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Physical Education
Major | Minor
Turn a Love of Sport Into a Career
Learn to teach, coach, and lead others toward active, healthy lives.
Physical Education at Goshen College is a major or minor that gives you the skills to promote health, movement, and lifelong wellness. You learn to teach, coach, train, and lead in schools, fitness centers, and wellness organizations.
You’ll study how physical activity builds stronger individuals and healthier communities, and you’ll put theory into practice through teaching, coaching, and mentoring from early on. It’s hands-on by design, and it welcomes students of every background, drawn here by the classroom, the court, or the field.
Is Physical Education Right for You?
This major fits students who love sport and movement and want to build a career around it. If you can picture yourself coaching a team, running a recreation program, or teaching kids to love being active, you’ll find a direct path here. Alumni work in public and private schools, community recreation centers, nonprofits, and health fields, in roles like physical education teacher (P–12), coach or athletic director, recreation program director, wellness coordinator, youth sports program leader, and health educator. Some go on to graduate study in kinesiology, education, or physical therapy.
You also won’t be a number. At Goshen College, faculty know you by name. The work is about healthier people and healthier communities, and the program welcomes students of every background, from down the road or around the world.
What You’ll Study
This program builds on coursework in movement science, teaching methods, and activity-based instruction. Teacher certification to teach physical education (P–12) is also available through the PETE requirements.
View the complete program requirements in our catalog. Your advisor helps you map the path that fits your goal, whether that is teaching, coaching, or leading in community wellness.
Get Ready to Move, and Teach Others to Move
You’ll gain real-world experience through field placements in local schools and fitness settings, where you assist and then lead physical education classes, and you’ll learn instructional strategies, curriculum planning, and inclusive practices for diverse learners. You might coach Maple Leaf athletics, work with elementary students, or intern with wellness programs, building the practical skills to inspire active, healthy lives.
You’ll train in Goshen’s athletic and recreational facilities, including the Roman Gingerich Recreation-Fitness Center, outdoor athletic fields, and cross country trails, and you’ll participate in campus wellness programs and Intramural tournaments. There’s room to play, to lead, and to put what you learn to work.
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Paying for Goshen
It’s worth asking about early. As a physical education student you may be eligible for general academic scholarships and teaching-focused awards, and if you compete in athletics, you may also qualify for athletic scholarships.
To see your own price after aid, run the net price calculator, or talk with staff in our financial aid office.
Common Questions About Physical Education
Coursework covers movement science, teaching methods, and activity-based instruction, plus instructional strategies, curriculum planning, and inclusive practices for diverse learners. If you pursue teaching, the PETE requirements lead to P–12 physical education certification. See the course listing for the specific classes that meet major and minor requirements.
Graduates work as physical education teachers (P–12), coaches and athletic directors, recreation program directors, wellness coordinators, youth sports program leaders, and health educators, in schools, recreation centers, nonprofits, and health fields. Some also pursue graduate degrees in kinesiology, education, or physical therapy.
You’ll take field placements in local schools and fitness settings, assisting and then leading physical education classes, and you can coach Maple Leaf athletics, work with elementary students, or intern with wellness programs. You’ll use the Roman Gingerich Recreation-Fitness Center, outdoor athletic fields, cross country trails, and campus intramurals.
You may be eligible for general academic scholarships and teaching-focused awards, and if you compete in athletics, for athletic scholarships as well. Use the net price calculator on the financial aid page to see your real number rather than a sticker price, and a financial aid counselor can walk through the options with you.
Start your application at the Goshen College apply page, or request information first if you’d like to talk through fit, teaching certification, or athletics before committing. You can also schedule a visit to tour the Recreation-Fitness Center and meet the faculty. Admission to Goshen is the first step into the major.
Ready to get started?
Sister Veronica Adeduro
Associate Professor of Nursing
Hilary Arroyo
Assistant Professor of Nursing
Amanda Borden
Assisant Professor of Public Health
Deena Brissett
Assistant Professor of Nursing
Cheryl Caffee
Associate Professor of Nursing
Brianna Conery
Assistant Professor of Nursing
Roy Jackson
Associate Professor of Education
Jewel Lehman
Professor of Kinesiology
Brooke Lemmon
Professor of Education
Director of Special EducationBeth Miller
Professor of Nursing
Katie Schramm
Assistant Professor of Nursing
Susan Setiawan
Professor of Nursing
Robina Sommers
Associate Professor of Education
Steven Thalheimer
Associate Professor of Education
Department ChairJennifer Van Fleet
Assistant Professor of Nursing
Danae Wirth
Assistant Professor of Education
Jewel Yoder
Professor of Nursing
Department Chair
