade 12. Liberal arts courses in biology equip you with knowledge in human anatomy and physiology. 

The Health Education component examines nutrition, health care services, sexuality and family planning, personal well-being, and drugs in contemporary society. You will learn how to encourage children and teenagers, in a non-judgmental approach, to discuss their experiences, attitudes and values related to health issues.

The Physical Education portion shows you how to create a program that motivates children and adolescents to stay fit. You will learn how to organize movement activities, create rules and regulations, conduct lessons that allow for maximum practice opportunity, analyze student performance and identify sports-related injuries. 

In both disciplines, you will gain extensive field-based experience through methods classes and student teaching in local school districts. 

Career Options

We provide versatile educational experiences that lead to a wide range of employment opportunities in each discipline, including K-12 teaching in health education and physical education, coaching, sports officiating, physical training, recreational programming, and health education programming and promotion within schools and communities, to name a few.