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Health and Physical Education (PreK-12)

As of fall 2025, this major will no longer be offered. A teach-out plan is in effect for students currently enrolled in the program.
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Evangeline Lupanov, who interns at the Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community, hopes to combine her love of music, art, and fitness into a career in recreational therapy.

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Prepare to teach health and physical education for students from elementary to high school. You will take a series of health, anatomy, physiology, training and other PE courses, which will give you a broad base of knowledge for a career as a health or PE teacher at any grade level. 

Our education program will give you many opportunities for classroom observation and teaching, including a full semester of student teaching. Our teacher education program is 

  • Distinctives
    • Our teacher education program is 
    • Students get classroom experience within the first 5 weeks of the program.
    • Students learn reflective practice techniques so that they continue to be the best teachers in their field, year after year. 
    • Students are mentored by PhD-level faculty who model being excellent educators by caring for students and calling out each students' gifts. 
    • Earn a minor in coaching or kinesiology or a concentration in sports psychology to further prepare for your career.
  • Practical Experiences

    At many colleges students don’t get into the classroom until their third year. You are in the classroom in some way nearly every semester. 

    • At EMU, education students are in local classrooms, observing and learning, by their fifth week of classes. 
    • Local school divisions are richly diverse in culture, ethnicity and socioeconomic status.
    • Field experiences are embedded throughout program so that education students are in the field nearly every semester.
    • Students are in a classroom full-time during student teaching, and receive regular feedback and assistance from the classroom teacher and an EMU representative.
    • Students may choose more than one student teaching placement to experience multiple classroom settings and locations. 
    • Student teachers also participate in Reflective Teaching Seminar class which provides additional support to students during the student teaching semester and covers valuable topics such as preparing for job searches and interviews.
  • Employability/Careers
    • Completing our program makes you eligible for a Virginia teaching license, and we'll process the paperwork for you.
    • The Virginia Department Of Education reported in 2017 a shortage of more than 6,000 teachers.
    • Harrisonburg and Rockingham County school supervisors seek EMU teacher-education graduates.
    • The average starting salary for teachers in Harrisonburg City and Rockingham County Schools is $44,000
    • EMU teacher-education graduates often move on to graduate school to further specialize and often give leadership in administrative leadership roles.
    • 100% of 2022-23 program graduates program graduates who sought positions in education were employed in education settings and graduated with an average grade point average (GPA) of 3.7.
    • 100% of program graduates pass the state licensure exams.
    • We will work with you to understand how to obtain a teaching license in another state if you want to teach outside of Virginia after completing our program.
  • Affordability

    • 99% of undergrads receive financial aid
    • The average assistance package is over $37,000
    • Over $21 million in aid is awarded each year

    Financial aid packages often include:

    Learn more by contacting  EMU's Financial Assistance Office or checking out our net price calculator.

For more information about the courses and curricula see the .