2013-2014

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 nationally recognized by the National Association for Sport and Physical Education.

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
  • 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 are required to demonstrate content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge and skills, professional knowledge, and professional dispositions to be eligible to enter student teaching or internship placements.

Content, pedagogical, and professional knowledge or skills, and professional dispositions are demonstrated through candidate performance on key assessments embedded in the following course(s):

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

Minimum Units for Completion 120
Major GPA 2.5
Highest Mathematics Required STA 270
Additional Admission Requirements Required
Fieldwork Experience/Internship Required
Student Teaching/Supervised Teaching Required
University Honors Program Optional
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:

    30 units of coursework which includes:

    • EDF 200, MAT 114, PE 315  with a grade of "C" or better in each course
    • The English foundations requirement (ENG 105 or equivalent) with a minimum GPA of 3.0.  (If your English GPA is below 3.0, you may take an approved writing course to achieve the 3.0 GPA.)

  • A minimum GPA of 2.5 in all content major coursework and one of the following:

    • A cumulative 2.5 GPA in Liberal Studies courses
    • A cumulative 2.5 GPA in all courses

  • Additional requirements:

    • Meet expectations of the Introduction to Professional Portfolio key program assessment required in PE 315
    • You must be declared in this major
    • Completion of a teacher-education orientation for Secondary Education
    • Submission of a copy of your State-approved Identity-Verified Print (IVP) fingerprint clearance card, obtainable through the Arizona Department of Public Safety (602-223-2279)
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
Teacher Preparation

  • In all of our teacher education programs, you are required to complete a student teaching or internship experience. In addition, a minimum number of units of practicum is required, which involves supervised field experience with a practicing teacher.  

    Before being accepted to student teaching, the following criteria must be met:

    • Admission to the teacher education program
    • NAU GPA must be at least 2.5, with a GPA of 2.5 in all teacher preparation courses, with no grade lower than a "C".
    • Complete all plan requirements.
    • All major coursework, with the exception of EDF 200 must be completed within the six years prior to student teaching.
    • All candidates must demonstrate social and emotional maturity consistent with professional standards of classroom instruction as well as adequate physical health for teaching.

  • Arizona Teacher Certification

    In order to obtain an Arizona teaching certificate you must pass both the appropriate National Evaluation Series subject matter test and the National Evaluation Series Secondary Assessment Professional Knowledge.

    • 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.

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

  • 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.