Department of Recreation Management and Physical Education

Jill Juris, Interim Chair

The Department of Recreation Management and Physical Education is an innovative, diverse and forward-thinking academic unit consisting of three program areas:

Health, Physical Education and Coaching (HPEC) prepares students for careers as K-12 health and physical educators, school-based activity directors and coaches;
Recreation Management (RM) prepares graduates for careers as recreation management professionals;
Physical Education Activity (PEA) program offers a variety of General Education Wellness Literacy courses that prepare students to participate in health-enhancing physical activity throughout their lives.

Student organizations that are supported by the department include the Recreation Management Association and the Health, Physical Education and Coaching Club.

The Department of Recreation Management and Physical Education programs and student organizations are supported by high quality faculty who engage in effective teaching, germane scholarly activity, and relevant service.

Health and Physical Education, K-12 (with teacher licensure) (HPE)

Graduates earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Health and Physical Education (HPE), K-12 Teaching will be prepared to assume the challenging role of 21st century educators who are capable of and committed to improving school-aged children’s health and wellness. Twenty-first century health and physical educators must possess the knowledge, skills and dispositions necessary to advance psychomotor, cognitive and affective learning in both the classroom and movement-centered instructional environments. Accordingly, the HPE degree is nationally accredited (NASPE/NCATE BTS) at the unit level and state program approval (NCDPI) to ensure that teacher candidates achieve desired outcomes. Graduates with Appalachian State University’s HPE degree will:

Be prepared for licensure as K-12 Health and Physical Education Teachers;
Be competent instructors, committed-ethical leaders, and reflective practitioners committed to lifelong professional development;
Employ empirically validated planning, instruction and assessment behaviors;
Possess the ability to impact school-aged children’s health and wellness in positive, meaningful, and sustainable ways;
Work to resolve, in a proactive, collaborative and responsible fashion, community, state, and national health issues.

Admission and Retention Requirements

HPE GPA requirement: 2.0 cumulative GPA required for declaration, 2.7 cumulative GPA required for admission into the teacher education program, 2.7 cumulative GPA required for retention in the teacher education program, and 2.7 cumulative and 2.0 major GPA required for graduation.

HPE grade requirements: All HPE majors must earn a minimum grade of “C” (2.0) in each required course in the major.

For additional admission and retention requirements for teacher education, please refer to the Reich College of Education section of the bulletin and the Initial Licensure Teacher Education Student Handbook (https://rcoe.appstate.edu/students/forms-resources-testing)

Health and Physical Education Curriculum

The health and physical education curriculum consists of 45 semester hours and operates in a coordinated sequence and utilizes a cohort grouping system. This structure allows for a vertical model of integration where salient knowledge and skills are initially introduced and systematically developed across the curriculum through a variety of highly connected classroom, laboratory, and field-based teaching- learning experiences. Each successive teaching-learning experience across the curriculum requires the integration of increasingly sophisticated content knowledge and pedagogy. Additionally, HPE majors select an 18-semester hour Second Academic Concentration (SAC) and complete 24 semester hours of Professional Education coursework, which includes a 12-semester hour Student Teaching internship as part of the degree requirements.

The HPE program promotes the development of health and physical education professionals who are prepared to advance the fitness, psychomotor, cognitive and affective learning of school-aged children.

Recreation Management (RM)

Students completing the Bachelor of Science degree in Recreation Management are prepared for careers in outdoor recreation, experiential education, travel and tourism, club management, recreation program management, city, state and national park management, and resort recreation.

R M GPA requirements: 2.0 cumulative GPA required for declaration and 2.0 cumulative and 2.0 major GPA required for graduation. There are no GPA retention requirements.

R M grade requirements: All RM majors must earn a minimum grade of “C” (2.0) in the following courses: R_M 2310 , R_M 2410 , R_M 3315 , and R_M 4210 .

Recreation Management Academic Standards for Retention

All RM students must maintain the academic standards for retention set forth by Appalachian State University, the Beaver College of Health Sciences, and the RM Program. RM students are expected to abide by Appalachian State University’s Code of Student Conduct and Academic Integrity Code.

