Application Deadlines
Deadline dates for applications and receipt of all required application materials are one month prior to the start of the semester. If applications are submitted within a month of the start day, the Graduate School will make every effort to process them before the start of the semester. However, there is no guarantee the student will be admitted and able to register for courses.
Application Materials Required for the MSE with a Concentration in (P-12) Physical Education
Applicants for a master’s degree education program must submit all of the following documentation to Graduate Admissions to be considered for admission:
Graduate Admissions
Jacksonville State University
700 Pelham Road North
Jacksonville, Alabama, 36265-1602
- Completed JSU Graduate Application for Admission.
- Non-refundable $35.00 application processing fee.
- Official transcripts from the baccalaureate degree awarding institution and all transcripts from institutions where post-baccalaureate work has been completed. To be considered for admission, applicants must hold a degree from an institutionally accredited institution or its foreign equivalent. (Students who have previously attended JSU do not need to request a transcript from the university.)
- Valid Bachelor’s-level professional educator certificate in Physical Education. All certificate(s) must be valid throughout the program and at graduation.
- Background check1. Any candidate applying for admission to a state approved teacher education program shall be required to be fingerprinted for a criminal history background check through the Alabama State Department of Education to the Alabama Bureau of Investigation (ABI) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Instructions for completing the background process can be found here.
- International student applicants must see the International Student Applicants section of this catalog for other application and enrollment requirements.
| 1 | If the candidate holds a valid Alabama professional educator certificate and has already completed a background check through that process, another background check will not be required. |
Admission Requirements for the MSE with a Concentration in (P-12) Physical Education
Applicants are admitted on a selective basis upon review of the completed application package.
Minimum Requirements for the MSE with a Concentration in (P-12) Physical Education
An overall 3.25 GPA is required on all coursework attempted for the master’s degree. Transfer credit cannot be used to raise the GPA to the required 3.25.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Requirements | ||
| HPE 537 | Diversity Issues and Trends in Wellness and Sport Studies | 3 |
| HPE 540 | Law and Ethics in Wellness and Sports Studies | 3 |
| HPE 553 | Applied Exercise Physiology I | 3 |
| HPE 578 | Research in Wellness and Sports Studies | 3 |
| P-12 Teacher Education Concentration | ||
| HPE 500 | Foundations of Health and Physical Education | 3 |
| HPE 510 | Health and Physical Education Curriculum | 3 |
| HPE 520 | Best Practices in PE | 3 |
| HPE 535 | Skill Analysis | 3 |
| or HPE 583 | Perceptual Motor Development | |
| or HPE 502 | Sociology of Sport | |
| or HPE 554 | Applied Exercise Physiology II | |
| HPE 580 | Adapted Physical Education | 3 |
| HPE 590 | Directed Studies in Wellness and Sports Studies | 3 |
| Special Education Requirement | 0-3 | |
| Survey Course in Special Education 1 | ||
| Total Hours | 30-33 | |
30-33 Graduate Semester Hours Required for this Degree
| 1 | Students who have not previously satisfied the special education requirement at the undergraduate or graduate level must take SPE 500 Survey Course in Special Education (3). Students who previously satisfied the special education requirement at the undergraduate level must take a state-approved diversity course by advisement. However, HPE 537 Diversity Issues and Trends in Wellness and Sport Studies (3) will meet the requirement. |
Graduation
All students must apply for graduation by the given deadline of the semester in which they plan to graduate. Please see the Graduation and Comprehensive Exam section of this catalog for more information.
Completion of this program leads to eligibility for Master’s-level professional educator certification in Physical Education (P-12).
Please Note: Teacher education programs are approved by the Alabama State Board of Education and are, therefore, subject to periodic revision resulting from changes in State certification requirements. Subsequently, modifications in students’ programs may become necessary. Students in all graduate level teacher education programs must schedule their coursework each semester with approval of their faculty advisors.
Alabama Class A Professional Educator Certification Requirements
Issuance of Alabama professional educator certificates is the legal responsibility of the Alabama State Department of Education. Universities cannot issue a professional certificate. To be eligible to apply for certification, a student must complete an appropriate program of study at a college or university which has been approved by the State Board of Education to offer a program leading to the desired certificate. When a student completes the program of study, the institution recommends to the State Department of Education that the appropriate certificate be issued.
- Alabama State Department of Education regulations are subject to change; therefore, it is recommended that students apply for certification upon graduation. During their last semester of coursework, students should contact the Certification Office of the Department of Accreditation, Certification and Partnership Initiatives, CEPS Complex, Pod 4, Room 405, for information about this process. The university cannot recommend any student for certification who has not satisfied all state and university requirements for admission to and completion of an approved program.
- Recommendation for certification must be made within 60 months of program completion. Recommendation after 60 months requires completion of current program requirements.