Return to: 4150 Department of Kinesiology and Health
Additional Teacher Education information is found in section 1600 Educator Preparation .
The B.S.E. major in Health and Physical Education has two concentrations. The first prepares graduates to teach integrated programs of health and physical education teacher certification (TC) for pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. The second prepares sport coaches (sport coaching) to work in community sport and movement settings from early childhood through later adulthood. Areas of emphasis across the two concentrations include movement skill development and analysis, personal health and wellness, pedagogical-disciplinary study, contemporary curriculum, instructional skills and models, sport coaching and development of athletes, and direct field experiences. Both concentrations feature a field-based approach.
Program Admission
Students are required to meet all university and college admission requirements. In addition, students must apply to the HPE program prior to beginning Area G of the program.
To be accepted into the B.S.E. Health and Physical Education program:
- Students must have a 2.50 overall grade point average on all undergraduate coursework previously completed;
- Students must have successfully completed areas A-F of program, as listed in the Undergraduate Catalog. This includes completion of Area A Essential Skills with a “C” or better and Area F courses appropriate to the major with a grade of “C” or better;
- Students must demonstrate competence in oral communication. Screening takes place in all education courses (see catalog for more details);
- Students must complete an interview and provide an acceptable writing sample.
Students in the teacher certification concentration:
- must present passing scores on the GACE Program Admission Assessment or demonstrate an exemption upon application to an initial educator preparation program;
- must complete the Georgia Educator Ethics Assessment (360);
- must apply for a Pre-Service Certificate which includes a background check and show proof of tort liability insurance.
Students in the sport coaching concentration:
- must pass a criminal background check and show proof of tort liability
Program Financial Information
B.S.E. majors must pay all tuition and fees charged by the university and the college. A lab fee of $125 will be charged at the time students register for the student teaching/internship experience. Students must be aware that extra cost such as fees for tort liability, criminal background check, and transportation will be incurred at various times during the completion of various field experiences, particularly during the students’ senior year.
Program Academic Regulations
Program of Study for the teacher certification concentration: students must complete 42 semester hours in Areas A-E of the Undergraduate Core Curriculum. Courses in Area A must be completed with “C” or higher grades. A grade of “C” or higher is required in Area F courses. A grade of “C+” is required for KH 3410 and KH 3420. Students who do not receive a grade of “C+” or better may repeat the course once. If a student fails to earn a “C+” the second time, then the student is administratively removed from the teacher certification concentration. A grade of “B-” is required for the following courses: KH 4510, KH 4520, KH 4530, and KH 4540. Students who do not receive a grade of “B-” or better may repeat the course once. If a student fails to earn a “B-” the second time, then the student is administratively removed from the teacher certification concentration. A grade of “B” in KH 4710 and KH 4720 is required for recommendation for certification. Students who do not receive a grade of “B” or better may repeat the course once. If a student fails to earn a “B” the second time, he or she will not be allowed to enroll in the course again and will not be recommended for certification.
Entry into the program does not guarantee continuation in the program, graduation from the program and/or recommendation for certification even if all requirements have been met. Students may graduate from the program with a “B-“, “C+”, “C”, or “C-” without recommendation for certification even if the certification test has been passed.
Pre-Service Certificate (for teacher certification concentration only): Upon admission to a teacher education program, students will be contacted by the Office of Field Placements and Certification with instructions to claim enrollment in their program and submit a GaPSC Pre-Service Certificate Application. The pre-service certificate is required for placement in required field experiences or clinical practice.
Certification (for teacher certification concentration only): Students must post passing scores on the GACE Content Assessment and Georgia Educator Ethics Assessment (360) in order to be recommended by Georgia State University for clear, renewable certification.
For Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC) certification requirements, students must earn a grade of “B” or higher in EXC 4020 Characteristics and Instructional Strategies for Students with Disabilities.
Program of Study for the sport coaching concentration: students must complete 42 semester hours in Areas A-E of the Undergraduate Core curriculum. Courses in Area A must be completed with a C grade or higher. A grade of B is required in KH 4740. Students who do not receive a grade of B or better may repeat the courses once. If a student fails to earn a B or better the second time, he or she will not be permitted to enroll in the course again and will be removed from the program.
Tort Liability: All students must show proof of tort liability insurance prior to admission to taking courses in the methods and curriculum section of Area G and then again prior to enrollment in student teaching/internship. Students may obtain the appropriate forms through the Office of Field Placement and Certification.
Professional Development Plan: Program candidates may be placed on a Professional Development Plan (PDP). The HPE faculty has many options to choose from for determining a PDP for individuals. These options may include but are not limited to retaking courses; taking additional courses; and taking speech or writing workshops. Continuation in the program will depend on demonstrating timely and successful completion of PDP requirements.
As the courses progressively become more field-based, program faculty, cooperating teachers, and school/agency administrators may also recommend that program candidates be placed on a PDP, removed from a course or removed from the program. The HPE program faculty has a personal and professional responsibility to ensure that candidates that enter and graduate from the program exhibit professional behaviors. The HPE faculty is obligated to follow university policy set forth in the following excerpt from the GSU catalog:
The Professional Education Faculty believes that all students who are in field experiences must be personally and psychologically equipped as well as academically prepared. Students may be denied entry to field experiences based on departmental prerequisites or the professional judgment of faculty based on observed performance and behavior. This policy is based on the premise that educators should be part of the evaluation of the students’ ability to function adequately and safely in classrooms and those educators have a right and responsibility to make such judgments prior to placing students in schools. The practicum or student teaching supervisor has the authority to withdraw students from their classroom experience if their performance constitutes a detriment to the children in the class. If such removal is necessary, students will be given an F in each corresponding course.
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