With degree programs offered in physical education and sports management , Eastern Connecticut State University offers its students who are interested in pursuing a career in health and athletics a wide range of opportunities .

When students come into the office of Dr . Robert Horrocks , professor of physical education and chairman of health and physical education at Eastern , he often asks them a series of pointed questions . “ If they want to go into teaching , I want to know if they have experience working with children . I want to find out what they find interesting , ” Horrocks said . “ We don’t want them to come into teaching because they simply like sports ; liking sports is not sufficient to being a good teacher , because there does come a day when youcan no longer play a sport . ”

The physical education degree program prepares students to teach in schools ranging from Kindergarten through 12 th grade , including components of curriculum-building , child development and child psychology . The sports management program is diverse and prepares students for various careers in health and fitness .

There are approximately 350 students majoring in either program , and Horrocks said that the degree is so popular that some college graduates return to Eastern to complete a second bachelor’s degree . “ I had a student who had an MBA , had one taste of the business world , and said that he just wanted to get into a position where he was working with kids on a daily basis , ” he said .

Horrocks said that a key component of both programs is a field experience requirement , which usually occurs for a semester during the student’s senior year. By that time , Horrocks said that students are very certain of their fields of interest and must go through a process of visiting , observing and spending time with professionals in that field . “ Years ago , youcould major in physical education and get a job in anything related to it , but now , employers are looking more closely at experiences in college , especially real field work experience , ” Horrocks said .

Recently , a graduate of the ECSU contacted Horrocks and invited him to speak at a health day at Winsted High School . “ I said that I would do better than that , and I brought six of my current students with me to spend the day talking to the students there , ” he said . The Eastern students talked about their current studies and internships , talked to high school students about preparing for college . “ These are the types of things that we encourage for our kids , to step up and stand on their own feet in the community , ” Horrocks said .

Many students who major in physical education seek positions with schools . Horrocks said that he believes it is a rewarding profession . “ As tumultuous as we may perceive our public schools to be today , [ working in physical education ] is an exciting career with an exciting curriculum that youcan design and create yourself. You can come up with yourown activities , and there is a lot of flexibility to developing the program , ” he said . Horrocks , who worked for 12 yearsin public schools in Philadelphia and in Greensboro , N . C ., said that he sees the work as being fun and exciting .

The physical education program , he said , is flexible to fit the desires and motivation of its students . “ The programs have evolved because we found students who just wanted a physical activity but didn’t necessarily want to spend six or seven hours a day working with children , so we developed a program to address their interests , ” he said .

A student with a sports management degree can seek professions in many different areas , and Horrocks said that he shows students interested in the program a list of possible future careers . The list includes personal trainer , aquatics director , athletic trainer , parks and recreation director and fitness center manager . “ For sports management , a lot of people find satisfaction around their fields of health and fitness through designing different programs and seeing change . What we do is very public , it is helping people to take care of their bodies , ” Horrocks said . No matter the interest of the student , he said that he can shape a program to meet their interests and works with other departments to make it happen .

“ We spend a lot of time making the sports management program where the student’s interest lie and try hard to find a nice fit , ” said Charlie Chatterton , associate professor in health and physical education , who oversees the sports management program . “ One goal is to move the student away from what they might see on Sports Center . This is a challenging field , but that is also what makes it exciting . The field is continuing to evolve , and we really stress the need to stay professionally engaged , ” he said .