Program Overview
A Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in health and physical education prepares students to take the certification examination to teach health and physical education for grades K-12 in Pennsylvania.
All students who pursue teacher certification must comply with established policies and procedures that regulate admissions to, retention in, and certification through Messiah University’s Teacher Education Program. A complete copy of the Teacher Education Program Handbook can be found on the program homepage www.messiah.edu/academic/teacher/teach.htm. To reach the handbook site easily, visit the Messiah homepage, click on Academics, and then on Teacher Education Program.
Three major criteria are evaluated for admission:
1. GPA/academic performance
2. character references
3. endorsements/references
When admitted to the University, all students who intend to pursue a teacher preparation program are identified with a “pre” status. All such students are required to make formal application for admission to the Teacher Education Program in the spring of the sophomore year.
Students apply for admission to the Professional Semester (student teaching semester) during the junior year. Students are expected to file a formal application for admission to the Professional Semester during the academic year prior to the one in which the Professional Semester will occur.
Program Learning Outcomes
Graduates from Messiah’s Health and Physical Education with Teaching Certification program can:
1. Evaluate the implications of educational philosophies and pedagogical approaches on teaching and learning.
2. Demonstrate competencies in performing and teaching a variety of manipulative, locomotor, and non-locomotor skills, including individual, dual, and group activities, aquatics, and outdoor pursuits.
3. Explain the anatomical and physiological effects of exercise and physical activity on health and wellness.
4. Analyze current, historical, and controversial aspects of personal and societal health.
5. Identify the aspects of Health and Physical Education that connect with one’s vocational call.
6. Demonstrate Christian values, attitudes, and behaviors expected of a health and physical education professional.