Department of Health Promotion and Physical Education

The Department of Health Promotion and Physical Education programs build on a long tradition of excellence. Our approach emphasizes theory into practice, as our majors apply what they have learned through fieldwork, internships, and student-teaching experiences. As a result, our students develop the critical skills essential for professional practice in addition to gaining a strong foundation of knowledge in health promotion and physical activity.

The department prepares students to take an active role in the promotion of health and physical activity, with a focus on enhancing people's well-being through education in school and community settings, practicing in the health sciences, and leadership in health policy and management.

Department Mission:

To prepare ethical, competent health promotion and health and physical education professionals within a liberal education background to work in diverse settings with multicultural populations.

• B.S. in health sciences with premedical, planned clinical or nutrition emphasis
• B.S. in health care management
• B.S. in public and community health 

Built around a professional core, each of these majors offers specialized areas of concentration. For example, some of our public and community health majors choose to concentrate in a specific area of health, while others develop an individualized plan of study in consultation with their adviser. Students in health care management can minor in business or management. Many of our students in the health sciences prepare for advanced study, aspiring to attend medical school, obtain a master's degree in public health, or become a registered dietitian. Each degree program culminates in an internship, providing the opportunity to work with outstanding professionals in a real-world setting.

• B.S. in health education
• B.S. in physical education
• B.S. in health education and physical education

Throughout their four years, students have many opportunities to work directly with children and adolescents in the Iocal public schools. This field-based approach allows them to put classroom learning to use in a real-world setting and culminates in a semester of student teaching during the senior year under the guidance of a mentor teacher. Our students regularly score above the state average on teacher certification exams.