Career in Physical Education

Physical education degree holders are well versed in the science of psychomotor skills used by humans while playing sports or doing some heavy activities. Since different activities require a specific set of psychomotor skills, learning from trained professionals is what you need. Furthermore, with changing lifestyles, new diseases, mental stress, etc, the demand for domain related experts has also increased. This is where Physical Education experts come into the picture. Based on the specialisation, these professionals can train in various activities like Swimming, Yoga, Aerobics, Athletics, etc. With changing trends and careers in Physical Education, an individual can also provide assistance upon graduating in Dietetics and Nutrition courses, Health and Physical education, etc. Today, we shall see how to make a career in Physical education, what are the courses offered in the world along with why physical education is important.

What is Physical Education?

The importance of sports and fitness has surely increased in the present era where physical and mental well-being are consistently emphasised upon. As academic institutions are implementing physical education as an essential part of their curriculums, a wide range of career opportunities are available in this field. Physical Education simply refers to the inclusion of physical activities and sports to encourage psychomotor learning amongst students. A career in Physical Education is perfect for those interested in learning about the importance of physical education in every child’s academic journey to facilitate holistic development of every individual.

Benefits of Physical Education:

Here are the physical education benefits-

• Improves physical abilities 
• Reduces risk of heart illness and
• Enhances bone strength
• Helps maintain body weight 
• Helps promote health 
• Reduces stress and risk of depression 
• Pramod active lifestyle
• Boosts self-confidence and esteem 

Skills Required to Build a Career in Physical Education

At first, the candidate would get a job as an instructor or supervisor at any sports event but slowly, more options will open in areas like Yoga, Aerobics, Naturopathy, etc. Even in some colleges, Physical Education as a subject has become compulsory. So, if you want to build a successful career in the field of Physical Education, here are the skills which are needed the most:

• Excellent athletic and teaching abilities
• Good leadership qualities to lead the people they are either training or supervising.
• Excellent interpersonal skills to bring out one’s true self in either the game or activity.
• Should be disciplined
• Patient, perseverant, and Flexible
• Should be adequately skilled in their chosen domain
• Should be able to boost morale and instill the skill of cooperation into others

Subjects in Physical Education

From becoming a crucial subject at various study levels, the curriculum of physical education involves various intricacies. Through the tabulated below physical education subjects, you will be equipped with proficiency to pursue a career in this field-

Anatomy and Physiology	Foundation of Physical Education	Body Conditioning
Track and Field	Game of Specialization	Physiology of Exercise
Sports Sociology	Health Education, First Aid and Rehabilitation	Methods of Teaching in Physical Education
Sports and Exercise Psychology	Test, Measurement and Evaluation in Physical Education	Sport Journalism
Balanced Education	Organization and Administration	Physical Growth and Development

Step 1: Pursue a Bachelor’s Course

The very first step in building a career in this field is to enrol in an undergraduate course. Generally running for a period of 3-4 years, these programs are available as Bachelor of Arts [BA], Bachelor of Science [BSc] such as BSc Sports Science or Bachelor of Education [BEd]. Tabulated below are the Physical Education courses and the universities offering them- 

University	Country	Courses
Buckinghamshire New University	UK	BA Hons in Sports and PE BA Hons in Sports and PE with Foundation Year
Durham University	UK	BA Hons in Sports, Exercise and Physical Activity
Staffordshire University	UK	B.Sc Hons in PE and Sport Coaching
Mount Royal University	Canada	Bachelor of Health and PE- Athletic Therapy Bachelor of Health and PE- Physical Literacy
University of Alberta	Canada	BA in Physical Education
Virginia Commonwealth University	USA	B.Sc in Education-Health and PE
University College Cork	Ireland	B.Ed Hons in Sports Studies and PE

Note: Physical Education has been abbreviated to PE

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Step 2: Enroll in a Master Level Physical Education Course

Though you can enter the professional world upon completing an undergraduate course, getting a master’s degree will help you gain advanced knowledge pertaining to the field of Physical Education. Furthermore, you can gain expertise in a specific subfield which will aid in skill development. Running for a period of 1-2 years, here are some of the universities and their Physical Education courses that you can consider. 

Universities	Country	Courses
University of Malaya	Malaysia	Master of Physical and Health Education
Central Connecticut State University	USA	MS Physical Education – Exercise Science
Edith Cowan University	Australia	Master of Teaching [Primary/Secondary]
Staffordshire University	UK	Secondary Physical Education- PGCE

Step 3: Get Certified

Becoming certified to teach physical education is as important as being eligible to teach academic courses. Although the requirements can vary from one country/state to another, teaching this subject at academic institutes or starting your own practice requires a license or a certification. For the license, you would need: 

• Bachelor’s degree in the related field
• Proof of completing a teacher training program that includes a period of supervised student teaching.
• To pass the state examination.

It is important to note that based on your specialisation, you will be required to obtain other certifications like First aid and CPR, Lifeguard certification, Sports therapy certification, etc. Be sure to check out the certification process before deciding a particular Physical Education course lie Yoga, Aerobics or Zumba, etc.

Step 4: Gain Work Experience

The final step in making a successful career in this field is to gain relevant work experience. With the introduction of new co-curricular activities in school and university curriculum, the demand for physical trainers, personal trainers and teachers or gurus has increased. Moreover, with Zumba, Yoga, Aerobics, Swimming, etc emerging as new modes of exercise, the scope of physical education has been observed as very successful and thriving. Let’s take a look at some of the employment areas and work profiles for physical education graduates that one can consider: 

Employment Areas

• Health Industries
• Sports Industries
• Schools
• Colleges
• Personal Trainers
• Sports Clubs
• Corporate Trainer
• Event Organising

Physical Education Work Profiles

• Teacher
• Chiropractor
• Athletic Coach
• Physical Therapist
• Personal Trainer
• Corporate Fitness Instructor
• Recreation Worker
• Zumba Teacher
• Yoga Instructor
• Fitness Director
• Gym Owner
• Sports Manager
• Health Educator

FAQs

As the world is becoming more health-conscious and shifting towards alternate means of exercising, the career path for physical education professionals is not restricted to the abovementioned job profiles. If you also want to explore this field but are unsure about which course to pursue then reach out to our experts at Leverage Edu through an e-meeting and get all your queries answered within minutes!