The physical education major is designed to provide an exemplary educational environment and experiences leading to the acquisition of skills, knowledge, and dispositions within domains for human movement, growth, and development of individuals; and the application of physical, biological, and behavioral sciences to the teaching/learning process. Competence within these areas contributes to the development of our students under state and national standards and prepares them for leadership positions in schools.

Who should major in Physical Education?

Students interested in teaching physical education in public and private schools would like the opportunity to coach athletes in junior varsity and varsity sports. The physical education degree is for students who enjoy an active lifestyle and teaching/coaching students to achieve motor performance goals.

What can you do with a degree in Physical Education?

• Teach and Coach in Public and Private Schools
• Sports Administration in Public and Private Schools
• Club Sport Coach or Youth Sport Director
• County Parks and Recreation Program Coordinator
• Earn certification as a personal trainer or strength coach (CSCS)
• Corporate Fitness Instructor
• Attend Graduate School

Physical Education Program Outcomes (SHAPE America Standards, 2017)

1. Content Knowledge and Design
   a. Praxis II (5095) - Physical Education Content and Design
   Students will demonstrate physical education content knowledge by meeting or exceeding the minimum score required to earn certification in South Carolina (provisional or initial licensure). Before starting the internship, the passing score must be on file at The Citadel.
   b. Microteaching: (Application of Content Knowledge)
   Students will apply content knowledge in a series of microteaching experiences, which includes planning, teaching, and writing a reflection. Microteaching assessments are embedded in courses throughout the program.
2. Skill- and Fitness-Based Competence
   a. Skill-Based Competence:
   Students must demonstrate mastery of foundational motor skills and competency in a wide variety of sports and physical activities.
   b. Fitness-Based Competence:
   Students will achieve and maintain health-related fitness relative to their age and gender. The FitnessGram (or appropriate assessment) is administered throughout the program (fall and spring) to evaluate and monitor student progress.
3. Planning
   a. Unit Planning:
   Students will be able to effectively design a developmentally appropriate unit plan that is aligned with best practices and aligned with the SC State Physical Education Standards. Data is collected during the Capstone experience.
   b. Lesson Planning:
   Students will be able to effectively design a developmentally appropriate lesson plan that is aligned with accomplishing the learning goals identified in the unit plan. Data is collected during the Capstone experience.
4. Internship Performance - Capstone Experience
   a. SC 4.0 - Final Conference (Consensus Results)
   During the internship, students will effectively apply the knowledge and skills developed in the program to provide an exemplary learning experience for students enrolled in k-12 physical education classes.
   Course Grade: Students will earn a minimum grade of B for the Capstone experience to be recommended for South Carolina Certification.
5. Assessment and Impact on Student Learning
   a. The Citadel Internship Work Sample (CIWS) evaluates the impact of the intern’s instruction on student achievement of intended learning goals. The CIWS challenges interns to develop an appropriate assessment plan and implement it in a unit of instruction. The assignment includes a pretest, formative assessments, summative assessments, and data analysis to inform teaching and reporting data about the student achievement of learning goals.
6. Physical Education Dispositions
   a. Student dispositions (attitudes, values, and beliefs) will be assessed throughout the program to ensure they meet or exceed the minimum standard to become a certified physical education teacher in South Carolina.
7. Teaching Effectiveness
   a. Students will earn a minimum rating of Competent on at least 4 Teaching Evaluations conducted during the Capstone experience.
   b. The College Supervisor (4) and Cooperating Teacher (2) conduct six official teaching evaluations during the internship.
   c. Interns receive feedback after each teaching evaluation and during the Midterm and Final conferences.

Assignment to Pre-Physical Education (Teaching Track)

Students interested in teaching physical education at K-12 grade levels are first assigned to Pre-Physical Education (Teaching Track). At this admission level, the student is responsible for completing all three parts of the PRAXIS Core examination and ensuring official records of passing PRAXIS Core scores are on file at The Citadel. Completing this test of basic skills in reading, writing, and mathematics is a requirement for admission to Physical Education (Teaching Track) major. This requirement should be met by the end of sophomore year.

All undergraduate courses taken at The Citadel with a subject prefix of EDUC, EXSC, PHED, and RPED will count towards the major GPA.

Admission to Physical Education (Teaching Track) Major

To be fully admitted to the Physical Education Teaching Track major, a student must have the support of their advisor relative to suitability and professional ethics required in teacher education and must also have the following:

1. Official records of passing scores on all three parts of PRAXIS Core exams on file at The Citadel, or a score of 1650 on the new SAT (1100 on the old SAT), or 24 on ACT;
2. Professional dispositions evaluation;
3. Maintained a cumulative Grade Point Ratio of 2.50 or higher on at least 45 credit hours of coursework taken at The Citadel;
4. Successfully completed PHED 101 , EXSC 200 , PHED 201 , PHED 335  and PHED 350  with a grade of “C” or better.

Students who have yet to meet all these requirements by the end of their sophomore year will not be permitted to register for upper-level courses in the major. Students may contact the Physical Education Program Coordinator to request permission to continue in the program when there is a realistic plan to achieve the minimum G.P.A. requirement (e.g., grade replacement) or complete the PRAXIS Core. The Citadel School of Education Guidelines and Policies regarding transition points and common assessments must be met.

Internship (PHED 499 ) Admission Requirements

Students must formally apply for admission by May 1st of the previous academic year for access to the spring internship in teaching. This internship is not generally offered to students in fall semesters. The Department of Health and Human Performance faculty will review this application. It will include, among other things, recommendations from professors in completed professional education courses and an evaluation by the student’s advisor regarding the student’s suitability and interest in teacher education. In addition, a student must have the following:

1. Completed (with a GPA of at least 2.50) all required coursework except PHED 421  and PHED 499 ;
2. Completed the following professional education courses with the cumulative GPA of at least 2.50: EDUC 202 , EDUC 206 , EDUC 301 , EDUC 306 , EDUC 307 , EXSC 200 , EXSC 314 , PHED 101 , PHED 201 , PHED 303 , PHED 335 , PHED 350 , PHED 433 , PHED 460 , and HLED 407 ;
3. Successfully completed a minimum of 100 field experience hours;
4. The Citadel’s official records of the appropriate PRAXIS II test score(s) are on file.

The Director of Teacher Education (ZFSOE) and HHP Department Head (or PE Coordinator) will be informed of the results of this review. They will send an official notice of admission or rejection to the student. Without significant extenuating circumstances, a student not eligible for the Internship in Teaching will be required to change majors.

Major Academic Map

Click here to view the Academic Map for this major, which shows the courses and sequence.