Columbia University's Physical Education Program: Cultivating Holistic Well-being

Columbia University's Physical Education & Recreation Program is designed to meet the diverse educational, recreational, and wellness needs of the university community. The program aims to instill the belief that regular physical activity is a necessary component of personal health and well-being, promoting active and healthy lifestyles for all members of the University community through a comprehensive recreation and wellness program. This includes intramural/club sports, group and personal fitness, a diverse physical education curriculum, camps, clinics, and special programming.

A Broad Spectrum of Activities

The Physical Education Department offers a variety of activities in areas such as aquatics, fitness, martial arts, individual/dual sports, team sports, and outdoor education. The courses offered are listed in the Directory of Classes. Most activities are designed for the beginner level, though intermediate/advanced courses are offered at selected times.

The program's curriculum is organized and administered by the faculty of the Department of Physical Education and aims to promote holistic, sustainable opportunities to engage with physical activity and physical well-being concepts. Instruction is offered in the areas of fitness, mind/body, and self-paced courses.

Course Highlights

The Physical Education program includes a wide range of courses designed to cater to different interests and fitness levels. Here are some examples of available courses:

Cardiovascular Fitness: This course focuses on improving cardiovascular fitness through walking, jogging, and ultimately running outside. Students will be encouraged to build walking and/or running endurance in order to improve cardiovascular health and physical well-being. The course meets weekly in person for the first 6 weeks of the semester. Short asynchronous lectures and information posted weekly. Students will submit asynchronous physical activity (between 120-150 minutes) weekly. Running promotes cardiovascular fitness, functional health, stress management, and other positive health outcomes. Students will learn to build running endurance in order to improve cardiovascular health and physical well-being. The course will address components of good running form, progressive training, complementary strength training exercises, and basic nutrition. Warm ups and cool downs will be emphasized in order to create a balanced workout. Suggested safety tips will also be addressed in order to encourage safe physical activity outdoors in a variety of environments. This course runs for 10 weeks during the semester.

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Pilates: In this class, students will learn the basic components of Pilates exercises, core exercises, functional movements. This course approaches the Pilates method and basic Pilates Principles of Concentration, Center, Control, Fluidity, Precision and Breath actively with exercises that promote global body awareness.
Functional Fitness: This course focuses on improving physical fitness with an emphasis on functional movement patterns that reflect activities of daily living. Students will learn about different metabolic pathways, along with various components of fitness such as cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular strength and endurance, and flexibility. Students will engage in exercise workouts that encompass different areas of physical conditioning such as: strength, power, speed, flexibility, balance, agility, coordination and endurance.
Heart Rate Training: This course emphasizes cardiorespiratory (CR) fitness through running, biking, stepping, rowing, and body weight training, while using a heart rate monitor to track and evaluate performance. Each student will evaluate their own CR fitness level and based on this, the student will participate in an individualized program to improve or maintain that level. Throughout the class, discussions will focus on the benefits of cardiovascular health, physical activity recommendations, and positive health outcomes associated with life long participation in physical activity. Students will be encouraged to build endurance in order to improve cardiovascular health and physical well-being. Upon completion, students will understand and appreciate the lifelong benefits derived from heart rate training. By using heart rate monitors, students will be provided with real time data about the intensity of their workouts. This course will have weekly in person meetings at the Dodge Fitness Center to cover course topics and workout assignments. Students must have a heart rate monitor. Example options include Polar, Garmin, or some Fitbit products and Apple watches.
Well-being: This class, offered in conjunction with Alice! Health Promotion, introduces broad concepts related to well-being, such as food-body relationships, stress management, communication skills, and physical activity practices. The class will include in person meetings twice weekly, along with weekly asynchronous exercise and assignments. It is an immersive 12 week course.
Yoga: Yoga fundamentals taught at a slower pace focusing on increasing flexibility through postures, breathing and relaxation/ meditation techniques. Hatha yoga taught with the Iyengar teaching method. This course is an introduction to both Hatha Yoga and Meditation. The course links various asanas (poses) together sequentially to create strength, balance, and flexibility in mind and body. Students will learn basic yoga asana with attention to the breath and form. The kinesthetics of each pose will also be taught, along with how to modify poses correctly for optimum personal performance.

