The University Senate of Michigan Technological University

 

PROPOSAL 14-07

(Voting Units: Academic Departments)

 

HEALTH AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION MAJOR, B.S.

Concentration in Fitness and Sports Management

Concentration in Secondary Education

 

1.   Program Description

 

The proposed Health and Physical Education Major, B.S. will be offered by the Department of Exercise Science, Health and Physical Education. The program provides both a scientific basis and practical experience for students seeking opportunities in the health fitness industry or secondary education. The goal of the core curriculum is to provide students with a broad scientific, theoretical, and practical foundation in health and physical education.   Career opportunities include positions as fitness director, wellness director, strength and conditioning coach, personal trainer, sports coach, or as a secondary education teacher in Health Education and Physical Education. In addition, all students will complete either an internship in a clinical or community health setting or a student teaching practicum.

 

Upon completion of this program students will be qualified to take the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) certification examination to become a personal trainer or the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) certification examination to become a certified strength and conditioning specialist or personal trainer. Opportunities for additional certifications and endorsements such as the PACE certificate for  coaching in the state of Michigan, WSI (Water Safety Instructor), Lifeguard, and Lifeguard /CPR/First Aid Instructor are also available and strongly encouraged.

 

2.   Rationale

 

The proposed degree builds on Michigan Tech’s strengths in the sciences and is consistent with the University’s vision of expanded degree program offerings to attract new students. The Health and Physical Education Major degree provides students an entrance into a field that has a broad choice of career options. According to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of health and fitness workers is expected to “increase much faster than the average for all occupations through 2014” due to the rapid growth in the fitness industry. Employment in the health fitness services is projected to increase 27% or more over the next ten years.  An increasing number of individuals are spending more time and money on fitness clubs, and more businesses are recognizing the benefits of health and fitness programs.  Furthermore, our aging population is getting more involved with health and fitness programs to stay healthy, physically fit, and independent.  This program will be an attractive choice for students and will provide employees and professionals for this growing employment sector.

 

The proposed Health and Physical Education degree will also include an option for secondary education. This concentration will specifically prepare students to become teachers and coaches in a secondary school system.  The concentration is consistent with the State of Michigan Program Standards.  Innovative integration of the curriculums of Health Education and Physical Education will better serve the future expectations of students to teach both subject areas in a public school setting. Nationally, job opportunities in Health and Physical Education – Secondary Education are good due to expected retirements.  According to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment for both teachers and athletic coaches are projected to increase 18 – 26% over the next ten years.

 

In addition to providing Michigan Tech students with new opportunities to pursue careers in the health and physical education field, the current proposal has societal implications.  The American Heart Association recently reported that over 136 million Americans are classified as overweight.  Even more disturbing is the fact that nearly 9.2 million children and adolescents are considered overweight or obese.  Our nation is in the midst of a health epidemic, and there is a growing need to have more individuals educated in the fields of health and physical education. Obesity is a primary risk factor for the development of both cardiovascular disease and diabetes, and has been linked to some cancers.  With health care costs rising exponentially, it is clear that new and innovative ways for fighting obesity are necessary.  This includes both education and research.

 

Finally, a degree in Health and Physical Education at Michigan Tech University has the potential to lead to unique research collaborations.  The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Science Foundation (NSF) recently co-sponsored both a workshop and Request for Applications (RFA) entitled “Bioengineering Approaches to Energy Balance and Obesity.”  The intent of both the workshop and RFA was to encourage the development of multidisciplinary teams of engineers and scientists to “develop new technologies, instruments, and medical devices to better assess appropriate biomedical parameters and provide feedback and/or therapy to reduce the prevalence of obesity and overweight.” Such multidisciplinary teams are possible at Michigan Tech University, and would be facilitated by the development of a Health and Physical Education degree. We recognize that such collaborations will be limited during the start-up phase of this program, but  collaborations with the Departments of Biomedical Engineering (health assessment/rehab equipment), Biological Sciences (human health/genetics), Psychology (human factors), Chemistry (pharmacology), Mechanical Engineering (joint mechanics), Civil & Environmental Engineering (trail developments for recreation), Computer Science (data acquisition), and others are possible.  Potential areas of research for future faculty would be childhood obesity, adult obesity, diabetes, health education, and other areas related to health and physical education.

