College of Education > Academics > Teacher Education, Kinesiology and Educational Studies > Graduate Programs > Physical Education (MEd) > Degree Requirements

Degree Requirements

The curriculum will consist of 4 existing College of Education courses and 13 new COE courses. All courses are or will be taught by COE faculty or contingent faculty. Courses will be offered online, hybrid, and/or face to face contingent on content.

Degree Requirements

The requirements below are those approved by the Illinois State Board of Education December 2015.

Content Area Prerequisites

Physical education teachers need to have an understanding of the foundations of kinesiology prior to taking applied physical education courses. Following the requirements set forth by the Illinois State Board of Education, DePaul’s program requires that students in the physical education program have courses in each of the following areas:

  • anatomy
  • physiology
  • biomechanics/kinesiology
  • physiology of exercise

These courses may be taken at the undergraduate level and may have been included in the student’s bachelor’s degree program. Physical education students' transcripts will be evaluated by an academic advisor to determine if additional coursework is needed. Completion of content area requirements is not a prerequisite for admission; however, coursework must be completed before student teaching. It is strongly encouraged that applicants meet with an advisor after admission and prior to taking content courses.

Course Requirements

Introductory Courses: 12 quarter hours required, grade of C or better required.

Course Title Quarter Hours
SCG 403HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AND LEARNING: ELEMENTARY4
SCG 408EDUCATION AND SOCIETY4
BBE 400TEACHING ELEMENTARY ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS: THEORY, POLICY AND PRACTICE4

 Advanced Courses: 32 quarter hours required, grade of C or better required.

Course Title Quarter Hours
KNES 541INTRODUCTION TO PHYSICAL EDUCATION4
KNES 566EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY AND MEASUREMENT OF LEARNING IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION4
KNES 525LANGUAGE AND LITERACY IN THE PHYSICAL EDUCATION4
or T&L 412 EMERGING READING AND LANGUAGE ARTS
KNES 517CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT AND INSTRUCTION FOR ELEMENTARY PHYSICAL EDUCATION4
KNES 572CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION FOR SECONDARY PHYSICAL EDUCATION4
KNES 511MOTOR DEVELOPMENT THROUGH THE LIFESPAN4
KNES 574ADAPTIVE PHYSICAL EDUCATION4
KNES 406HEALTH, FITNESS, AND NUTRITION4

 Activity Courses 4 quarter hours

Course Title Quarter Hours
KNES 421SWIMMING2
KNES 413FOLK & SOCIAL DANCE2

Student Teaching: 8 quarter hours required

Registration in student teaching requires completion of all requirements and procedures listed in the college core section. EDU 95 indicates to the Illinois State Board of Education that all field experience hours are complete.

Course Title Quarter Hours
KNES 577ELEMENTARY & SECONDARY STUDENT TEACHING (grade of B- or better required)6
KNES 587STUDENT TEACHING SEMINAR (grade of C or better required)2
EDU 95CLINICAL EXPERIENCE WITH CHILDREN AND YOUTH (non-tuition, PA grade required)0

Licensure Tests

All individuals licensed by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) are required to complete licensure tests specific to their teaching license. Physical Education majors must complete the following tests:

  • Physical Education Content Test (test #213) – consists of 4 subareas; 1) motor skills and movement activities, 2) health-related fitness, 3) student growth, development and learning, and 4) the physical education program. This test must be passed prior to student teaching.
  • EdTPA - assessment conducted during the student teaching experience including video clips of instruction, lesson plans, student work samples, analysis of student learning and reflective commentaries. Students will submit an electronic portfolio to an outside agency for independent evaluation and a fee will be imposed by that agency as part of the assessment.

Field Experiences​

Each student seeking licensure from the College of Education/Professional Education Unit must complete supervised field experiences in appropriate settings in conjunction with education courses. The field experiences must include a variety of grade levels, multicultural experiences, and a minimum of 15 hours in special education settings. All field experiences must be completed prior to final approval for student teaching. Field experience hours should be entered by the student into the FEDS system when completing courses with field experience requirements. For details on requirements, expectations, documentation, & courses in your program that require hours, visit the College of Education website.​

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