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Mindfulness: This course aims to develop mindfulness by practicing movements and activities that increase body awareness. It will help students gain greater understanding of their body’s location in space, movement patterns, strength, and needs, such as nutrition and sleep. This course explores mindfulness and walking in nature. It will include both trips to various local trails, such as in: Central Park, Inwood Park, and Black Rock Forest. Students will also attend Zoom discussions and complete some asynchronous reflections.
Outdoor Cycling: This course focuses on improving cardiovascular fitness through outdoor cycling. Students will be encouraged to build endurance in order to improve cardiovascular health and physical well-being. Students will review key components of cycling safety, proper set up, basic maintenance, progressive training programs, and cross training exercises to support performance. Warm ups and cool downs will be emphasized in order to create a balanced workout. Access to, and knowledge of how to ride, a bike is required in order to participate in this class. Note that Citibikes and Spin Bikes do not meet this requirement. See syllabus via Courseworks - class meets 5 times in person, including group rides and workshops.
Hiking: Students will explore local hikes, ranging from 3-8 miles with varying elevation change. Trips include hikes to Black Rock Forest, Bear Mountain, Sam's Point, among others. Students must attend an online orientation (on Zoom), along with 3 hikes. Registration for hiking dates with the class is required, and these will occur on Saturdays and Sundays throughout October and November (8am-5pm).
Sailing & Kayaking: This course is run through Hudson River Community Sailing at the Chelsea location. Students must attend 4 of 5 dates, and are responsible for transportation to and from the location. This course teaches entry level skills in kayaking. It takes place in the Uris Pool of the Dodge Fitness Center.
Sports: Classes are also offered to continue developing golfing abilities, skills in soccer (course will meet once weekly in person at the Baker Athletics Complex), swimming skills (for students with minimal or no experience swimming, and for those looking to develop skills and conditioning), and skills in fencing and tennis (students must bring their own rackets).

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Martial Arts: This course teaches the principles and techniques of Karate for self-defense, improvement of overall fitness and to give a greater understanding of the art and themselves.

Additional Course Examples

Hatha Yoga: An introduction to Hatha Yoga focusing on the development of the physical body to increase flexibility and strength.
Pilates Mat & Sculpting: A combination of Pilates-based mat exercises class to strengthen core and sculpting techniques for entire body using various equipment.
T'ai Chi Chuan: This series of classes will provide the practice of T'ai Chi Chuan as a moving meditation and health maintenance exercise. This process involves both physical and nonphysical work and introduces T'ai Chi as an exercise of consciousness. There will also be recommended reading selections in the history and philosophical underpinnings of T'ai Chi. No pre-requisite for this course.
Cardio Studio: A studio-based course designed to improve cardiovascular fitness, endurance, and overall health. Through a variety of high-energy workouts, participants will utilize dumbbells, resistance bands, and bodyweight exercises to enhance their cardiovascular training.
Weight Training: Introduction to principles of weight training, including the use of resistance machines and free weights.
Total Body Fitness: A fitness course to increase total body fitness through cardio and strength training. Course includes proper form and usage on all types of cardio equipment including treadmills, ellipticals, arc trainers, stationary bicycles, and rowers plus a variety of muscular strength exercises.

Registration and Requirements

Students may select physical education courses during online registration. Students may register for only one Physical Education course in a single semester.

Columbia College and SEAS Requirements

Successful completion of two Physical Education courses is a Columbia College requirement that students are advised to complete by the end of the first year. Students may elect to take one or two additional terms of Physical Education Activities for credit. CC and SEAS students have a two-semester Physical Education requirement. CC students must also pass a swim test or take beginner swimming.

Waivers and Accommodations

Students who request to have their Physical Education activities limited or waived because of a medical condition should contact the Director of Undergraduate Studies for Physical Education. In some situations, students may require an evaluation by a clinician at Health Services at Columbia in order to receive a waiver.

Students may also request waivers and accommodations on the grounds of religious observance or gender identity/expression.

A waiver of the swimming test requirement may be granted if a student has a disability certified by a medical authority that precludes swimming.