 

In summary, the proposed degree is consistent Michigan Tech’s vision for expanded degree offerings and will attract new students interested in a health fitness career or secondary health and physical education.  Our short term goal is to provide Michigan Tech students with an outstanding undergraduate education and internship experience in health and physical education.  Our long term goal is to attract world-class faculty that will develop strong research programs addressing health concerns in our nation, such as obesity, diabetes, etc.  Research collaborations with other departments at Michigan Tech and nationally recognized institutes will be expected.

 

3.   Related Programs

 

The B.S. in Health and Physical Education will draw upon courses currently taught as part of the existing B.S. programs in Biology and in Exercise Science. It is also complemented by the Minor in Coaching.  Students will have options to concentrate in either Fitness and Sports Management or Secondary Education. The proposed major in Health and Physical Education differs from the existing B.S. in Exercise Science, and these differences are highlighted in Appendix A.

 

The science of health and physical education provides excellent opportunities for collaboration between Exercise Science, Biology and Biomedical Engineering programs, especially at the level of senior design projects and the Senior Internship of the Health and Physical Education Major. All students in the proposed major will have to participate in a senior internship, which will provide them with practical experience in the field of health and physical education.  However, our students will also be encouraged to work with other departments on senior design projects. Such relationships are currently being explored with existing Exercise Science students and the Department of Biomedical Engineering.  Developing a working relationship in undergraduate research in complimentary programs opens collaborative learning experiences for all involved.  There is a need to approach human problems such as increasing obesity and lack of fitness from many perspectives, allowing our University to contribute the overall goal of improving life by fusing knowledge and experiences from sciences and engineering. The potential interdisciplinary collaboration between departments will provide Michigan Tech with a technological niche that differentiates our program from others in the state.

 

 

Related Bachelor degrees at other State of Michigan Universities:

 

Central Michigan University

      B.S. in Education                                                                          Dept of Physical Education & Sport

            Physical Education Major, Secondary Certification                     School of Health Sciences

            School Health Education Major, Secondary Certification

      B.S., B.A. in Community Health & Health Administration

      B.S., B.A. in Health Fitness in Preventive and Rehab Programs       

      B.S., B.A. in Public Health Education and Health Promotion            

 

Eastern Michigan University

      B.S. in Physical Education, k-12 Teacher Certification                     College of Health & Human Services                                                                                                                                              

Grand Valley State University

      B.S. in Physical Education, k-12 Teacher Certification                     Department of Movement Sciences                                                                                                                                 

Michigan State University

      B.S. in Kinesiology                                                                       Department of Kinesiology

            Physical Education Option, k-12 Teacher Certification

 

Northern Michigan University

      B.S. in Education                                                                          Department of Health, Physical

            Physical Education Major, Secondary Certification                     Education and Recreation

            School Health Education Major, Secondary Certification

      B.S. in Community Health Education

      B.S. in Management of Health and Fitness                                  

 

Saginaw Valley State University

      B.A. in Physical and Health Education, k-12 Teacher Certification     Department of Kinesiology

 

University of MichiganAnn Arbor

      B.S. in Physical Education, k-12 Teacher Certification                     Department of Kinesiology

      B.A. in Kinesiology - Sports Management

 

Wayne State University

      B.S., B.A. in Education                                                                 Division of Kinesiology, Health

            Major in Health Education, Secondary Certification                    and Sport Studies

            Major in Kinesiology, Secondary Certification

 

Western Michigan University

      B.S. in Physical Education, k-12 Teacher Certification                     Department of Health, Physical

      B.S. in School Health Education, k-12 Teacher Certification              Education and Recreation

