Physical Education

Exercise Science class

Programs of Study click to expand

Athletic Training

What is Athletic Training

Hesston College’s athletic training program is directed toward the development of specified competencies in the following domains:

  • injury prevention and risk management
  • pathology of injuries and illnesses
  • assessment and evaluation
  • acute care of injury and illness
  • pharmacology
  • therapeutic modalities
  • therapeutic exercise
  • general medical conditions
  • nutritional aspects of injury and illness
  • psychosocial intervention and referral
  • professional development and responsibilities
  • health care administration

Success factors

Important traits for students in this program include having an intellectual curiosity, the ability to adapt to situations, self-drive and compassion. Students must be able to listen, lead and be observant.

“Hesston College provided me with the ability to work hands on as an athletic training student, and prepared me by allowing me to practice skills that would later become essential to my success in an accredited athletic training program and eventual acceptance as an intern athletic trainer for the NFL.”
— Alec Stahly, class of 2013, completed degree at MidAmerica Nazarene University (Olathe, Kan.)

Career possibilities

  • Allied health professional working in cooperation with physicians and other health care personnel
  • Health care team member for secondary schools, colleges and universities
  • assessment and evaluation
  • Professional sports, sports medicine clinics and other health care settings

Majoring in athletic training

Work one-on-one with the college’s certified athletic trainers for hands-on experiences.

  • Ability to gain a solid foundation to be successful in athletic training
  • Opportunity to gain observation hours helping in a variety of different sports and settings
  • A low student-to-instructor ratio

Athletic training curriculum

The athletic training curriculum will provide you with the strong educational foundation you will need for upper-level studies in an accredited program and an athletic training degree. Academic advisors work one-one-one with students to ensure requirements are met for a seamless transition to continuing education.

Sample curriculum – associate degree in athletic training

Exercise Science

What is Exercise Science

Exercise science is the study of human movement as related to exercise and physical activity from an applied, primarily life science perspective. It is dedicated to promoting and integrating scientific research and education on the effects and benefits of exercise, and to the delivery of physical-activity programs that prevent disease, facilitate rehabilitation, promote health and enhance human performance.

Success factors

Important traits for students in this program include having an intellectual curiosity, the ability to adapt to situations, self-drive and compassion.

Career possibilities

With the current trend toward wellness, careers following the exercise science path continue to grow

  • Exercise science
  • Exercise physiology
  • Kinesiology
  • Physical education
  • Health promotion
  • Health education
  • Athletic training
  • Sports medicine
  • Health and wellness administration
  • Corporate fitness
  • Hospital wellness
  • Leisure
  • Recreation therapy
  • Aerobics instruction
  • Strength training and conditionin
  • Coaching

Majoring in exercise science

Small classes and intensive, personalized instruction will help you excel in the critical foundation courses for your major.

  • Opportunity to closely learn one-on-one with instructors in a lab setting.
  • Opportunity to get involved in a variety of different experiments to prepare students for upper level labs in the major.

Exercise science curriculum

The exercise science curriculum will provide you with the strong educational foundation you will need for upper-level studies and advanced degrees in the field. Academic advisors work one-on-one with students to ensure requirements are met for a seamless transition to continuing education and professional careers.

Sample curriculum – associate degree in exercise science

Physical Education

What is Physical Education

Physical education develops fitness and fosters the desire for lifelong participation in physical activity. Skills are developed for the ability to perform and enjoy day-to-day physical activities with ease, participate in a wide range of activities and to be physically and mentally active, fit and healthy into adulthood.

Success factors

At the core of any physical education program is exercise. If you enjoy exercise, working out, working with people and working to plan recreational events, this major may be for you.

“Hesston gave me an understanding that being a physical education teacher is not only about the physical activity, but that caring about students’ lives and their well-being that is the most important. Classes like Intro to Education, Social Diversity and Psychology really taught me alot everything it takes to be a PE teacher.”
— Kyndell Hightree, class of 2016

Career possibilities

After receiving the associate of arts degree in physical education at Hesston College, many students will continue their education and receive a bachelor of arts degree in physical education with teacher licensure. However, there are many other career opportunities available to physical education majors, including coaching, sports management, community recreation, sports information and journalism, youth camps and business opportunities in the sporting goods industry.

Majoring in physical education

  • Learn how to organize recreational events, including the college’s annual two-mile race
    Learn teaching methodology
  • Have the opportunity to work within the community
  • Learn the science of the body
  • Learn skill-based and fitness-based competencies in one-hour physical education elective classes

Physical education curriculum

At Hesston College, Physical Education candidates learn scientific knowledge, skill-based and fitness-based competencies and instructional delivery methodology necessary for the development of physically educated individuals. In addition to courses designed for physical education majors and teaching licensure, the department offers a wellness course for all students, an introduction to recreational management, and flexible elective courses for majors and non-majors. The goal of the department is for all students to enjoy the benefits of an active lifestyle and develop knowledge of the interconnectedness of the dimensions of wellness.

