Physical Education

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Acting Chairperson: Dr. Thomas H. Sawyer
Departmental Office: Health and Human Services Building, room C-15
Web site: www.indstate.edu/pe/
E-mail: pedept@ indstate.edu

The Department of Physical Education provides the opportunity for students to gain a teaching license; pursue a major in exercise science; and develop physical fitness and sports skills.

The Department of Physical Education is located in the 230,000 square foot Health and Human Services Building. Laboratory facilities include: exercise physiology, motor learning, biomechanics, and instructional analysis laboratories equipped with state-of-the-art instrumentation. Additional instructional facilities include: a large multi-use gymnasia that includes a 200 meter indoor track and various court configurations for basketball, volleyball, badminton, and tennis; an indoor swimming pool, weight training facilities, two dance rooms, ten racquetball courts, and a 30 foot climbing wall.

ACADEMIC PROGRAMS

Degrees Offered

Physical education majors may earn either the bachelor of science or bachelor of arts degree. Candidates for these degrees should consult the University requirements for graduation, including Foundational Studies requirements, described elsewhere in this Catalog. A minimum grade of “C” is required of all physical education, teacher education, and exercise science majors and minors in all required major/minor classes, including all cognate and/or all support courses for the degree. Further, all students majoring in teacher education must maintain a 2.5 grade point average in both their major courses and in their overall grade point average and complete all the professional teacher preparation requirements of the Bayh College of Education. (See the Department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Media Technology.) Graduate program information is provided in the Graduate Catalog.

Departmental Opportunities

The Department of Physical Education faculty is dedicated to providing quality experiential learning opportunities through course design, internships, and service learning projects. Active student groups with close ties to professional organizations in their field are sponsored by the department and available to students. Scholarships are also available for physical education majors. See the Department Chairperson or an academic advisor for information.

Graduates of the Physical Education Teacher Education Program are qualified to teach physical education in the public schools of Indiana, and most other states, at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. Graduates pursuing a double major program option with the Health Education Program are qualified to teach both physical education and health education in the public schools of Indiana, and most other states, at the middle and high school levels and are qualified to teach physical education at the elementary school level as well. A coaching concentration to prepare students as coaches at the middle or high school level is also available. Exercise science majors are qualified in the continuously growing field of exercise and fitness to work in a variety of areas including cardiac rehabilitation, personal training, and wellness and fitness programs in business, healthcare, or community-based agencies. 

TEACHING CURRICULA

Students should be thoroughly familiar with the requirements for the teaching curriculum and admission to the Teacher Education Program. Additionally, students follow the required sequence of professional courses and admission requirements in the Bayh College of Education. Refer to the College of Education and the Department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Media Technology in this Catalog.

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