      B.S. in Community Health Education                                                

 

Related Bachelor degrees from benchmark Universities:

 

Purdue University

      B.A. in Physical Education, k-12 Teacher Certification                     Department of Health & Kinesiology

      B.A. in Health and Fitness

 

Texas Tech University

      B.S. in Physical Education                                                            College of Education

      B.S. in Health Education

 

Tennessee Tech University

      B.S. in Health and Physical Education, k-12                                   Department of Health and Physical

                                                                                                      Education

Virginia Tech University

      B.S. in Exercise and Health Promotion                                           Department of Human Nutrition,

                                                                                                      Foods and Exercise

 

4.  Projected Enrollment

 

The goal in the first year is to attract 20 students, with the expectation of 60-80 students enrolled in the major by the fourth year (steady state).  It is anticipated that approximately 2/3 of the students will be enrolled in the Fitness and Sports Management concentration due to higher job placement (expected employment growth of 27% or higher over the next ten years).  The remaining 1/3 of the students will be enrolled in the Secondary Education concentration, where employment opportunities are still good (expected employment growth of 18-27% over the next ten years), but not quite as high as the Fitness and Sports Management concentration. Therefore, it is projected that by the fourth year (steady state), there will be approximately 40 students enrolled in the Fitness and Sports Management concentration and 20 students enrolled in the Secondary Education concentration.

 

5.   Scheduling Plans

 

This Health and Physical Education B.S. will be a regular on-campus program offering.  The anticipated start date is Fall Semester 2007.

 

6.   Curriculum Design

  

There are two concentrations for the proposed degree: 1) Fitness and Sports Management, 2) Secondary Education.  In both concentrations, students will meet the General Education and co-curricular requirements of the University.  The total number of credits to earn the degree in Health and Physical Education – Fitness & Sports Management will be 128 credits earned as: Core, 77 credits; General Education, 28 credits; Free Electives, 23 credits.  In contrast, the total number of credits to earn the degree in Health and Physical Education – Secondary Education will be 132 credits earned as: Core, 70 credits; Teacher Education, 34 credits; General Education, 28 credits.  The detailed differences are shown in Appendix A.


Core Courses             Health & Physical Education, B.S. – Fitness

                                          and Sports Medicine Concentration

Course #                           Course Title                                                                   Credits

Biological Sciences

BL 1040                             Principles of Biology                                                             4

BL 2010                             Anatomy and Physiology I                                                     3

BL 2011                             Anatomy and Physiology I Lab                                              1

BL 2020                             Anatomy and Physiology II                                                    3

BL 2021                             Anatomy and Physiology II Lab                                             1

BL 2940                             Human Nutrition                                                                    3

BL 3970                             Current Health Issues                                                           3

                                                                                                                                      18

Chemistry

CH 1000                            Preparatory Chemistry                                                         3

                                                                                                                                        3

Exercise Science

EH 1100                            Foundations of Health and Physical Education                    2

EH 2010                            Principles of Weight Training & Aerobics                             2

EH 2020                            Introduction to Individual Sports                                            2

EH 2030                            Introduction to Team Sports                                                 2

EH 2200                            Human Reproductive Health & Development                       2

EH 3050                            Intro to Athletic Training                                                        3

EH 3100                            Exercise Assessment and Prescription                               3

EH 3150                            Health of Special Populations                                               2

EH 3200                            Foundations of Kinesiology                                                   3

EH 3800                            Strength & Conditioning                                                        2

EH 3820                            Personal Training                                                                  2

EH 4080                            Sports and Facilities Management                                       2

EH 4010                            Sports Psychology                                                                3

EH 4400                            Motor Control                                                                        3

EH 4420                            Motor Learning & Development                                            3

EH 4800                            Internship in Health & Physical Education                            3

                                                                                                                                      39

Mathematics

Select One:

MA 1020                            Quantitative Literacy                                                             4

