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Bachelor of Arts 

The preparation of a competent and caring physical educator is accomplished through a comprehensive curriculum requiring a rigorous, interdisciplinary academic program. The learning environment, inclusive of classroom and field experiences, is structured to develop within the individual measurable behaviors in effective communication, critical thinking, problem solving, creative planning, and leadership skills. Student development is nurtured through close, personal contact with faculty in an authentic learning environment, characterized by opportunities for applied learning and dynamic delivery systems based upon learner needs and characteristics. Students who desire to teach physical education must possess a strong commitment to meeting the learning needs of the “whole child” through physically oriented activities that are appropriate for the age, ability, capability, and interests of their students. The Physical Education Teacher Licensure K–12 program is closely aligned with the School of Education and promotes the philosophy of “Achieving Excellence in Teaching and Learning through Professional Education Communities.” This major encompasses an endorsement in middle school health education. Majors will engage in clinical experiences at the elementary, middle school, and high school levels. 

The physical education major leads to a Professional Educator License (PEL). A Physical Education major must satisfy requirements for both the state and the university in both Physical Education and General Education. It is therefore essential that the entering freshman and transfer students work closely with an academic advisor from the Center for Student Success in order to ensure that all course requirements will be met, and for all candidates to understand that some courses will only be offered in the fall and some courses offered only in the spring semester.

Admission to the School of Education

Admission to Aurora University does not guarantee admission to a major in the School of Education. Only teacher candidates who have been accepted into the School of Education may take methods courses.

Admission Criteria

To be accepted into the School of Education, teacher candidates are required to have completed, a Criminal Background Check (CBC), TB Test, Statement of Understanding for Initial Licensure Requirements; School of Education Application, and have established their ELIS (Educator Licensure Information System for Illinois).  

Please note that a cumulative major GPA of 3.0 and passing the physical education content test are prerequisites to student teaching and are required to be met one semester prior to student teaching (EDU-4750 Student Teaching and EDU-4760 Student Teaching Seminar). 

Program Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Professional Core Courses for Teaching
HLS-2650	Essentials of Anatomy and Physiology	4
PED-1320	Foundations of Dance 1	1
PED-1510	Foundations of Teaching K-12 Physical Education 1	2
PED-2080	First Aid and CPR (or current American Red Cross First Aid/CPR card on file) 1	1
PED-2400	Inclusive Physical Ed Characteristics/ID Disability and the Law 1	4
PED-2510	K-12 Student Learning Through Fitness Activities 1	4
PED-2520	K-12 Student Learning Through Sport Activities 1	4
PED-2600	Motor Development 1	2
PED-3000	An Integrated Approach to Teaching K-5 Physical Education 1	4
PED-3025	Enhancing Cultural Awareness Through Dance 1	2
PED-3050	An Integrated Approach to Teaching 6-12 Physical Education 1	4
PED-3060	Curriculum Development and Administration of K-12 Physical Education 1	2
PED-3150	Assessing Student Learning in Health and Physical Education 1	4
EXS-3215	Kinesiology 1	4
Education Core Courses
EDU-2260	Learning Theories and Applications K-12 1	4
EDU-3510	Cross Cultural Studies for Teaching ELLs 1	4
EDU-3720	Reading Across the Curriculum 1	4
EDU-4750	Student Teaching	13
EDU-4760	Student Teaching Seminar	2
PSY-3350	Child and Adolescent Development	4
SPED-3750	Prosocial Skills and Challenging Behaviors 1	4
Required Minor in School Health Education
HLS-2080	Nutrition and Health Promotion	4
HED-3260	Strategies in Health Promotion 1	4
HED-3300	Planning for Health Education 1	4
HED-4300	Methods in Health Education 1	4
SWK-2050	Drugs and Human Behavior: Substance Abuse Evaluation and Treatment 1	4
Total Credits		97

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A 3.0 major GPA is required one semester prior to student teaching (EDU-4750 Student Teaching and EDU-4760 Student Teaching Seminar.

Illinois State Board of Education Program Changes

The School of Education is continuously redesigning its programs based on current research, ISBE mandates, state law and the university’s conceptual framework. All teacher candidates must be cognizant of the possibility that a redesign may alter requirements listed in the catalog and the program of study could be subjected to new required program changes. 

Undergraduate Degree Requirements

A student who graduates from Aurora University with a baccalaureate degree will have met the following requirements:

1. Completion of all requirements for an approved major (with no grades lower than “C”).
2. Overall completion of at least 120 semester hours of coursework with a GPA of at least 2.0 on a 4.0 scale (a course may be utilized only once in application toward a degree requirement, unless otherwise noted in the academic regulations). The 120 semester hours of coursework must include:
   • At least 52 semester hours completed at a senior college.
   • Residency Requirement - At least 30 semester hours completed at Aurora University, including the last 24 semester hours in the degree, and including at least 18 semester hours in the major. (Portfolio assessment credit, life and vocational experience credit, off-campus experience credit, examination credit, participation credit, and block credit, shall not count toward the residency requirement).
   • Upper-Division Requirement - A minimum of 30 semester hours numbered 3000 or above. Of these 30 semester hours, 15 semester hours must lie within the major and 15 semester hours must be completed at Aurora University.
3. Completion of all General Education requirements (with no grades lower than “C”), as follows:
   • Quantitative and Formal Reasoning competency requirement
   • ENG-1000 Introduction to Academic Writing
   • IDS-1200 Discover What Matters or IDS-3040 Global Justice
   • IDS-1150 First Year Experience - Not required for Transfer or AU Online students)
   • Satisfactory participation in the junior-year mentoring and assessment process designed to guide students to successful completion of their degree and to encourage planning for next steps beyond graduation. (IDS-3500 Junior Mentoring Program I and IDS-3550 Junior Mentoring Program II - Not required for ADC or AU Online students but may be designated electives for AU Online students admitted with fewer than 15 hours of transfer credit.)
   • Distribution Requirements
     Students will complete one approved course¹ from each of the following categories:
     • Artistic Literacy
     • Cultural Literacy
     • Human Inquiry
     • Scientific Inquiry

In addition to the above, ADC and Online students will also complete one approved course¹ from the following category:

• Discovery and Reflection

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Only courses that are approved to meet the distribution requirement can be used toward this requirement. See the list of approved courses  for available options. Courses taken to meet distribution requirements are 4 semester hours apiece, with the following exceptions:

• An approved transfer course of at least 2.50 semester hours can be used to satisfy a distribution requirement.
• Courses with co-requisite laboratory components may be used to satisfy a distribution requirement, provided that the student successfully complete both the three-credit-hour course and the single-credit-hour lab component.

Retention Criteria

Teacher candidates must maintain a major GPA of 3.0 to remain in the physical education major. Teacher candidates must earn a grade of “C” or better in all General Education, School of Education (EDU), and Physical Education (PED) courses.

In order to enroll in student teaching, a teacher candidate must be fully admitted to the School of Education, have a cumulative major GPA of 3.0, pass the Illinois State Board of Education Content Area Tests (PE content test 144 & health content test 211), and have no outstanding Disposition Alerts in order to student teach.

Exit Criteria

Candidates must demonstrate satisfactory progress through completion of all required coursework and credit hours, including student teaching and successful completion of the edTPA, in order to be recommended for teacher licensure.

Learning Outcomes