The Department of Health and Exercise Physiology offers a comprehensive curriculum focused on the study of the human body (e.g., pre-physical therapy, pre-nursing, pre-physician assistant, pre-occupational therapy pre-athletic training, corporate fitness, and graduate school preparation in exercise physiology and health sciences) and Pennsylvania teacher certification (K-12) in Health and Physical Education.

HEP majors gain valuable clinical experiences working in a variety of exercise related settings (e.g., athletic training room, fitness center, and intramural sports program.)

The educational goals of the department are to introduce students to current concepts in the fields of Health and Exercise Physiology Sciences, to expose them to a variety of work-related experiences, and to involve them in various aspects of research. These experiences will foster a sense of responsibility and develop critical, independent thinking consistent with the objectives of a liberal arts education.

Requirements for Majors

Students majoring in the HEP Department must take the following courses:

I. Required Courses

All HEP majors must complete the following HEP courses: HEP-100, 202 or 298, 205, 205L, 206 (prerequisites: BIO-102Q or permission of the instructor), 334, 351, 352, and MATH/STAT-141Q.

II. Capstone Courses

Capstone Courses All HEP majors must complete a capstone experience which includes an oral presentation by taking HEP-413, 446, 447, 490W or 491W.

III. Elective Course Requirements

A. Health Science (HS) Concentration

All HS students must complete HEP-150, 261W and four of the following courses, one of which must be at the 400-level.

1. HEP-203, 232W, 275, 278, 298, 300, 333, 340, 360, 413, 446, 447, 452, 460, 464, 490W or 491W
   

It is highly recommended that students research their individual prerequisite needs for graduate school no later than the end of their sophomore year and meet with their adviser to discuss them. Students seeking admission to graduate allied health programs need to elect to take two or more upper level BIO courses (300/400 level); CHEM-107/107L, 108/108L; MATH-111 and/or MATH/STAT-141Q; PHYS-111Q, 112; and various courses from the Humanities and Social Science Divisions.

B. Teaching Concentration (TC)

All TC students must complete the following courses:

• HEP courses: HEP-220, 232W or 298, 333, 355, 356, 446, and 464
• HEP courses: HEP-235
• HEP/DANC-200, HEP-209 or 224, 223, and 245

Note: Students wishing to obtain PA teacher certification for grades K-12 must take: EDUC-100, 265, 320, 360, 375, 453, and 454. In addition, students must complete the requirements for admission to the teaching certification program (see Education) and obtain passing scores on two Praxis II examinations.

Students must earn a cumulative 3.0 GPA (Pennsylvania Department of Education Standard) and a 2.8 GPA within the HEP Department to receive the departmental recommendation to be eligible to student teach. Students and their advisers should consult the Education Department Program Guide on the Ursinus College website for further information.

Requirements for Minors

A minor concentration in coaching consists of HEP-100, 220, 278, 365, 366W; select two of the following courses: 223, 224, 225, 226 or 245 (23 credits).

A minor concentration in health science consists of HEP-100; a choice from one of the following 3 bullet points 

• BIO-206 or 306, and HEP-334
• BIO-205 and HEP-205L, or BIO-305 and HEP-351
• BIO-206, or BIO-306 and HEP-352Q

and select two of the following courses: HEP-202, 203, 232W, 275, 300, 366W, 375 and 447 for a total of 20 hours. Note: Health science concentration majors cannot receive a health science minor.