The Bachelor of Science in Education (BSEd) degree has been a part of NAU’s heritage from its earliest years. Those who earn this degree will be ready to launch and/or sustain a career teaching physical education to youth in Pre K-12 schools. Teachers are an essential part of school, community, and country. We aim to guide young people to become and remain physically active and healthy throughout life.
This program is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) This program is nationally recognized by the Society of Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE America, formerly the National Association for Sport and Physical Education).
Physical education in Pre K-12 schools is heralded as a critical component of public health and physical activity promotion. The focus of this program is to prepare graduates to have immediate success teaching physical education to Pre K-12 youth as well as to promote physical activity among youth and school communities. Graduates will be eligible for an Arizona secondary credential in physical education with a Pre K-12 endorsement in physical education. This program is available for traditional Flagstaff Mountain Campus students, and online for undergraduate students who meet certain criteria*.
A “Physical Education Pathway to Certification (PEP-C)” option is available that is designed to meet the Arizona Department of Education Teaching Experience and Coursework/Training secondary certification requirements (see option B & B-2) for individuals with a bachelor degree interested in preK-12 teaching licensure. To find out more about this option, see Health Science - Physical Education BSEd.
Finally, for currently secondary licensed educators, online coursework is available that may meet the Arizona requirements for the Pre K-12 endorsement in physical education. To find out more about this option, see Health Science - Physical Education BSEd.
The Bachelor of Science in Education in Heath Sciences - Physical Education program is part of NAU’s Professional Education Programs.
*Online BSEd in Physical Education students must have a written and signed agreement with a school to allow them to teach a class at least once/week for the duration of their coursework. Lab activities in all PEP-C classes require teaching and video recording your lesson and students weekly. A contract and affiliation agreement must be in place between the school and NAU to allow teaching and video recording to meet these requirements. It is the student’s responsibility to meet all elementary/secondary school requirements and standards of practice to be able to teach and meet program requirements.
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.
The full policy can be viewed here.
In addition to University Requirements:
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 | MAT 114 |
| Additional Admission Requirements | Required |
| Fieldwork Experience/Internship | Required |
| Student Teaching/Supervised Teaching | Required |
| University Honors Program | Optional |
| AZ Transfer Students complete AGEC-A | Recommended |
| Progression Plan Link | View Progression Plan |
| Licensure | This program may lead to licensure. |
Purpose Statement
The Bacholor of Science in Education in Health Sciences - Physical Education program allows candidates to become a certified Physical Education teacher in the state of Arizona. Through the program students are exposed to robust field experiences where active learning and student engagement occurs. Candidates are immersed in rich methods courses and then apply what they have learned in K-12 schools. Candidates are exposed to content progressions; understanding how a skill or concept can be taught various ways depending on the skill level of the individual. Candidates learn a multitude of teaching strategies. Candidates develop lesson plans and lesson objectives. Candidates apply the Arizona Physical Education State Standards and national standards to lesson objectives, lesson plans, unit plans and unit objectives. The program delivers a quality focus on curriculum development, assessments, application of assessments, data literacy strategies, technology integration, classroom management strategies and solid pedagogical knowledge. The Physical Educator trained at Northern Arizona University understands the importance of teaching and demonstrating movement concepts and skill themes when educating a child to become physically active for a lifetime.
Student Learning Outcomes based from the 2017 National Standards for Initial Physical Education Teacher Education.
Outcomes align with Standards from the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation, the National Association for Sport and Physical Education, and the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium.
Standard 1: Content and Foundational Knowledge
Physical Education candidates demonstrate an understanding of common and specialized content, and scientific and theoretical foundations for the delivery of an effective preK-12 physical education program.
Candidates will:
Individual program admission requirements over and above admission to NAU are required.
To be eligible for admission to the program, candidates must receive Professional Education Programs (PEP) approval:
This major requires 79 units distributed as follows:
Take the following 79 units. A minimum NAU cumulative GPA of 2.5 is required, and a minimum GPA of 2.5 is required for all Content Major Coursework. For all major requirements, a passing grade is required and a Grade of "C" or better is required for courses evaluated on an A-F scale.
Content Major Coursework (17 units)
Teacher education programs require a student teaching or internship experience. A minimum number of practicum units are also required, which involves supervised field experience with a practicing teacher. These required experiences are embedded in the major requirements courses.
Before being accepted for student teaching, the following criteria must be met:
Arizona Teacher Certification
In order to obtain an Arizona teaching certificate you must pass the National Evaluation Series Secondary Assessment Professional Knowledge Exam.
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 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.
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.
Arizona state teacher certification requirements leading to an Institutional Recommendation may change at any time, and may impact program of study requirements.
Be aware that some courses may have prerequisites that you must also take. For prerequisite information, see course information contained in the catalog or your advisor.