The Division of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation (HPER) within the College of Education, Arts, and Humanities at Delta State offers a B.S. degree with 3 concentrations. Designed to help turn your passion for fitness and sports into fulfilling careers, HPER also inspires students to develop healthy lifestyles and behaviors. There is a need for trained professionals to work in community wellness and fitness centers, YMCA, and community sport programs, and our program will equip you with the skills and knowledge to enter this industry with confidence.
The bachelor’s program in Health, Physical Education, and Recreation offers extensive practical skill development and hands-on experiences, allowing you to smoothly transition into most graduate programs within the field, such as the Master of Science in Sport and Human Performance at Delta State. Additionally, during your senior year, you can take up to 6 hours of graduate classes with division approval.
16:1
Divisional Faculty-Student Ratio
3
Concentrations
Available
80+
Years of Combined Faculty Experience
Why Choose Health, Physical Education, and Recreation at DSU?
The program prepares students aspiring to be teachers of health and physical education, recreation specialists, and health specialists with a strong foundation in principles and practices in their respective fields. It is a 4-year program that provides real-world work experience through lab classes, internships in Exercise Science and Sports Management, and practicums in Sport and Movement Studies.
Students can look forward to small class sizes, hands-on learning, and knowledgeable, experienced, approachable, and passionate instructors. Faculty specialize in areas such as recreation, physical education, exercise physiology, and sport coaching, and students have opportunities to work with faculty on research projects. Additionally, the Allied-Health minor allows students interested in professional schools related to our discipline to take courses that fulfill prerequisite requirements.
- Applications accepted year-round
- Flexible and part-time course scheduling
- Student advisement is available online
- Exercise science lab
- Outdoor recreation lab
- Internship or practicum requirement
- Built in business minor
- Sports management to MBA pathway
- Hands on learning
- HPER majors club
- Research opportunities
- Networking opportunities
Concentrations in HPER
Exercise Science
The Exercise Science concentration provides students with knowledge in biomechanics, sports nutrition, sport psychology, motor control/development, and exercise physiology. The program equips students to evaluate healthy behaviors and risk factors, conduct fitness assessments, prescribe exercise, and motivate healthy lifestyles. Required courses include exercise physiology, kinesiology, exercise prescription, exercise testing, clinical experience, exercise for special populations, and motor learning and development. The curriculum includes math and basic sciences, and students aiming for professional school must take additional courses in chemistry, physics, and upper-level biology. An optional Allied Health minor allows students to complete these additional science courses without delaying their progression through the program. An internship is also required to provide practical experience.
Sports and Movement Studies
The Sports and Movement Studies concentration provides students with knowledge of the human body, coaching and sport-specific techniques and philosophies, and how physical activity, healthy eating, and maintaining a healthy body weight can reduce chronic disease and disability. The program includes a practicum requirement and courses such as fundamentals of movement physiology, kinesiology, exercise testing, motor learning and development, sports coaching classes, methods of coaching, health courses, and physical education courses. Additionally, a coaching minor is built into this concentration to further enhance students’ coaching skills and knowledge.
Sports Management
The Sports Management concentration provides students with fundamental knowledge and skills in finance, management, marketing, and law related to sports organizations. The coursework prepares students for careers with amateur, collegiate, and professional sports organizations, enabling them to pursue various sports-related opportunities after graduation. An internship is required to gain practical experience, and students take multiple business courses, with a business minor built into the program. Additionally, students can elect to take two extra business courses (ACC 320 and ECO 210 or 211) to meet the prerequisites for entering the MBA program. This program benefits both undergraduate and graduate students, and many established business professionals choose to pursue sports management to transition successfully into the sports industry.
What Can I Do with a Bachelor’s Degree in
Health, Physical Education, and Recreation?
With a B.S. in Health, Physical Education, and Recreation, graduates can pursue a variety of careers within the booming sports industry, which generates over $200 billion annually in America. Common occupations for exercise science professionals offer median salaries ranging from $45K to $97K as of 2022. The employment of entertainment and sports occupations is projected to grow faster than the average for all occupations from 2022 to 2032, with about 106,800 openings projected each year on average due to employment growth and the need to replace workers, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Athletic therapist
- Activity specialist
- Cardiac rehabilitation specialist
- Exercise physiologist
- Wellness and sports manager
- Fitness specialist
- Coach
- Personal trainer
- Sport facilities manager
- Athletic director
- Exercise physiologist
- Occupational therapist
- Fitness instructor
- Athletic trainer
- Physical therapist
- Massage therapist
HPER Scholarships
Delta State’s HPER programs are more affordable than many programs offering similar opportunities. At DSU, we’re going to automatically consider you for scholarships. Some scholarships you may be considered for include opportunities for fulltime students majoring in HPER, participants in HPER leadership activities, and outstanding students who participate in HPER campus activities. Students may also be eligible for non-program specific scholarship opportunities.
