The Physical Education, Health, and Coaching graduate program prepares you for physical education, health education, and coaching responsibilities in elementary, middle, and secondary schools and colleges, youth agencies, fitness and social service organizations, as well as community associations. Our graduate curriculum includes study in teaching physical education (kindergarten through college level), pedagogy, coaching, health, fitness, sports management, and sport theory. Students who are seeking licensure in health or physical education can meet the necessary requirements in our state-approved program. You do not need an undergraduate degree in health or physical education to enter our licensure track master’s degree programs.

Physical Education Licensure Program
The Physical Education Licensure program is for students who know they want to teach in the public schools. In the 36-credit Master of Education (Ed.M.) program, you will follow a Massachusetts state-approved program for initial licensure to teach physical education at either the elementary or secondary level. If you opt for dual licensure in Physical Education, you would be licensed at the primary and secondary levels (K-12). This option entails just an additional four credits.

Prospective students do not need to have an undergraduate degree in physical education but are required to complete three sciences (anatomy and physiology, kinesiology, and exercise physiology). You will enroll in a program of courses to acquire the background knowledge of content in physical education and teaching. Some of the required classes include educational theory, research design, curriculum design, adapted physical education, motor development, sociology of sport, and analysis of teaching. A pre-practicum experience is required as part of the Foundations of Education class followed by teaching movement to inner city children with the Tuesday-Thursday Physical Education Program at Boston University. Student teaching consists of a full semester of teaching physical education in a public school with a licensed supervising practitioner.

Physical Education Licensure Courses

Physical Education Licensure Additional Information

Physical Education Non-Licensure Program
When you enroll in this 36-credit program, you may already have licensure or may want the flexibility to design a program around your particular interests and educational goals. There are three required classes in this program: sport theory, analysis of teaching and coaching, and a general graduate level research class. You will then plan a program of study that is approved by your advisor with graduate electives from the School of Education and other colleges within the Boston University community. You may also choose to enroll in the licensure classes, which will count toward your degree program if you have opted for the non-licensure track. The health education classes in applied nutrition and program planning, curriculum planning, as well as the coaching education classes are popular choices.

Our students also complete a community service requirement of five hours working with the Tuesday-Thursday Physical Education Program. You may teach inner city children, assist with fitness testing, write a unique thematic lesson plan, create a brochure, plan a workshop for leaders in your area of expertise, or develop an experience to enhance the implementation of the program.

Physical Education Non-Licensure Courses

Physical Education Non-Licensure Additional Information

Practicum
Boston University enjoys long-standing relationships with many inner city and suburban school systems in Greater Boston that offer our students rewarding field experiences under the guidance of expert teachers and faculty. The School of Education reserves the right to determine whether a student is fully prepared to enter any professional field experience, including passing the SED Literacy Test prior to starting the practicum.

Community Service
For the past three decades children from the Boston Public Schools have been brought to the gymnasiums at Boston University for physical education and movement classes. The program, know as the Tuesday-Thursday Physical Education Program, offers a positive teaching and learning environment. All graduate and undergraduate physical education licensure students are required to teach as part of this valuable community service project to service the needs of children who do not have regular physical education classes in their schools. Our students plan, teach, implement and evaluate movement lessons for children grades K-6. A faculty member and doctoral student administer this program and mentor the students who teach the children as part of their practicum requirements. Beginning in the fall of 2006, BU students will be teaching the 4th and 5th graders how to accurately assess their heart rate with the use of heart rate monitors. This research project is one component of a BU funded technology grant titled, “TECH HEARTS in PE: Teaching and Educating Children through Health & How to Exercise And Reach Target Scores in Physical Education.

Admissions
There is a rolling admissions policy and students may complete up to (a maximum of) 8 credits in the program before applying for admission to the degree program. Applicants must submit a GRE or MAT score. For full-time student financial aid information, please contact Joe Stein at jrstein@bu.edu or 617-353-4238.

Course descriptions

Download a description of this program