Undergraduate Degrees, Minors & Licensures in Physical Education

Help Others Live Healthy Lives: Pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Education

Take your passion for health and fitness and make a difference in the lives of people around you.

Bridgewater State University’s Department of Health and Kinesiology offers six bachelor of physical education degrees, public health and exercise physiology degrees and four unique minors that help you learn how to promote the health and well-being of individuals—and communities.

With a focus on equity, social justice and sustainability, BSU’s exercise science degrees prepare you to work toward improving human movement, or you can pursue a teaching career through our health and fitness degree teaching tracks. No matter which bachelor’s degree in physical education you choose, you will graduate with the scientific and theoretical knowledge—and the skills—necessary to help others live happy and healthy lives.

Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Education Program Highlights

BSU student standing on side of a pool with a whistle in his mouth, bending over holding the hands of a male in the water who has 2 females on either side of him helping him move

Stand out with real-world expertise

Put your degree to work through an internship in southeastern Massachusetts or in the greater Boston area. We have strong ties to many partner organizations such as 110 Fitness, a wellness center that serves people with Parkinson’s disease, and can connect you to opportunities that will strengthen your exercise science degree and resume.

A student and professor looking through a camera to another student doing a cartwheel

Challenge yourself with course-embedded research

BSU physical education and health studies faculty members provide you with research experiences without ever leaving the classroom. You can join a faculty member’s research or pursue a project of your own within the bachelor’s degree in physical education program.

2 BSU students helping a child swing on a rope in a gym

Get hands-on experience through service learning

A select number of health and fitness degree courses incorporate service learning, which helps you develop advanced knowledge, skills and self-awareness. When service learning is part of an exercise science degree class, you will commit at least 10 hours of service-oriented activity at a community agency, institution or organization.

Get ahead by starting with small classes

Our bachelor’s degree in health and fitness classes are intentionally small — with 20 to 25 students per course. This means you learn alongside faculty who know your name and are available to help you with exercise science degree coursework at any time.

Receive the help you need to succeed

As a student in BSU’s bachelor of physical education or exercise physiology degree programs, you will have a faculty mentor who can advise you on your academic and career paths. No matter which health and fitness degree program you choose, you will have the guidance and support needed to succeed professionally.

Learn from the best

Faculty within BSU’s bachelor’s degree in health and fitness are experts in the field—and on the field. Our educators have worked as coaches, teachers, athletic trainers, and have competed as athletes. They are also pushing the boundaries of the discipline through research in areas such as injury prevention, sports performance improvement, adapted physical education, technology in education, and improving health in underserved communities. Their academic and personal experiences will inform your experiences throughout your bachelor’s degree in physical education.

Engage with research grade equipment

In our biomechanics lab, use state-of-the-art cameras and movement analysis technology to improve performance or prevent injury. Further explore the different aspects of human performance and fitness in our exercise physiology lab.

Program of Study for Bachelor of Physical Education and Exercise Science Degree Students

No matter what degree path you choose within our exercise physiology degree programs, you can expect to learn more about:

Fitness development and assessment
Human development and function
Physical education for students with disabilities
Teaching methods within individual and team sports
Techniques and best practices for safe movement

All our bachelor of physical education degrees are career-focused and will help you provide others with the tools and techniques to live healthier lives.

Click any link below to reveal each program's course detail.

Exercise Physiology

Health Studies

Interdisciplinary

Physical Education

Program details from 2024-2025 Undergraduate/Graduate Catalog

I know for a fact that when Professor Rosenthal and Professor Bailey were creating this course, they had their students' needs in mind from start to finish. Being able to learn in that kind of environment isn't something you can just get anywhere — but I know that you can find it at Bridgewater State University.”

Frankie Fredericks, '22

Physical Education, Motor Development Therapy/Adapted Physical Education Concentration, BS

Make a positive impact on the lives of others with a bachelor’s degree in physical education, health studies or public health. With an exercise science degree or health and fitness degree, you can expect to pursue careers as:

Adaptive fitness therapists
Personal trainers
Public health professionals
Recreation specialists
Teachers

Jobs in physical education are expected to continue to grow over the next decade, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

2 graduate students in class sitting at a padded table

Continue your education beyond your undergraduate degree in physical education

View BSU Graduate Programs

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