Bachelor of Science in Education in Health and Physical Education

On this page:

• Why Choose Health and Physical Education?
• Careers
• Real-World Experience
• Success Stories
• Academics, Curriculum, and Advising
• Admission
• Licensure Exams
• Health and Physical Education in the Community

Why Choose Health and Physical Education?

You can prepare to become an exemplary health and physical education teacher who promotes physically active and healthy lifestyles in Wright State’s health and physical education program. Wright State is one of the few programs in Ohio to offer a license in both health and physical education within a four-year undergraduate program. The program is built upon three key principles—preparation, involvement, and excellence.

Wright State University’s programs are accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation, fully approved by the Ohio Department of Higher Education, and meet the requirements for the Ohio Department of Education 4 Year Resident Educator teaching license. Successful completion of the B.S.Ed. in health and physical education meets the educational requirements for the Resident Educator Multi-Age License in Health Education and Physical Education in Ohio as regulated by the Ohio Department of Education. Licensure and certification requirements vary from state to state, and we have not determined if this program meets educational requirements outside of Ohio. If you are planning to pursue professional licensure or certification in a state other than Ohio, please contact the appropriate licensing entity in that state to seek information and guidance regarding that state’s licensure or certification requirements. You will benefit from relevant and up-to-date training, such as Youth Mental Health First Aid Training and other professional development opportunities in accordance with Ohio’s Strategic Plan for Education focused on the whole child.

Preparation

Your innovative courses will help you develop the knowledge and skill of teaching health and physical education. Prepare to implement curriculum aligned with state standards and assessments in both health and physical education. Practice your craft in a series of progressive field experiences culminating in a semester student teaching experience in health and physical education. Gain additional experience with P-12 students in courses throughout the program. Earn certifications in National Archery in the Schools Program and the Physical Best fitness curriculum by taking unique courses in Adventure Education and Teaching Fitness in Physical Education.

Involvement

Be part of a program that believes strongly in campus, school, professional, and community involvement and prepare to be part of the next generation of health and physical educators who will be key to achieving the goal of a healthy and physically active Ohio.

 Faculty serve as leaders in state and national organizations and are advocates for initiatives that will improve the quality of health and physical education in Ohio.

• The Health and Opioid Prevention Education (HOPE) Curriculum (Start Talking!) is a K-12 curriculum to build the knowledge and skills to make healthy choices. Register for access to the HOPE Curriculum.
• Faculty member Kevin Lorson, Ph.D., is leading the development of the OAHPERD Health Education Model Curriculum. The OAHPERD Health Education Model Curriculum will provide guidance for Ohio’s schools to develop a skill-based health education curriculum.
• Kevin Lorson was awarded a grant from the Ohio Department of Higher Education to assist schools in developing students to be healthy and ready to reach their potential. The HOPES in Schools Project develop a Whole Child Framework and HOPES in Schools trainings and technical support for school districts to develop mental, behavioral, and physical health and wellness supports within schools and assist schools in connecting community and school resources. Another outcome of the project is the professional development training of “How Can I Help? Recognize, Reach Out, Refer and Recharge.”
• Kevin Lorson was extensively involved in the creation and revision of the Ohio Department of Education Physical Education Standards and Physical Education Evaluation.
• The Wright State Health and Physical Education Majors’ Club will help you get involved in professional and service activities. You can attend and present at state, regional and national conferences.

Program Highlights

• Dual license program in both health and physical education, grades P–12.
• Curriculum focuses on the whole child approach.
• Early and frequent field experiences provide you with learning and networking opportunities in grades K–12.
• Cohort model allows you to move through the program as a group and take the same courses together. This creates more connection and support among peers.
• Based on feedback from employers, Wright State prepares you especially well to collaborate effectively with other teachers, administrators, and staff.
• Over the past five years, 97 percent of Wright State program completers passed the state’s licensure examinations.
• Teachers prepared at Wright State consistently perform above the state average on the Ohio Teacher Evaluation System (OTES).

Contact Information
Kevin Lorson, Ph.D.
309 Nutter Center
937-775-3258
kevin.lorson@wright.edu

Careers

Demand for teachers is high, with many parts of the state and nation currently unable to hire as many teachers as they need. Areas with the highest need include special education (intervention specialist), math, science, world language, and teaching English as a second language (TESOL). Hiring for teachers is projected to grow 5 percent from 2018 to 2028, about as fast as the average for all occupations. About 512,900 new teaching jobs are projected to be added from 2018 to 2028 (bls.gov).

Teaching is unique in that it provides you an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of students, carry out your passion for your content area, and advocate for issues related to education. There are also plenty of opportunities to move up and through the education field, including becoming a lead teacher, administrator, school counselor, or further your specialties through endorsements and certificates. You may take an opportunity to move your career to advocacy, government agencies, or higher education.

• The median annual wage for education occupations was $49,700 in May 2018 (bls.gov).
• Local employers include Centerville, Fairborn, Beavercreek, Cincinnati, Dayton, West Carrollton, Kettering, Huber Heights, and Springfield City Schools.
• Visit our Educator Quality Data page for additional details on employment and salary.

