Physical Education—M.Ed.
The Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Physical Education is a state-approved, 36-hour program that requires 15 hours of core courses plus completion of an Area of Concentration. Two Areas of Concentration are available through the department.
Teaching Certification Concentration
The Master of Education in Physical Education: Certification Concentration provides course work leading to P-12 teaching certification (T-4) in health and physical education as part of the graduate degree program. This Concentration option is aimed at provisionally certified teachers and bachelor degree holders who aspire to teach health and physical education in Georgia schools. Targeting working adults, the classes are concentrated in the summers and on weekends throughout the academic year. Provisionally certified teachers who are employed full-time to teach health and physical education can complete the field experience requirements largely in their own classrooms. The program is delivered 65% online, with an emphasis on content and classroom applications in the face-to-face meetings. Class meetings are held on the Carrollton campus.
The Master's degree with Certification Concentration requires a total of 64 hours of undergraduate and graduate course work and internship. Candidates are recommended for certification upon successfully completing 52 credit hours and the state required 900 hours of field experience, which can be completed in as little as four semesters. The Master's degree is awarded upon completion of an additional 12 hours of graduate course work. Applicants must hold an undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university with a minimum grade point average of 2.7 on a 4.0 scale. A passing score or exemption of the GACE Basic Skills Assessment or Praxis I exam, three letters of recommendation, and a professional essay also are required. Based on the field of the undergraduate degree, some applicants may be required to take additional content courses as prerequisites to the program. Please consult the department web page for additional application requirements.
Effective Teaching Concentration
The Master of Education in Physical Education: Effective Teaching Concentration provides course work that leads certified teachers to improve their practice, expand their content knowledge, focus their assessment practices, and gain skills in advocacy and leadership. Targeting certified health and physical education teachers, the classes are offered throughout the year in a hybrid (partly on-line) delivery format. Class meetings are held on the Carrollton campus.
The Master's degree with Effective Teaching Concentration requires 36 hours of course work. Applicants must hold an undergraduate degree in physical education from an accredited college or university and possess a clear renewable teaching certificate in health and physical education. They also must have a grade point average of at least 2.7 on a 4.0 scale.
Learning Outcomes
Graduates of the Master of Education program in physical education will be able to:
- Teach effectively, and know how to self-monitor their professional growth by analyzing their practice in light of research, setting specific goals for improving their performance, following through to implement those changes, then reflecting on the impact on student learning and skill development;
- Impact their P-12 culture in ways that improve the way health and physical education are taught in those settings through modeling best practices, outreach, sharing methods and research, presenting defensible positions related to teaching health and physical education, and supervising student teachers;
- Demonstrate leadership and professionalism as a health and physical educator, thus improving the responsiveness of the education community toward health and physical education school programs.
