Outdoor/Community Recreation Degree

There is a tremendous and ever-increasing demand for trained professionals who will guide others toward life enrichment through lifetime leisure pursuits. The Outdoor/Community Recreation Management degree program at the University of Central Oklahoma provides this training through a broad foundation, which is interdisciplinary in nature.

This concentration represents a curriculum that educates, trains, and prepares the student to enter the leisure service profession and industry. Due to the vast size, breadth and diversity of the field, it is necessary to provide learning opportunities to compare and contrast systems from a public, quasi-public, private and commercial perspective. The Outdoor/Community Recreation program is designed to focus on leadership, programming, planning, marketing and promoting, supervisory, administrative and management positions in the profession.

Contact for further information:
Mr. Jerel Cowan
Coordinator of Outdoor/Community Recreation and Exercise/Fitness Management
100 North University Drive
Edmond, Oklahoma 73034
Phone: 405-974-5235
Fax: 405-974-3805
Email: jcowan2@ucok.edu

Exercise/Fitness Management Degree

Exercise/Fitness Management prepares professionals to promote and manage positive, healthful lifestyles in others. It is designed to provide to the corporate, industrial, recreational, educational and medical settings trained personnel who are capable of conducting adult fitness testing and developing personal fitness training programs that involve exercise and physical activity. This major is interdisciplinary and includes courses from business administration, chemistry, communication, computer science, management, as well as from health and physical education.

Wellness is no longer a health trend or fad; it has become a lifestyle. In order to teach people how to manage stress, maintain a health diet, stay physically fit and cope with general health problems in our society, professional programs must be instituted. As wellness and health maintenance programs develop in hospitals, corporations, universities, and other agencies, the demand will grow for qualified leaders and directors. The corporate world has noted that fitness programs produce an upswing in employee productivity, improves the quality of daily living and often results in substantial financial savings for employees.

Contact for further information:
Dr. Darla Fent
100 North University Drive
Edmond, Oklahoma 73034
Phone: 405-974-3599
Fax: 405-974-3805
Email: jhooyman@ucok.edu

Community Health

Community Health is the application of a variety of methods that result in the identification and assessment of factors contributing to the health of a population. The community health professional is responsible for the mobilization and education of community members into actions to resolve health issues and problems that affect their community. These methods include but are not limited to group process, mass media communication, interpersonal communication, community organization, organization development, strategic planning, skills training, legislation, policy making, and advocacy.

A community health specialist is a practitioner who is professionally prepared in the field of public health education who demonstrates competence in the planning, implementation, assessment, and evaluation of a broad range of health promoting programs for community groups. The practitioner helps communities maintain safe and healthy environments for their citizens and teaches skills that motivate populations or foster behaviors that lead to lifetime wellness. The ultimate professional mission of a community health practitioner is to prevent premature mortality and unnecessary disease and disability among the populace.

For further information, contact:
Dr. Diane Rudebock
Department of Kinesiology and Health Studies
100 N University Drive, Wantland Hall 101B
Edmond, Oklahoma 73034
Phone: 405-974-5216
Fax: 405-974-3805
Email: crudebock@ucok.edu

Bachelor of Science in Physical Education/Health

The mission of the program is the preparation of teachers in the content area of physical education and health. These majors will meet the certification requirements for Physical Education/Health K-12, in the state of Oklahoma.

The Physical Education/Health’s educational program provides students with entry level competencies to teach physical education and health in schools, grades K-12. The curriculum develops and enhances the students’ psychomotor, cognitive, and affective learning domains. Quality instruction and appropriate content is achieved through faculty dedication and adherence to NCATE and NASPE standards for program design. The Physical Education/Health Program seeks to blend and balance its curriculum to meet the overall goals of school and American society that impact an ever-changing global environment. Program graduates are competitive professionals in the state, regional, and national job markets. The philosophy, conceptual framework, and content progression of the UCO Physical Education/Health program is in direct alignment with the University’s mission statement.

For further information, contact:
Dr. Debbie Traywick
Department of Kinesiology and Health Studies
100 N. University Drive
Edmond, Oklahoma 73034
Phone: 405-974-5363
Fax: 405-974-3805
Email: gpinkston@ucok.edu