Renamed department looks to get more than ‘physical’

Rebecca Jordan

News Editor

The Physical Education Department will have two new degree programs to offer students come fall 2016 and a new name to usher in the change.

“For years, we only had [the physical education] track,” said Eric Bryant, assistant director of communications and marketing. “The last couple of years, the college and the department especially have realized that we can create more specific transfer pathways for people who want to get to these other careers that are fitness-related, but that aren’t only being a gym teacher.”

Those “specific pathways” now include a Health and Wellness A.S. and an Exercise Studies A.S. degree under the health, physical education, and exercise studies department, previously the physical education department.

The college continues to offer its associate degree in Physical Education Studies, which provides the first two years of a four-year bachelor’s degree program for students interested in becoming primary and secondary school physical education instructors. In addition, there are three certificate programs under the physical education umbrella – coaching, fitness specialist and worksite health promotion.

According to Colleen Ferris, health, physical education, and exercise studies department chair, “Before this Health and Wellness degree, we could tell students, alright, we can manipulate our current phys ed program and kind of get you where you want to be. Now, we can have our students a little more specialized and get them even more health, wellness and nutrition courses that they really kind of need to be in a better position to transfer.”

The Health and Wellness B.S. degree at Buffalo State College and the Health Education and Community Health B.S. degree programs at SUNY Cortland have both recognized the new degree at Hudson Valley and have established transfer agreements for students looking to obtain four-year degrees.

Students will be able to register for this new program when registration opens for the fall 2016 semester. Current students in the physical education program who wish to pursue the health and wellness degree have the option to transfer into the major.