Intercollegiate Athletics

Students who are participating on an intercollegiate team should register for the appropriate team section of PHED UN1005 INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS. Intercollegiate athletes are responsible for taking the swimming test. Student-athletes who register correctly and participate on a team receive a Pass; those who drop off a team in midterm and still wish to receive academic credit must notify the Physical Education Office and be placed in an activity to complete the attendance requirement. Any student in the College who is pursuing the undergraduate program or a combined program toward a first degree is eligible for intercollegiate athletics. To be eligible for athletic activities, the student must make appropriate progress toward the degree as defined by the NCAA, the Ivy League, and Columbia University.

Barnard College Requirements

One Physical Education course is required for the General Education requirement and must be completed by the end of the First Year. One additional point of elective Physical Education may be counted towards the 122 points required for graduation, if space is available. Dance technique courses also fulfill the Physical Education requirement. Some Dance courses receive a letter grade as opposed to an automatic pass/fail grade. The Physical Education requirement may be fulfilled through satisfactory participation on an intercollegiate athletic team (including the cheerleading and dance teams). Both disabled and non-disabled students at Barnard are expected to complete the one semester physical education requirement by the end of the first year. Prior to Physical Education course registration, students with disabilities are encouraged to discuss their needs with the Director of the Center for Accessibility Resources and Disability Services (CARDS) or Chair of the Physical Education Department. All students with disabilities should self-identify to their Physical Education instructors as soon as possible in the semester and discuss any disability-related needs they may have. Please register with CARDS if you have not previously done so.

Grading

The grading in all physical education courses is Pass/Fail. Grades for Physical Education courses are based on attendance and participation. Students who fulfill the attendance and participation requirement receive a Pass. Those who miss more than the permissible number of classes and who do not drop the course by the official drop deadline receive a W (Withdrawal), UW (Unofficial Withdrawal), or F (Fail).

Credit Limitations

Students may elect to take additional semesters of Physical Education for academic credit after the minimum requirement has been fulfilled, up to a maximum of 4 points of credit for Physical Education courses that can count towards the B.A. No more than four points of Physical Education courses may be counted towards a degree. Two points of the Physical Education requirement may be a Barnard Dance Course.

Movement Sciences Program

Part of the Movement Sciences program, the degree is designed for individuals who wish to pursue careers in educational settings, including school PE, fitness gyms, physical activity and health community-based organizations, non-profit agencies for physical activity promotion & health disparities, and sports and recreational settings. Our work examines how sociocultural, political, and economic forces have an impact on the body, school PE, physical activity, fitness, and health. The concentration in Physical Culture focuses on research that employs qualitative methodologies that position children and young people as active agents, enabling them to voice, express, and represent their experiences in meaningful, creative, and contextualized ways. We adopt research methodologies that have the potential to make inequalities and inequities visible in order to create social change. In our visual research, we use community-based arts centers, schools, and art galleries as sites of public and critical pedagogy for social change, showcasing participants’ own visual representations of the significance of physical activity in their lives.

For the M.A. and Ed.M. programs with specialization in Movement Science and Education, students have two options. Students should take 2-3 credits outside the Movement Sciences area (along with required courses BBS 5060 and BBS 5068) to meet the Teachers College breath requirement. Please see the academic schedule and academic catalog for a full list of available courses. Popular breadth elective courses for students in Movement Sciences have included courses in Health and Behavioral Studies (HBSE), Human Development (HUDM), Neuroscience and Education (BBSN), Dance (A&HG), and Measurement and Statistics (HUDM). Please note that courses taken at Columbia Schools outside of Teachers College cannot count toward the breadth elective requirement. It is recommended that you discuss your electives with your advisor or program faculty for assistance in selecting courses that may contribute toward your educational and career goals.

Extracurricular Fitness and Intercollegiate Athletics

Recreational use of the LeFrak Center for Well-being Fitness Center and Fitbear group fitness program is encouraged. The Barnard/Columbia Athletic Consortium provides the opportunity for eligible undergraduate women to compete together as members of University-wide athletic teams. Sixteen varsity sports are currently sponsored: archery, basketball, crew, cross country, fencing, field hockey, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, squash, swimming & diving, tennis, indoor and outdoor track & field, and volleyball. Governed by NCAA and Ivy League rules, all teams are Division I. Competition is scheduled with teams from the Ivy League, the metropolitan area, and the eastern region. In addition, students are eligible to qualify for regional and national championships.

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