HEALTH AND HUMAN PERFORMANCE

Royal Brougham Pavilion
206-281-2081
spu.edu/hhp

Health and Human Performance Department Faculty

Mission

The faculty and staff in the Department of Health and Human Performance are committed to delivering programs that promote health through physical activity while valuing and examining physical activity through a Christian worldview. A primary goal of the Department of Health and Human Performance is to promote healthy lifestyles through good decision-making, improved fitness, and lifetime movement skills.

Career Opportunities

• Health and Fitness Education majors proceed through a sequential, comprehensive curriculum that prepares them to enter a variety of movement-related professions, including teaching, fitness training, and recreational leadership.
• Exercise Science majors often pursue such diverse fields as physical therapy, occupational therapy, medical school, sport medicine, corporate fitness, and cardiac rehabilitation.

Admission and GPA Requirement

• To apply for a major or minor in Health and Fitness Education or Exercise Science, students must have a minimum 2.5 GPA in at least 9 credits taken at SPU that apply to the major or minor.
• Health and Fitness Education and Exercise Science majors are required to complete the 44 credits of core courses. Each of the majors has additional required credits for the specific majors for a total of 75 credits in the Exercise Science major and 72 credits in the Health and Fitness Education . Within the additional credits, the Exercise Science major contains 3 elective credits and the Health and Fitness Education major has 5 elective credits.

• Both majors participate in the same capstone course (PE 4899), which requires students to research a topic, write a well-documented paper, and present it before a group of their professors and peers.
• Minors are offered in Health and Fitness Education (34 credits), Exercise Science (39 credits), and Coaching Science (36 credits).

For teacher certification, refer to the School of Education for admission requirements and details.

Application to this major or minor may be made through the Major or Minor Application form (PDF). A student must complete the major or minor requirements in effect when the student is admitted to the major or minor.

Lifetime Activities Program

Lifetime activities classes  provide an opportunity for students to experience diverse physical activity options. The Department of Health and Human Performance offers a wide spectrum of activity classes in which basic skills can be learned and refined to the point of independent participation.

Integrated Studies Major with a concentration in Health and Fitness

(For students seeking K-8 certification)

Students who are planning to obtain Residency Teacher Certification and are interested in health and fitness must major in the Integrated Studies major with a concentration in Health and Fitness.

• The concentration consists of courses in nutrition, health, and physical education.
• Application (PDF) to this major is through the advisor for the health and fitness concentration, Dr. Sharon Young (syoung@spu.edu).
• Further information on the Residency Teacher Certification program is available in the School of Education section of the Undergraduate Catalog.
  
• Requirements for Integrated Studies: Health and Fitness concentration
• Requirements for Elementary Certification
  

Requirements for Health and Fitness Endorsement

Students seeking to obtain a Washington state teaching endorsement in health and fitness must complete a minimum of 45 credits in Physical Education to obtain their original/first endorsement or a minimum of 24 credits in Physical Education to obtain a supporting/ second endorsement.

See Certification Requirements in School of Education for more information. Advisor Dr. JoAnn Atwell-Scrivner can be contacted at  jaas@spu.edu or 206-281-2941.

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