Health and Physical Education, K-12 (B.S.)

Program Overview

Students completing the program of study in Health and Physical Education (HPE) earn a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree with a K-12 Health and Physical Education professional educator's license (SP1). These students are prepared for critically important and rewarding careers as K-12 health and physical educators, school-based activity directors and coaches.

The HPE program holds accreditation at the unit level through the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) as well as approval from the state of North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI).

The HPE curriculum, consisting of 48 semester hours, operates in a coordinated sequence and utilizes a cohort grouping system. This structure allows for a vertical model of integration where salient knowledge and skills are initially introduced and systematically developed across the curriculum through a variety of highly connected classroom, laboratory, and field-based teaching-learning experiences. Each successive teaching-learning experience across the curriculum requires the integration of increasingly sophisticated content knowledge and pedagogy.

In addition, HPE majors select an 18-semester hour Second Academic Concentration (SAC) in either Sport Science and Coaching or Public Health and complete 24 semester hours of Professional Education coursework, which includes a 12-semester hour Student Teaching internship as part of the degree requirements.

The HPE program promotes the development of highly qualified professionals who are prepared to advance the fitness, psychomotor, cognitive and affective learning of school-aged children.

Below you will find an overview of the program components and associated semester hours for the Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Health and Physical Education. A comprehensive course of study for the HPE program is provided in the Program of Study.

*The total hours required for the degree are impacted by courses that count in more than one program component. Select courses taken in one component count toward requirements in other components. For example, a maximum of six (6) hours may be counted toward both General Education requirements and the SAC

Program Component can be found in the Appalachian State Bulletin.