Graduate Study in Health Promotion and Physical Education
Welcome!
“Our graduate programs prepare students to meet the demands of contemporary health and physical education issues. With superb faculty guidance and diverse experiential learning, students acquire competencies that are specific to professional certification for K-12 teaching in New York State. The Health Education graduate program also prepares students who aspire to practice as professional community health educators.”
-- Srijana Bajracharya
Graduate Program Chair and Associate Professor
A Heritage of Success
Begun in the fall of 2005, Ithaca's master's degree programs in physical education and health education are built on the heritage and strength of our baccalaureate programs. The department approaches these disciplines by emphasizing real-world experience with young people in the K-12 environment, and by providing cutting-edge coursework in the classroom.
Best of all, our talented faculty and low student-teacher ratio assure individualized attention and the opportunity for a superior education.
Students in the program
- develop an advanced understanding of physical education and the behavioral and health sciences;
- enhance their core strengths in teaching methods, theory, and practices; and
- gain experience and deeper insights into the art and science of instructing and leading young people in a scholastic setting.
Many Ways to Study
Students in the program may choose either a thesis or non-thesis option. In addition, the program offers multiple tracks that can be customized to accommodate students from almost any educational and professional background.
Students who are interested in state certification as a physical education or health education teacher but do not have an undergraduate background in the field are encouraged to meet with the program chair to discuss individualized tracks of study.