MA 1032                            Data, Functions & Graph Plus                                              4

Required:

MA 2720                            Statistical Methods                                                                4

                                                                                                                                        8

Business

BA 3700                            Organizational Behavior                                                       3

BA 4770                            Human Resources Management                                         3

BA 3800                            Principles of Marketing                                                          3

                                                                                                                                        9


General Education and Distribution

UN 1001                            Perspectives                                                                         3

UN 1002 or 1003               World Cultures                                                                      4

UN 2001                            Revisions                                                                              3

UN 2002                            Institutions                                                                             3

General Education and Distribution Courses                                                               15

                                                                                                                                      28

 

Electives (maximum of 5 credits from EH 4950)                                                     23

 

TOTAL Credits Required (Core, General Education, Electives)                      128

 

 

The department GPA will be calculated using grades in Exercise Science and Biological Sciences (EH and BL designations) and any cognate courses taken as electives with these designations. As allowed by the General Education requirements, degrees developed in Physical Education can apply Physical Education activity classes toward the degree requirements and receive a letter grade (see MTU General Education Development Task Force; August 20, 1998). 

 

Students seeking the Health and Physical Education – Fitness and Sports Management option will be required to take 3 units of co-curricular.  After fulfilling the University co-curricular requirement, Health and Physical Education majors have the option to receive credit for physical activity classes (up to 5 credits). These additional physical activity classes will consist of a mixture of students taking the class for co-curricular (non-Health & PE majors) and credit (Health & PE majors). Students taking the class for credit will have additional assessment requirements (i.e., quizzes, tests, oral presentations, etc).   Students will enroll in EH 4950 – Special Topics in Physical Activity to accommodate these requirements. The existing pass/fail system will continue for non-Health & PE majors.

 

The Department of Biological Sciences has agreed to waive CH 1110 as the prerequisite for BL 2010 for Health & Physical Education majors. Instead, CH1000 will be taken in preparation for BL 2010.


Core Courses             Health & Physical Education, B.S. –

                                          Secondary Education Concentration

Course #                           Course Title                                                                   Credits

Biological Sciences

BL 1040                             Principles of Biology                                                             4

BL 2010                             Anatomy and Physiology I                                                     3

BL 2011                             Anatomy and Physiology I Lab                                              1

BL 2020                             Anatomy and Physiology II                                                    3

BL 2021                             Anatomy and Physiology II Lab                                             1

BL 2940                             Human Nutrition                                                                    3

BL 3970                             Current Health Issues                                                           3

                                                                                                                                      18

Chemistry

CH 1000                            Preparatory Chemistry                                                         3

                                                                                                                                        3

Exercise Science

EH 1100                            Foundations of Health and Physical Education                    2

EH 2010                            Principles of Weight Training & Aerobics                             2

EH 2020                            Introduction to Individual Sports                                            2

EH 2030                            Introduction to Team Sports                                                 2

EH 2100                            Sports Officiating                                                                  2

EH 2200                            Human Reproductive Health & Development                       2

EH 2580                            Water Safety Instructor                                                         1

EH 3050                            Intro to Athletic Training                                                        3

EH 3100                            Exercise Assessment and Prescription                               3

EH 3150                            Health of Special Populations                                               2

EH 3200                            Foundations of Kinesiology                                                   3

EH 3800                            Strength & Conditioning                                                        2

EH 3820                            Personal Training                                                                  2

EH 4010                            Sports Psychology                                                                3

EH 4300                            Program Administration of Health Education                       2

EH 4301                            Program Administration of Physical Education                    2

EH 4400                            Motor Control                                                                        3

EH 4420                            Motor Learning & Development                                            3

                                                                                                                                      41

Mathematics

Select One:

MA 1020                            Quantitative Literacy                                                             4

MA 1032                            Data, Functions & Graph Plus                                              4

Required:

MA 2720                            Statistical Methods                                                                4

                                                                                                                                        8

Education – Secondary ED Requirements

PSY 2000                          Principles of Psychology                                                      3

