Matriculation

For provisional acceptance into the physical education major program, the following are required:

• Admission into Hofstra University.
• An interview with the program coordinator for advisement and scheduling.

Program Requirements

Admission to the Physical Education Pedagogy Sequence

Students who have declared physical education as their major must meet the following standards in order to be admitted to the physical education pedagogy sequence:

1. Complete all required major activity couirses and at least six elective major activity courses with a grade of C- or better and a cumulative GPA of 2.75 in activity courses.
2. Complete the following courses with a grade of C- or better, and a cumulative GPA of 2.5 in physical education content courses.

• PESP 013A - Fundamentals of Human Movement Semester Hours: 3-4
• PESP 025 - Fitness for Life Semester Hours: 2
• PESP 050 - Introduction to Technology in Physical Education Semester Hours: 1
• PESP 053 - Foundations of Physical Education Semester Hours: 3
• PESP 061 - First Aid for Activity Professionals Semester Hours: 2
• PESP 106 - Structural & Mechanical Kinesiology Semester Hours: 3
• PESP 108 - Assessment in Physical Education Semester Hours: 3-4
• PESP 154 - Preschool and Elementary Physical Education Content Semester Hours: 3
• PESP 159 - Sport and Physical Education in Cross-Cultural Context Semester Hours: 3
• PESP 167 - Principles of Perceptual Motor Learning Semester Hours: 3
• BIO 106 - Physiology of Exercise Semester Hours: 3
• CT 102 - Development and Learning in Childhood and Adolescence Semester Hours: 3
• FDED 111 - The American School Semester Hours: 3

• or

• FDED 127 - Introduction to Philosophy of Education Semester Hours: 3

Pedagogy Sequence Requirements - Total Semester Hours: 18

• PESP 103 - Methods and Materials for Teaching at the Elementary Level Semester Hours: 3
• PESP 104 - Methods and Materials for Teaching at the Secondary Level Semester Hours: 3
• PESP 135 - Tactical Concepts and Teaching Methods for Team Sports Semester Hours: 1
• PESP 136 - Tactical Concepts and Teaching Methods for Individual Sports Semester Hours: 1
• PESP 138A - Methods of Coaching Semester Hours: 3
• PESP 155A - Field Experience: PreK-5th Grade Physical Education Semester Hours: 1.5
• PESP 155B - Field Experience: 6th-12th Grade Physical Education Semester Hours: 1.5
• PESP 170 - Adapted Physical Education Semester Hours: 3
• PESP 170A - Adapted Physical Education Field Experience Semester Hours: 1

Coaching Internship Requirement

Students must complete an independent internship experience coaching a middle school or high school interscholastic team for at least one season (or other similar experience as approved by the program director). A letter from the school district verifying the student’s participation is required for completion of this requirement.

Continuation Requirements

Students who have declared physical education as their major must meet the following standards in order to continue in the program:

1. A minimum GPA of 2.5 or better in the following categories:
   • all course work completed at Hofstra University
   • required physical education content course work
2. A minimum GPA of 2.75 or better in required physical education skill and pedagogy course work.

Student Teaching Requirements - Total Semester Hours: 9

To be admitted to student teaching, students must meet the following requirements:

1. Meet all continuation requirements as outlined above;
2. receive a grade of C- or better in SPCM 001 ;
3. complete FDED 111  or 127 ; CT 102 ; PESP 103 , 104   135 , 136 ,  155A , 155B , 170 , 170A ; no Ds, Fs or unresolved incompletes in major courses;
4. a minimum GPA of 2.75 in required physical education pedagogy courses.

The following student teaching courses are required:

• PESP 130A - Student Teaching Semester Hours: 4.5 
• PESP 130B - Student Teaching Semester Hours: 4.5 

Graduation Requirements

Graduation from the program requires:

1. Completion of criteria listed above;
2. no grades lower than C- and no unresolved INC grades in physical education skills, content, or pedagogy course work;
3. a minimum GPA of 2.5 or better in overall course work and in physical education content course work;
4. a minimum GPA of 2.75 in physical education skills and pedagogy course work;
5. successful completion of all other degree requirements; and
6. fulfillment of all Education Law seminars.

All requirements must be completed before the conferral of the degree and recommendation for certification.

Teacher Certification Requirements

Upon the successful completion of a Hofstra state-approved teacher education program, students are eligible for the University’s recommendation for New York state certification. A request for recommendation must be submitted to the Office of Educational Support Services the semester in which the student is graduating. There will be opportunities to attend a certification workshop during the student’s final semester, to receive all the necessary information regarding applying for certification. Students who apply directly to New York state for certification are responsible for learning about and satisfying the certification requirements set by the state. It should be noted that such requirements may differ from those in Hofstra’s registered programs.

All prospective early childhood (Birth-Grade 2), elementary (Grades 1-6), secondary (Grades 7-12) and special subject teachers as well as educational leaders are required to pass the New York State Teachers Certification Examinations (NYSTCE) administered by National Evaluation Systems, Inc., for state certification requirements. Students should consult with the Office of Educational Support Services regarding the appropriate examinations for their area of study.

We anticipate that teacher and school building leader candidates applying for certification on or after May 1st, 2014, will be required to take certain new exams. At the February 2012 meeting, the New York State Board of Regents approved a change to the implementation schedule for the new testing requirements for the initial certification of teachers and school building leaders. Please contact the office of Educational Support Services at Hofstra University at (516) 463-5747 or consult the state website.

For candidates graduating prior to May 2013, it is strongly recommended that students complete the Liberal Arts and Sciences Test (LAST) prior to student teaching, and the Assessment of Teaching Skills Written (ATS-W) and the Content Specialty Test (CST) during student teaching. Students not receiving passing scores on these examinations will not be eligible for certification.

In addition to fulfilling the required courses of study, the Commissioner’s Regulations mandate that all prospective teachers, pupil personnel and education leaders receive instructions regarding:

1. Identification of Child Abuse and Maltreatment
2. Fire and Arson Prevention
3. School Violence Prevention and Intervention
4. Prevention of Alcohol, Tobacco and Drug Abuse
5. Highway and School Safety/Prevention of Child Abduction

New York state legislation also requires all persons seeking certification in special education, speech and language disabilities or school administrators working in special education, to have training in the area of children with autism.

Hofstra University offers the above listed educational law seminars through the Office of Educational Support Services. All of these seminars must be completed before the conferral of the degree and recommendation for certification.

Footnotes

* Counted in total credits as required liberal arts course. For admission to student teaching, these courses should be used in the computation of grade point average in the required physical education and skills category.