Exercise science major Kelly Baskin came to ACU knowing she wanted to work with athletes. But future Wildcats who hope to work in high school athletics, as does Baskins, may have hit a snag: ACU has just completed the paperwork for terminating the Physical Education Teacher Education program.
Joe Bell, chair of the Department of Exercise Science and Health, cited practicality and job availability to explain the change.
“The primary reason is market trends,” Bell said. “We are finding that our PETE graduates are not able to get jobs in Texas.”
Schools across the nations are cutting back on their PE requirements and funding, Bell said. PE has become an elective in most high schools, and elementary schools are making PE positions more part-time. These are the positions the PETE major was preparing students to fill, Bell said.
“Students are paying a lot to go to school here,” Bell said. “When they get to the end, they should have something they can start a career with.”
Most students who enroll in the PETE program want to become coaches, Bell said. ACU still will offer a Coaching minor, and also is developing new degrees in kinesiology and recreation leadership.
The kinesiology program will prepare students to take certification testing and further train in a broad spectrum of exercise science related fields, including teaching, Bell said.
The recreation leadership degree plan will prepare students to work at non-school-based programs, such as YMCAs and sports camps, Bell said.
“I’m excited about that degree as a way to get a job and find ministry possibilities,” Bell said.
Baskin, a sophomore from San Antonio, said such ministry opportunities played a role in setting her sights on a career as an athletic trainer. Despite wondering if ACU has made the right decision in cutting the program, she said she is satisfied with her own experience at the university and pleased about the addition of a kinesiology major.
Baskin said she’s convinced that exercise science is more than simply coaching. And although she is participating in the pre-physical therapy track, she still sees high school athletic training as part of her future.
“There’s something about high school athletes that makes them wrap up their identities in sports,” Baskin said. “They’re more open to different ideologies. It’s a good place to make an impact.”
Although ACU no longer will be offering a major geared toward careers in high school coaching, Bell said students currently enrolled in the program will be able to complete it.
Also, especially set to impact exercise science majors is The Royce and Pam Money Student Recreation and Wellness Center. The center’s new lab facilities will allow the Exercise Science department as a whole to focus more on science by offering new classes on exercise research and data-collecting techniques.
“We’re trying to be good stewards of the students’ tuition dollars and trying to make sure they’ll have opportunities after graduation,” Bell said.