ED 3100                            Instructional Technology                                                       2

ED 3110                            Psychological Foundations of Education                             3

ED 3210                            Foundations of Education                                                     2

ED 3410                            Clinical Experience                                                               1

HU 4150                            Literacy in the Content Area                                                 4

 

EH/ED 4790                      Curriculum & Methods of Teaching Health and                    3

                                                and Physical Education

ED 4700                            Fundamentals of Instruction                                                 3

ED 4910                            Directed Teaching                                                              12

                                                                                                                                      33

 

General Education and Distribution                                                                           

UN 1001                            Perspectives                                                                         3

UN 1002 or 1003               World Cultures                                                                      4

UN 2001                            Revisions                                                                              3

UN 2002                            Institutions                                                                             3

General Education and Distribution Courses                                                               15

                                                                                                                                      28

 

Electives                                                                                                                        0

 

TOTAL Credits Required (Core, General Education, Electives)                     131*

 

*  Under existing guidelines, individuals will have to complete not only a teaching major, but will also have to declare a teaching minor to become certified by the state of Michigan for secondary education.  The proposed curriculum was designed to prepare students for both the Physical Education certification (Endorsement code – MB) and the Health Education certification (Endorsement code - MA).  Students pursing this teaching major will have to choose a minor such as biology, chemistry, etc.  They would likely choose biology as their minor, which would require an additional 10-14 credits.  This would also necessitate students replacing CH 1000 (3 cr) with CH 1100 (4 cr).  Therefore, the TOTAL credits required would be 142-146. 

 

The department GPA will be calculated using grades in Exercise Science and Biological Sciences (EH and BL designations) and any cognate courses taken as electives with these designations. Students seeking the Health and Physical Education – Secondary Education option will be required to take 3 units of co-curricular.  Social Dance (PE 0152), Water Safety Skill (PE 1580), and Fall or Winter Outdoor Adventure (PE 0173 or 0174) will be required to meet state requirements for secondary education.  The other 1 unit can be chosen by the student.

 

The Department of Biological Sciences has agreed to allow CH 1000 to be taken as the prerequisite for BL 2010 for Health & Physical Education majors on a trial basis. The Department of Exercise Science, Health and Physical Education will work closely with the instructor for BL 2010 (currently Dr. Ron Gratz) and the Department of Biological Sciences in assessing weather students are adequately prepared for BL 2010.  It is anticipated that CH 1000 will provide the students with the fundamental chemistry concepts necessary for BL 2010.  

 

7.      New Courses & Teaching Distribution

 

The table below lists all the new EH courses needed for proposed degree.  The final three columns indicate if the classes are required for the Secondary Education concentration (Ed) or the Fitness and Sports Management concentration (FSM).  Note that two classes will also be utilized for the Exercise Science degree.  An explanation of the proposed teaching distribution for these new courses is provided below the table.

 

 

Course #

Class Title

Credits

Ed

FSM

ExSci

EH 1100

Foundations of Health and Physical Education

2

X

X

 

EH 2010

Principles of Weight Training & Aerobics

2

X

X

 

EH 2020

Introduction to Individual Sports

2

X

X

 

EH 2030

Introduction to Team Sports

2

X

X

 

EH 2100

Sports Officiating

2

X

 

 

EH 2200

Human Reproductive Health & Development

2

X

X

 

EH 3150

Health of Special Populations

2

X

X

 

EH 3800

Strength & Conditioning

2

X

X

 

EH 3820

Personal Training

2

X

X

 

EH 4300

Program Administration of  Health Education

2

X

 

 

EH 4301

Program Administration of Physical Education

2

X

 

 

EH 4400

Motor Control

3

X

X

X

EH 4420

Motor Learning & Development

3

X

X

X

EH 4790

Curriculum and Methods of Teaching Health and Physical Education

3

X

 

 

EH 4800

Internship in Health & Physical Ed.

3

 

X