The status of physical education in Colorado’s colleges and universities

Physical education once was a cornerstone to higher education, with some 97 percent of institutions requiring it in their respective curricula. Over the twentieth century, that percentage held steady with some 84-87 percent of institutions requiring physical education well into the late 1960s. During the next four decades, the number of institutions requiring physical education dropped steadily, to where some 39.5 percent of institutions of higher education were requiring it. However, the data from those studies came from surveys and thus had limitations. The purpose of this study was to determine the status of physical education in Colorado’s colleges and universities by examining the specific requirements of each institution to get as detailed and as accurate results as possible. The results indicated that only 22 percent of four-year institutions and 7 percent of two-year schools, 15.6 percent overall, require physical education in their curricula for graduation. On a positive note, however, some 85 percent of Colorado’s colleges and universities offer some type of physical education course for credit. We are hopeful that this study can serve as a model for the Western Society of Kinesiology and Wellness’s membership to gather similar data for all states within its region. Ultimately, perhaps national data such as this can be collected and published.