2012-2013

Health Sciences - Physical Education, Bachelor of Science in Education

Department of Health Sciences

College of Health and Human Services

The Bachelor of Science in Education degree has been a part of NAU’s heritage from its earliest years. Those who earn this degree will be ready to launch a career in this essential part of community and country—the education of young people, the breath of the future.

This program is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).

  • To receive a bachelor's degree at Northern Arizona University, you must complete at least 120 units of credit that minimally includes a major, the liberal studies requirements, and university requirements as listed below.

    • All of Northern Arizona University's diversity, liberal studies, junior-level writing, and capstone requirements.
    • All requirements for your specific academic plan(s).
    • At least 30 units of upper-division courses, which may include transfer work.
    • At least 30 units of coursework taken through Northern Arizona University, of which at least 18 must be upper-division courses (300-level or above). This requirement is not met by credit-by-exam, retro-credits, transfer coursework, etc.
    • A cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0 on all work attempted at Northern Arizona University.

    The full policy can be viewed here.

In addition to University Requirements:

  • 68 units of major requirements including 15 units of fieldwork experience - PE 408 and PE 495C
  • 12 units of Foundations in Teaching requirements
  • 18-24 units of coursework in a minor
  • Be aware that you may not use courses with an HS prefix to satisfy liberal studies requirements
  • Elective courses, if needed, to reach an overall total of at least 120 units

Candidates in this program of study are required to demonstrate professional dispositions, content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge and skills, professional knowledge, and health-related fitness to be eligible to enter student teaching or internship placements.

Students may be able to use some courses to meet more than one requirement. Contact your advisor for details.

Minimum Units for Completion 129
Major GPA 2.5
Highest Mathematics Required STA 270
Additional Admission Requirements Required
Fieldwork Experience/Internship Required
Student Teaching/Supervised Teaching Required
Progression Plan Link Not Available

Additional Admission Requirements

  • Individual program admission requirements over and above admission to NAU are required.

  • To be eligible for admission to the program, candidates must meet the following requirements:

    • Complete PE 315 with a grade of "C" or better
    • Meet expectations on the Introduction to Professional Portfolio (key program assessment)
    • Complete and sign the program acknowledgement checklist
    • Have completed the Mathematics foundation requirement (generally MAT 110, MAT 114, MAT 125, or MAT 155) with a grade of "C" or better
    • Have completed the English foundation requirement (ENG 105 or equivalent) with a grade of "B" or better. (If you don’t earn a "B," you may complete an additional writing course, at the 200 level or above, with a "B" or better to meet this requirement.)
Major Requirements

  • Take the following 68 units with a Grade of "C" or better and a minimum GPA of 2.5:

    Content Knowledge of Physical Education (8 units)
    • PE 316 (2 units)
    • PES Credit. These must include the following (6 units):

      • Net/Wall (e.g., volleyball, racquetball)
      • Group Fitness (e.g., aerobic dance)
      • Invasion Game (e.g., basketball, hockey)
      • Recreation (e.g., cycling, golf) We highly recommend Swimming and Life-guard Certification
      • Dance
      • Weight Training
Minor Requirements

  • You must complete a minor of at least 18 units from those described in this catalog. In consultation with your advisor, you should select a minor that is appropriate for your career aspirations and educational needs. Your minor advisor will advise you about this part of your academic plan.

Teacher Preparation

  • To be eligible to student teach, candidates must meet the following requirements:

    • Meet expectations on 80% of criteria in the following key assessments:

    • Health-Related Fitness requirements. See the HS: Physical Education Program website for specific criteria.
    • Portfolio presentation demonstrating evidence of meeting at least 5 of the 6 National Association of Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) Initial Teacher Standards.
    Student Teaching in Physical Education (PE 495C) is the capstone experience for this degree plan. Student teachers will be assigned to placements in the Flagstaff area by the Physical Education Teacher Education faculty. In special circumstances, where students cannot be accommodated appropriately locally, placements will be determined based on the best educational situation available. Only students who have demonstrated academic excellence throughout their academic career (Minimum GPA of 3.5) will be placed in approved Health Sciences clinical sites outside of the Flagstaff area.

    You must complete all student teaching prerequisites by the end of the fall or spring term directly preceding your student teaching experience. Please be aware that if you complete your coursework during the Summer sessions, you will not be considered for a student-teaching placement for the following Fall Semester.

  • AEPA Requirements

    In order to obtain an AZ teaching certificate, you will need to pass the following exams:
    • AEPA Subject Knowledge Exam
    • AEPA Professional Knowledge Exam
General Electives

  • Additional coursework is required if, after you have met the previously described requirements, you have not yet completed a total of 120 units of credit.

    You may take these remaining courses from any of the academic areas, using these courses to pursue your specific interests and goals. You may also use prerequisites or transfer credits as electives if they weren't used to meet major, minor, or liberal studies requirements.

    We encourage you to consult with your advisor to select the courses that will be most advantageous to you.

  • Please note that you may take as an elective POS 220 (or POS 110 and POS 241), which satisfies the state and federal constitution requirement for Arizona certification, or you may meet the requirement by demonstrating proficiency on a special exam.
Additional Information
  • Please be aware that, for the B.S.Ed. degree, you must have the following:
    • A grade of "B" or better for the English foundation requirement (ENG 105 or equivalent) (If you don’t receive a 3.0, you may complete an additional ENG writing course, at the 200-level or above, with at least a "B," to meet this requirement.)
    • A grade of "C" or better for the mathematics foundation requirement
    • A grade point average of at least 2.5 in all of your Northern Arizona University coursework in order to student teach. This requirement applies to all B.S.Ed. majors at Northern Arizona University.

  • Be aware that some courses may have prerequisites that you must also successfully complete. For prerequisite information, click on the course or see your advisor.