Teacher Licensure Program

Health and Human Performance Major Mission Statement: The Health and Physical Education Teacher Certification program is dedicated to preparing high quality health and physical education teachers who meet and exceed State Department licensure standards.  Toward this end, students will engage in an active, developmentally progressive process designed to build movement skills, pedagogical knowledge,  critical thinking, moral reasoning and commitment to teaching, based on a philosophical position that is based on several tenets: (1) that learning  to teach physical education is an active process, with students actively involved in all aspects of the teaching process (2) that the process of becoming a teacher is developmentally progressive with each successive experience building upon the previous one and extending the student's development (3) that to become a successful teacher, one must be skilled at critical thinking and moral reasoning (4) that movement is essential to the development of the physical and students must develop certain level of skillfulness in each of the content areas (dance, gymnastics, games, health related fitness) and (5) that technology is an integral part of teaching.

Core Course Requirements:

For a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Health and Human Performance either 11 or 12 units of work are required within the department.

The core courses are HHP 200, 207, 221, 223 or Equivalent, 301, 306, and 403.

Note that HHP 160 is prerequisite for HHP 207, HHP 209 is prerequisite to HHP 302 and 404, HHP 221 is pre-requisite for all courses above the HHP 301 level (except for independent study courses), and Biology 230 and 260 are prerequisites for HHP 306 and 403.  This course may be taken as an elective or through an external agency. Verification of external agency certification must be presented to the department chair.

Students must also complete:

HHP 203 Individual Sports
HHP 204 Team Sports
HHP 205 Non-Traditional Activities
HHP 206 Skill Analysis: Fundamentals of Rhythms and Dance
HHP 302 Physical Education Methods and Materials I: PK – 7
HHP 305 Adapted and Developmental Physical Education
HHP 335 Coordinated School Health Programs
HHP 404 Physical Education Methods and Materials II: 8 – 12
HHP 409 Health Education Methods and Materials I: PK – 12

This program of study is required for students interested in being licensed to teach health and physical education. Other state licensure requirements are also required. (See Education section.)

The student desiring to teach health and physical education in elementary/secondary schools may take courses to satisfy the requirements for licensure in Virginia and other states with which Virginia has reciprocity.

Employment Opportunities: Teacher Licensure

• Physical Education Teaching and Coaching, PreK-12
• College/UniversityCoaching