The College of Health, Education, and Human Services has provided a dedicated career consultant to assist you in connecting your major to a career. The career consultant focuses on staying up to date on career trends in education, kinesiology and health, leadership, and human services. Our assigned career consultant is an extension of services offered through Wright State’s Career Services.

View the health and physical education program profile for sample occupations, average salary, and employment projections.

Real-World Experience

Extensive real-life experience and practice in P-12 schools is the heart of Wright State’s teacher preparation programs. As an education major, you will benefit from the highest quality instruction interwoven with clinical practice throughout your program. Working in close partnership with nine local school districts and many other schools in the region, our programs provide you with the following advantages:

• Early in your program, you will have the opportunity to begin serving in schools through ED 2100 Education in a Democracy, a designated service-learning course. 
• You will be in the schools early and often, including at least three semesters in which you are in the field.
• You will spend more hours on the ground in schools practicing and refining your skills than nearly any other program in the state. Although the state only requires 100 hours prior to student teaching, the health and physical education program requires 200 hours.
• All of your field experiences will be supervised by clinical faculty (trained former teachers, principals, and curriculum directors) who will provide quality, constructive feedback to improve your readiness teach.
• In addition to your regular field experiences, you will have one or more education courses (e.g. classroom management, science methods, etc.) in which your professor will hold portions of your university class on-site at a local school district to enrich your experience and bridge the gap from theory to practice.
• Your experience will culminate in a year-long student teaching internship where you will start the year and end the year with the same mentor teacher and classroom.
• Our Office of Partnerships and Field Experiences works to place our candidates in a variety of school settings (urban, rural, suburban) to allow for varying experiences.

Success Stories

Student State Awards

OAHPERD Memorial Scholarship Award

• Jordyn Van Horn
• Rachel Negrey
• Lindsey Cole
• Tyler Begley
• Stephanie McMillen
• Whitney Hollon

SHAPE America/AAHPERD Major of the Year

• Rachel Negrey
• Cory Maycock
• Mike Theobald
• Tyler Begley

Faculty Involvement and Awards

Kevin Lorson

• Outstanding Contributions to Health Education, Society of Public Health Education. 2018
• 2018 OAHPERD Meritorious Award
• Chancellor’s Award, Ohio Department of Higher Education
• Ohio Senate, Proclamation for the HOPE Curriculum
• Wright State University College of Education and Human Services 
  • Outstanding Faculty Member
  • Excellence in Professional Service
• 2010 OAHPERD Young Professional of the Year
• OAHPERD President (2016-2017)
• OAHPERD Advocacy Chair
• Ohio Joint Study Task for Drug Use Prevention Education
• Ohio Department of Education Strategic Planning Committee
• Behavioral Health and Wellness Advisory

Academics and Curriculum

View the Bachelor of Science in Education in Health and Physical Education program information, degree requirements, and graduation planning strategy in the Academic Catalog.

• Health and Physical Education 4-Year Planning Guide (PDF)
• Course Planning Guide for HED, HPR, and KNH courses (PDF)

Academic Advising

For general questions, admission information, licensure information, and transcript evaluation contact an academic advisor in the CHEH Academic Advising Office.

Admission

Admission Requirements

• 30 semester credit hours of college coursework
• Cumulative minimum GPA of 2.6
• Completion of first aid program, concussion course, CPR certification. See details below regarding approved trainings.   
• Interview with faculty member who will complete Candidate Dispositional Assessment: Candidate Disposition Inventory (CDI) (PDF)
• Passing scores in each of the following areas:
  • One of the following Reading scores:
    • ACT Reading score of 19 or better
    • SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score of 520 or better
    • ETS Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators Reading score of 162 or better
  • One of the following Math scores:
    • ACT Math score of 17 or better
    • SAT Math score of 510 or better
    • ETS Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators Math score of 158 or better
  • One of the following Writing scores:
    • ACT Writing score of 6 or better
    • SAT Essay-Writing Dimension score of 5 or better
    • ETS Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators Writing score of 165 or better

Be aware that WHEN you took the test is an important factor in determining whether your score meets the minimum criteria for admission, due to revisions that have occurred over time in the ACT, SAT, and Praxis tests. Acceptable Test Scores for Admission to Teacher Education Programs (PDF)

**Due to accreditation requirement changes, admissions requirements are subject to change. Students should continue to check for updates, and work with their advisors to be informed of upcoming changes.

​Admission Process

New Students

Current Wright State Students

Submit an Application for Field Experience

Licensure Exams

HPE candidates are required to pass specific Ohio Assessments for Educators (OAE) tests before they are allowed to begin their student teaching experience. Information on the tests and preparation materials can be found on the OAE website.

HPE in the Community

Need a professional development workshop? We can provide sessions on the following topics:

• Physical Education
  • Ohio Physical Education Evaluation
  • Developing a K–12 Physical Education Curriculum
  • Topics in Physical Education—Tactics, Sport Education, Fitness Education, Adapted Physical Education
• Health Education
  • Building a K–12 Standards-Based Health Education Curriculum.
  • Assessment strategies in K–12 health education.
  • Building skills-based health education lessons.
• Whole Child
  • Building your schools’ system of supports
  • Assessing district readiness for the Whole Child including mental and behavioral health and school-based health centers.
  • Strategic planning for the Whole Child.

Contact kevin.lorson@wright.edu for additional information about professional development.