Sample curriculum – associate degree in physical education

Sports Management

What is Sports Management

Sports management focuses on the sport industry, including high school athletic administration, intercollegiate sport, amateur sport entertainment, for-profit sport participation, nonprofit sport participation, sporting goods, and sport services.

Success factors

Sports management students share common traits and strength in people skills, teamwork, communication skills, decision making skills, organizational skills, the ability to adapt, and a strong value system.

Career possibilities

Students work in a variety of sport settings including intercollegiate athletics, major league and minor league professional sports, high school and college athletics, fitness, recreation, and specialized sport business.

  • Public relations
  • Facility management
  • Fundraising
  • Broadcasting
  • Sporting goods sales
  • Sports agency
  • Promotion and development administration
  • Sports information manager
  • Interscholastic athletic administration

Majoring in sports management

  • Small class sizes
  • Great opportunities for internships and experiences

Sports management curriculum

The sports management curriculum will provide you with the strong educational foundation you will need for upper-level studies and a sports management degree. Academic advisors work one-on-one with students to ensure requirements are met for a seamless transition to continuing education and professional careers.

Sample curriculum – associate degree in sports management

Sports Ministry

What is Sports Ministry

A major in recreation and sports ministry prepares students to plan, direct and initiate church-based or community recreation programs and equips students to use recreation and sports as a tool for outreach in the community. It provides a biblical and theological foundation for ministry through sports, as well as helping students nurture their own spiritual development.

Success factors

Students who want to make an impact in the lives of young adults, who are passionate for the Lord and who love recreation and sports will thrive as sports ministry majors. These students are interested in either working within a church-based organization or doing ministry in a secular setting.

Career possibilities

Students in this major will find open doors to careers in recreation, youth ministry, camp leadership, game development, coaching, YMCA and recreational ministry.

Majoring in sports management

Hesston College is a wonderful place to start a sports ministry major! Students have the opportunity to combine sports and ministry in several classes and campus-wide activities. In the Recreational Leadership class, students help create a two-mile fun run for the wider community. In Faith and Discipleship class, students take a weekend spiritual retreat. Students can also serve as ministry assistants or a lead as part of the Campus Activities Board (CAB). Other opportunities include things like an internship at a summer church camp.

Sports management curriculum

The sports ministry curriculum will provide you with the strong educational foundation you will need for upper-level studies and a baccalaureate degree in a wide variety of fields. Academic advisors work one on one with students to ensure requirements are met for a seamless transition to continuing education and professional careers.

Sample curriculum – associate degree in sports ministry

Mission/philosophy/vision

The Hesston College Physical Education Department provides opportunities for students, faculty and staff to acquire knowledge and skills which will assist them in maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

  • Students participate in a required Fitness Concepts class where they learn the importance of living a healthy lifestyle. There is a strong emphasis and opportunity for students to put these concepts into practice.
  • A variety of lifetime activity courses are offered that immediately activate students towards living a healthier lifestyle.

At Hesston College, students in Physical Education are involved immediately in helping others to become active. Students have opportunities through the Recreation Leadership class to plan and host the annual 2 mile fun run as well as assist with the on-campus workplace wellness incentives.

Students will be challenged with a solid foundation of introductory courses that will prepare them for degree completion in a variety of physical education fields beyond Hesston.

Faculty and staff, on occasion, join various activity skill classes in order to learn and become physically active. This allows students to see that the quest for fitness and learning in fitness is lifelong.

The Physical Education Department crafts various fitness incentives for faculty and staff to participate in during the year. PE students are encouraged to assist in the facilitation of these incentives, providing this students with the hands on opportunity to work with work place wellness incentives.

Faculty

Clay Stauffer
Clay Stauffer

Learning Environment

  • Yost Center
  • Campus Activities Center
  • Tennis courts
  • Hesston Golf Course
  • Hesston Wellness Center
  • Oswald Field
  • Soccer field

Building community through play/activity

“You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.” -Plato

Through sport and play, the human nature is expressed allowing one to learn a lot about people as well as their self through play.

Students are offered with a variety of experiences that provide a variety of lifetime activity courses challenging students to be active, whether individually or as a group, fostering improved health and well being.

The Physical Education Department also incorporates various workplace wellness programs for faculty/staff that foster improved health and wellbeing.

Each year, the department, or on alternating years, the Recreation Leadership class facilitates a two mile walk, jog, run that brings together students, faculty, staff, parents, alumni and others beyond the campus.

The Folk Dance class trains students to teach basic dances that are often used in larger campus activities as well as small student group activities.

Athletic Training students gain valuable hands on skills through course labs as well as assisting the Trainer through routine practices and game days.

Recreation Leadership Games and Activities

Courses