Other Credit Options (2-4 units)
- Independent Study Programs
- Recreation and Club Activities
- Credit for Classes at Other Colleges
- Credit for PE Classes at MIT
- Incoming Transfer Students
Independent Study Programs (2-4 units)
The Physical Education department strongly encourages students to meet the graduation requirement through regular physical education classes, but recognizes the need for an independent study option for students with extenuating circumstances. Specifically, the independent option is for:
- Students whose level of expertise in an activity is beyond the scope of regular course offerings and who will be training under the guidance of a highly skilled coach/instructor
- Students with medical conditions that require modified physical activity. Students with medical restrictions will develop their programs with our Head Athletic Trainer Shannah Dalton in partnership with Health Services and Accessibility and Disability Resources. Students applying for medical independent study must include medical documentation noting that they are unable to participate in physical activity due to medical restriction/s. This documentation can be from your physician overseeing your care or can be from Health Services.
Students can complete the following hours to receive credit and must show details of how these hours will be spent in the program:
-
2 Credits = 12 hours
-
4 credits = 24 hours
Students may only complete ONE Independent Study towards their PE requirement.
Application
A student must submit a proposal using the Independent Study Proposal Form to Keri O'Meara, Associate Professor of Physical Education, prior to starting their independent program. Deadline for Spring 2024 independent study proposals is January 26, 2024. NO Applications after this date will be accepted for the fall semester.
All independent study proposals must include:
-
A strong instructional component with clearly outlined learning objectives and goals.
-
Regular supervision/oversight of a recognized (or certified) trainer/coach/instructor is mandatory for the approval process.
-
Contact information trainer/coach/instructor for the committee to verify
To help the PE department make informed decisions about independent study proposals, students must include as much detail as possible: activity, location, dates, times, instructor(s) qualifications, etc. Learning/performance objectives are particularly important, so students must emphasize the educational components of their programs.
It is recommended to sign up for a PE class in our current curriculum while the application is under review
Once Approved
If a student's program gains approval, the student will be responsible for bi-weekly check-ins with the independent study coordinator. It is the students responsibility to have the coach/instructor follow up with a progress report on a bi-weekly basis to the PE Committee. If these check-ins are missed, this will result in no credit earned.
Once Concluded
At the conclusion of the program there will be a required reflection paper and email from the coach/instructor with final attendance and completion validation.
Independent Student Proposal Form
Recreation and Club Activities
Students may earn PE credit for participating in college-sponsored club teams. These teams are supervised by coaches and the Director of Recreation.
-
Starting in 2022-2023 academic year, Club Sports are eligible for a max of 8 credits (2 full years of participation)
-
Club sport coaches are responsible for confirmation of the students full participation of the Season and reporting directly to the Director of Recreation.
Credit for Classes at Other Colleges
Students may earn credit for physical education classes taken at other colleges by asking the host institution’s Physical Education Department to send an email to the Wellesley Physical Education Registrar confirming the students’ satisfactory completion of the class. This policy applies to M.I.T., all schools in the 12-College Exchange and any certified institution of higher learning, provided the courses are part of the host institution’s Physical Education Department’s curriculum and taught by faculty members of that department. Club teams and programs at other instiutions will not be accepted as credit.
Credit for PE Classes at MIT
Students may earn credit for physical education classes taken at MIT. For more information on the MIT Physical Education cirriculum visit the MIT Physical Education website.
Already Cross-registered at MIT?
You are eligible to register online for MIT Physical Education courses during the same registration window as MIT students. Confirm with the MIT registrar (physicaleducationandwellness@mit.edu) for eligibility. Please view the MIT PE Online Registration calendar for cross-registered students for more information.
Wellesley students who are not cross-registered at MIT
Please follow the registration instructions for Wellesley Students. After the close of online registration, MIT Physical Education will post a list of courses with open spots for Wellesley students to consider.
Receiving PE credits at Wellesley
Students should email physicaleducationandwellness@mit.edu to request that confirmation be sent to the Wellesley Physical Education registrar. Include your name and the course you took at MIT (title, course number, section, and day/time of the course).
Incoming Transfer Students
Transfer students are admitted as if they have completed some PE credits in physical education prior to admission at Wellesley. The number of physical education points awarded to a student depends on the number of academic credits they bring from their previous institution. In general, students admitted as first-semester sophomores (with 8 academic units) receive 4 credits, which means they have fulfilled half the PE graduation requirement and need to earn four more. Students admitted as first-semester juniors (with 16 academic credits) receive 8 credits, which fulfills the requirement. Transfer students may petition the Department for additional credit.