About the Department

The Physical Education Department offers concentrations in Teaching, Sports Medicine, Wellness/Health Promotion, and a General degree designed to be flexible enough to be tailored to the student’s interests. Because the Physical Education Major is within the context of a liberal arts education, a student acquires a broad education which prepares him or her to create a future which best utilizes his or her particular combination of physical, intellectual, and emotional interests and abilities.

Certifications are offered in Teaching, First Aid, CPR, and Water Safety Instruction. Certain courses, such as Scuba Diving, offer other specific certifications.

A student with a major in Physical Education is prepared to pursue a variety of career options, including:

• Teachers of children from Primary grades through High School
• Physical therapists
• Athletic Trainers
• Recreation Directors
• Personal Trainers
• Wellness Promotion Professionals
• Youth Group Director

In addition, the student with a Physical Education major from Berea College is academically prepared to attend graduate school in Physical Therapy, Sports Medicine, and other fields. Adding the Health Minor or Dance Minor further broadens the student’s options for a career or continued study.

Why Study Physical Education and Health?

The purpose of the curriculum of Physical Education, Health and Athletics is to provide a challenging curriculum leading to the development of abilities and convictions in a student's field of concentration. The Department promotes in the physical education student the desire to fully develop the ability to utilize constructively all of his/her potential capacities for movement and movement education. Training and experiences that will enhance their skills in communication, in creative self-expression, in critical reflection, in research, and in leadership are provided in the classroom and in an activity setting.