Department of Human Performance and Health Education
Western Michigan University's physical and health education teacher education program prepares pre-service teacher candidates to be certified to teach both physical education and health education in grades K-12. The overarching goal of this dual-major degree program is to assist students in acquiring the skills, knowledge and real-world experiences necessary to become effective, competent and committed physically- and health-literate professionals in today’s society.
The physical and health education program is recognized nationally as an approved program by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education.
Beyond the classroom
The physical and health education program includes 600 hours of observation and field-based practical experiences across the course of study in a variety of schools. These experiences, supervised by local K-12 teachers and WMU faculty, provide students the opportunity to apply new skills while still taking program courses.
All candidates' final year in the program includes a one-year K-12 school-based internship, with one semester each completed in physical education and in health education within a 60-mile radius of WMU. Candidates are placed with selected mentor teachers and are closely supervised by physical and health education faculty. This internship prepares candidates to be self-reflective teachers with skills based on professional standards from the Michigan Department of Education and the American Association for Health Education. As a result of this experience, candidates will demonstrate their knowledge, skills, disposition and ability to work with diverse populations that aid their transition from a pre-service candidate to an entry-level physical and health education professional.
After you graduate
Recent WMU graduates with degrees in physical and health education teacher education are working as:
- Teachers
- Health educators
- Community health and safety agency advisors
Among the organizations they work for are:
- American Red Cross
- American Cancer Society
- YMCA
- County health departments
- Public schools
- Sports facilities
Where is this program offered?
- Kalamazoo