Bachelor of Physical Education programme or B.P.Ed course is a 3-year undergraduate degree designed to educate candidates in the various aspects of physical activities and sports. The programme deals with the study of various development and caring techniques associated with the human body. In addition to theoretical knowledge, the programme heavily relies on practical sessions. Candidates are educated with knowledge of various sports and other physical activities during the entire duration of the course. They are taught all the rules and regulations of various sports, like Volleyball, Kho-Kho, Boxing, and Kabaddi. The course is ideal for students interested in gaining an in-depth knowledge of fitness and physical activities.
B.P.Ed course is administered by the All Indian Council of Physical Education alias AICPE. The course is an interdisciplinary course, which delves into the scientific principles involved in various physical activities and their impact on human fitness. Several colleges and universities offer the course pan India. While most of the institutions offer the course as a 3-year undergraduate programme, some institutions provide it as a 4-year course that includes some kind of internship or training programme. After the successful completion of B.P.Ed course, aspirants can choose either to pursue higher education in the form of M.P.E.D course or to put their skills to work.
Candidates interested in pursuing Bachelors of Physical Education programme are required to have a great zeal for sports and physical activities. Aspirants are also required to be energetic and physically fit for completing the 3-year undergraduate course successfully. Essential skill sets required for pursuing B.P.Ed course are enumerated as follows:
Physically fit and energetic
Interest in sports and physical fitness activities
Good judgement
Sportsman spirit
Ability to form training regimes
Analysing physical activities
Detailed knowledge of food nutrition
Undergraduates with B.P.Ed. course have adequate opportunities to put their sports and physical activities skills to use. Ranging from teaching to providing personal physical training, there are several career paths available for aspirants to choose. Moreover, plenty of opportunities for B. P. Ed. undergraduates are provided by the government sectors and organisations involved with sports and games. Health clubs, health centres and gyms also employ graduates in physical education as trainers and fitness experts. As modern life has put more stress on the need to be involved in routine physical activities, physical education graduates also have the opportunity to provide services as physical educators and trainers.
Some of the top career options for candidates successfully completing B.P.Ed. course are briefed up as follows:
Graduates in Physical Education have the option to work as commentators during sporting and game events. With an increase in the sporting events, demand for capable commentators has also increased. In addition to having the knowledge of sporting events, candidates are required to have good speaking skills so that they can keep the audience entertained while the gaming events roll on. The comfortable job profile bestows the opportunity to visit new places and meet new folks frequently. Candidates looking forward to this job profile need to be witty and full of punches.
Career as a Sports Commentator
Another potential career avenue for candidates completing B.P.Ed course is fitness director. They are generally associated with health clubs and gyms. Fitness directors are in charge of all the administrative duties of an institution they look after. They are responsible for scheduling training sessions and activities. Creating workout programmes and selecting the fitness equipment required by the institution are responsibilities to be handled by fitness directors. They are also responsible for managing the finances of the institution if the situation calls for it.
Candidates successfully completing a B.P.Ed. course can go for the career opportunity of a physical instructor. Physical instructors instruct and motivate individuals or groups for completing exercises, such as cardiovascular exercise and strength training. They need to be able to work with all types of people belonging to different age groups. Physical instructors can either provide their services to health clubs and fitness training centres or put up their own fitness centres. They are responsible for deciding all the activities involved in the classes. Physical instructors also have the opportunity to provide personal physical instructions to those in need.
There are several specialisation areas for physical instructors like yoga, aerobics, strength training, stamina building, martial arts, muscle conditioning, meditation, and so on. Primarily there are three types of physical instructors. Each of them is summarised as follows:
Group Physical Instructor – Ranging from meditation to muscle conditioning, group physical instructors lead group sessions involving several people. Instructors need to select music and choreograph the exercise sequence.
Personal Physical Instructor – Personal physical instructors provide their services to only a single client or a small group of people. They can provide their services at a gym, health club, or even at home. Personal instructors are also responsible for assessing the fitness level of clients regularly and helping them achieve their fitness goals.
Specialised Physical Instructor – Specialised instructors provide services, such as Pilates or Yoga, by demonstrating various postures and positions. They are responsible for helping clients to master the same.
Candidates with Bachelor’s in Physical Education can also decide to continue playing their game, such as Football, Cricket, Volleyball, Kabaddi, and so on. They can compete in several district, regional, state, and national level competitions to keep progressing in their specific game.
Sports Club Managers are responsible for handling all the fundamental organisational chores and client scheduling. Individual athletes, as well as athlete organisations, hire them to ensure all the off-field things go in the right way. The chief responsibility of a sports club manager is to provide a worry-free environment to clients so that they can focus on the performance and not the business and organisation of the related sports. They ensure that their clients are getting all the necessary resources to perform their best in the game.
Sports journalism is another career path that candidates after completing B.P.Ed course successfully can follow. They can provide their services via different media, such as online media and TV. During the voyage, sports journalists can receive offers to work as an announcer, communications representative or even as a media coordinator for athletic associations and sports teams. Sports journalists have to carry out an extensive research on the sports, attend events, and conduct interviews of sporting personnel. They also have to attend editorial meetings for discussing the assignments, publishing schedules, and due dates. Sports journalists related to TV and radio have to perform spot commentary for various gaming or sports events.
Candidates with a successful B.P.Ed course and a knack for photography can opt for sports photography as a career option. They need to have a great eye to capture the perfect shot and crucial moments. Sports photographers can also fine-tune the environment to be able to capture the best shot in the optimum lighting and other photographic details. They need to have detailed knowledge of games or sports they have targeted. The job allows sports photographers to meet team members and organisations to engage in interactive photo shoots. Sports photographers also work in line with sports writers to create engaging photo-effective sports content.
Another lucrative job opportunity for candidates who have completed B.P.Ed course successfully is umpiring or refereeing. They are responsible for overseeing sports events and games to ensure that all the players follow sports ethics and play by the rules. Umpires and referees are present during a game to impose scoring penalties, make players aware of the infractions and finally determine the winner by announcing the results. They are in charge of inspecting game equipment and participants to ensure that everything is perfect in terms of safety regulations. An in-depth knowledge of the game, an umpire or referee is overseeing, is necessary for this job profile.
More about Career as an Umpire
After the successful completion of B.P.Ed course, candidates can also work as coaches, fitness trainers, physical education teachers, physical education instructors, sports administrations, and sports goods manufacturing and marketing executives.
Aspirants interested in pursuing Bachelor of Physical Education are required to have successfully completed 10+2 examinations to enrol for the same. The full eligibility criteria for B.P.Ed course is slated as follows:
The candidate should have completed higher secondary education (Class +2) successfully from any recognised higher secondary education board in any stream.
The candidate’s age must be at least 17 years on July 1 of the year of admission into the course.
B.P.Ed course or Bachelor of Physical Education programme is an ideal course for those fascinated by physical fitness and sports activities. The course educates candidates in various methodologies, rules, regulations and present scenarios associated with the popular sports and gaming events. After the completion of the course, candidates are well equipped with profound knowledge of sports and various physical activities.