The Recreation Management Program at Appalachian State University is guided by five Pillars (CREWS):

Community
Respect
Experiential
Wellness
Stewardship

RM Students are expected to display the CREWS characteristics set forth in the RM Student Handbook

The program offers three concentrations:

Commercial Recreation and Tourism Management concentration (574G/31.0301)

The Commercial Recreation and Tourism concentration prepares students for careers in the resort, tourism and commercial recreation industries. Classroom experiences focus on entrepreneurship, small business management, marketing and management within the recreation context. Students can work in a range of employment opportunities including resorts, clubs, for profit recreation companies, cruise lines, visitor bureaus, hotels and spas as well as social entrepreneurial endeavors. Students have the opportunity to learn firsthand through service learning classes involved with the community or thorough study abroad courses including; the cruise Line in a Cultural Context, Sustainable Tourism in Costa Rica, or a Coastal Tourism Trip to the beaches of South Carolina.

Outdoor Experiential Education concentration (574F/31.0301)

In the Outdoor Experiential Education concentration, students will become familiar with the foundational theories and philosophies of Experiential Education; learn and practice teaching basic leadership, wilderness, and safety skills; understand and be able to develop a sound trip plan and risk management plans; understand individual and group dynamics as it relates to leadership; understand and practice sound problem-solving, decision-making, and judgment skills; understand and be able to practice a variety of leadership, teaching, and facilitation skills.

The OEE concentration also allows students to focus on obtaining a number of certifications through our selection of ‘skills’ classes. Certifications can include:

Wilderness First Responder
Wilderness First Aid Instructor
Leave No Trace Trainer
Swiftwater Rescue
Professional Climbing Instructors Association

Recreation and Park Management concentration (574E/31.0301)

The Recreation and Parks Management Concentration (RPM) provides instruction and training in the planning, organization, leadership as well as management of Park and Recreation agencies and programs. Students together with their faculty advisor build an educational program personalized to meet the student’s career goals. Students are also given the opportunity to employ theories learned in the classroom in practical settings throughout the program and during their internship. Students choosing this concentration often work in a variety of fields such as Aquatic Facility Management, Camp Management, Campus and Intramural Recreation, Community Recreation, Destination Management, Environmental Interpretation, Military Recreation, Sport Management, Youth Development and Municipal, State and National Parks Management.

Honors Program in Recreation Management

The Recreation Management program within the Department of Recreation Management and Physical Education offers an honors program to students who exhibit academic excellence, a commitment to community engagement, and a desire to conduct research in the field of recreation management. The purpose of the Recreation Management honors program is to give students the opportunity to use creative thinking to address the worlds’ great problems through recreation and leisure. Students must apply for the program. To be considered for the honors program, Recreation Management majors must have an overall GPA of 3.45 or higher. Departmental honors students must earn a minimum grade of “B” (3.0) in honors courses in order to receive credit as honors, and develop an honors thesis/project in collaboration with a faculty member in the Recreation Management and Physical Education department. In order to graduate with “honors in Recreation Management”, students must complete 9 credit hours of honors coursework in Recreation Management: an honors section of R_M 4110 Evaluation in Recreation and Leisure Service Management (3 hours), one honors section of, or honors contract in, any Recreation Management course at the 2000 level or above (3 hours), and an honors thesis/project chaired by a Recreation Management and Physical Education department faculty member (R_M 4510 ) for a total of 3 credit hours. Recreation Management courses can be designated as an honors section or completed by honors contract in consultation with the faculty member teaching the course during the semester of interest.

Physical Education Activity Program (PEA) - General Education Wellness

As part of Appalachian State University’s General Education Program, all students are required to complete two semester hours of Wellness Literacy courses. The PEA program offers a wide variety of activity-based courses that meet General Education Wellness Literacy and CORE Physical Activity/Wellness guidelines.

PEA program courses are based on current guidelines for appropriate practice in college/university physical activity instruction programs outlined by the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE). Courses reflect the following premises: education is the central mission; courses emphasize motor skill acquisition and health-related physical activity; curriculum and instructional practices reflect sensitivity to individual students and societal needs; and courses promote values consistent with safe, lifelong participation in health enhancing physical activity.

The PEA program is dedicated to enhancing student wellness through activity-based learning experiences and is committed to assisting students to develop as physically literate individuals. A physically literate individual has learned the skills necessary to perform a variety of physical activities, participates regularly in physical activity, is physically fit, knows the implications of and the benefits from involvement in physical activities, and values physical activity and its contributions to a healthful lifestyle.

PEA program courses are graded on a standard A-F letter grade basis.

Programs

Bachelor of Science

Certificate

Sport Science and Coaching Certificate

Minor

Other

P E Activity Courses

Courses

Health and Physical Education

Physical Education

Recreation Management

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