Program Goals
Some of the many goals of the HPER Department are to educate, motivate, and prepare our students. From the time they enter one of our many educational paths, we do our best to get them ready for their professional career. Not everything can be learned from a textbook, our faculty have years of direct knowledge they pass down to students. We give our students hands-on experiences so they may see how practical what they are learning can be.
Admission Requirements
Applicants of this program must meet Delta State University’s admission requirements.
There are no additional program admission requirements.
Curriculum
The following courses are required to complete a concentration or minor in Entertainment Industry Studies.
Exercise Science
| Course Number | Course Title | Credits |
| HSE 336 | Physiology of Exercise | 3 |
| HSE 337 | Exercise Physiology Laboratory Experience | 1 |
| PER 300 | History and Philosophy of Sport and Physical Education | 3 |
| PER 360 | Clinical Experience in Exercise Science | 3 |
| PER 365 | Fitness Training Techniques | 3 |
| PER 438 | Kinesiology | 3 |
| PER 460 | Exercise Testing | 3 |
| PER 461 | Exercise Prescription | 3 |
| PER 463 | Exercise for Special Populations | 3 |
| PER 464 | Senior Seminar in HPER | 1 |
| PER 465 | Internship in Exercise Science | 12 |
| PER 484 | Motor Development / Motor Learning | 3 |
| Select one of the following: PER 171: Beginning Swimming; PER 173: Swimming; PER 175: Lifeguard Training |
1 | |
| TOTAL | 42 | |
Sports Management
| Course Number | Course Title | Credits |
| PER 100 level elective | – | 1 |
| PER 321 | Officiating Major Sports | 3 |
| PER 323 | Leadership in Community Recreation | 3 |
| PER 391 | Organization and Administration of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation Programs | 3 |
| PER 442 | Philosophy and Psychology of Coaching | 3 |
| PER 464 | Senior Seminar in HPER | 1 |
| PER 475 | Internship in Sports Management / Sports Information | 12 |
| GBA 220 | Legal Environment of Business | 3 |
| CIS 235 | Microcomputer Applications II | 3 |
| Select three of the following: PER 343: Methods of Coaching Football; PER 346: Methods of Coaching Basketball; PER 347: Methods of Coaching Baseball; PER 349: Methods of Coaching Swimming; PER 365: Fitness Training Techniques; PER 438: Kinesiology; ACC 320: Managerial Accounting |
9 | |
| TOTAL | 41 | |
Sport and Movement Studies
| Course Number | Course Title | Credits |
| HSE 335 | Fundamentals of Movement Physiology | 3 |
| Select one of the following: FCS 325: Marriage, Family Living, and Sex Education; FCS 343: Nutrition and Physical Fitness; FCS 345: General Nutrition; HSE 445: Consumer Health; |
3 | |
| HSE 460 | Drug Use and Abuse | 3 |
| PER 186 | Recreational Games | 1 |
| PER 300 | History and Philosophy of Sport and Physical Education | 3 |
| PER 314 | Techniques and Teaching of Team Sports | 3 |
| PER 315 | Techniques and Teaching of Individual Sports | 3 |
| PER 321 | Officiating Major Sports | 3 |
| PER 323 | Leadership in Community Recreation | 3 |
| PER 365 | Fitness Training Techniques | 3 |
| PER 382 | Physical Education in the Elementary School | 3 |
| PER 383 | Techniques of Rhythmic Activities for K-12 | 1 |
| PER 438 | Kinesiology | 3 |
| PER 442 | Philosophy and Psychology of Coaching | 3 |
| PER 455 | Physical Education for the Exceptional Child | 3 |
| PER 471 | Sports Management | 3 |
| PER 484 | Motor Development / Motor Learning | 3 |
| PER 486 | Practicum in HPER | 3 |
| Select one of the following: PER 171: Beginning Swimming; PER 173: Swimming; PER 175: Lifeguard Training |
1 | |
| Select three of the following: PER 343: Methods of Coaching Football; PER 346: Methods of Coaching Basketball; PER 347: Methods of Coaching Baseball; PER 349: Methods of Coaching Swimming; PER 438: Kinesiology |
9 | |
| TOTAL | 60 | |
Degree Requirements
To earn this degree, you must successfully complete at least 120 credits, including your general education requirements and the major requirements below.
| General Education | 38-40 |
| University Requirement | 1 |
| Special Degree Requirements | 6-12 |
| HPER Core | 12-15 |
| Major | 34-55 |
| Minors | 18-21 |
| TOTAL DEGREE REQUIREMENTS | 121 |
For more information on degree requirements and specifics on courses needed to complete the degree, consult the Undergraduate Academic Catalog. For a semester-by-semester breakdown on how you can complete this degree in 4-years, visit academic maps.
Fees
Tuition at DSU covers the cost of classes. HPER courses may require lab fees between $15-$50 for regular classes, associated with first aid CPR certifications or laboratory classes.
Please refer to the undergraduate academic catalog for other course-related fees.
