Athletics, Fitness, & Outdoor Programs

Division of Student Life

PE Requirement

In keeping with Juvenal's classic ideal mens sana in corpore sano—a sound mind in a sound body—a PE requirement is integrated into the Reed curriculum even during the time of COVID-19.

Classes that satisfy the PE requirement are offered at a variety of levels depending on enrollment and interest. In addition, Reed has organized club sports teams that qualify for PE credit and will challenge those who want varsity-level coaching and competition in sports such as basketball, rugby, soccer, and Ultimate Frisbee.

Six (6) credits of Physical Education are required for graduation and can be accomplished in six quarters or 1.5 years of your time at Reed. Students participating in club sports need to officially register for the PE Club Sport course each quarter in order to be eligible to receive PE credit for their participation.

In order for students to be officially register for PE, Club Sport courses, students must be pre-registered on SOLAR or have an override request sent to AFOP Admin or AFOP director. This override request must be completed maximally 2 weeks (Friday by 5pm) after the new quarter begins.

Students take note - Attendance policy for PE classes:

Students are allowed to miss maximally the number of classes per quarter as the class meets per week in order to be eligible to receive PE credit for participation. Example - If a class is scheduled 1X/week, students can only miss one class and still be eligible to receive PE credit, if a class is scheduled to meet 2X/week, students can only miss 2 classes throughout the quarter. As attendance is the primary requirement for PE courses, there are no excused absences or make-up sessions.

Students are expected to arrive for class no later than 5 minutes after the scheduled start of the class, and remain actively engaged in the class until the end of the session and are dismissed by the instructor/coach. Otherwise, the class session will be counted as an absence. Please be respectful and adhere to these guidelines; late arrivals and early departures are disruptive to others in the class and the instructor. 

Off Campus PE

Criteria Off Campus PE is an option for people seeking a PE credit through various sanctioned recreational activities. For Off Campus PE individuals typically train or take classes at an off campus studio or gym for a specific activity. The attendance policy is the same as regularly offered Reed PE courses and proof of attendance is required for successful completion. All Off Campus PE credit must be authorized by the Director of Athletics, Fitness and Outdoor Programs prior to the course starting to ensure it meets the requirements for PE credit. Students must officially register for Off Campus PE prior to each quarter that they are engaged in their off campus efforts in order to be eligible to receive PE credit.

Please be aware that you are only eligible to receive PE credit for Off Campus PE if you meet the following criteria:

  • You have already completed at least 4 of your PE credits through prior classes at the Sports Center or transfer PE credits already accepted by the registrar.
  • You have a compelling reason or extenuating circumstance justifying your request to take a physical education class that the Reed PE program cannot provide to you, which would be determined after a conversation/proposal between the student & Director of Athletics, Fitness and Outdoor Programs.
  • The activity must: - take place in a professional facility (fitness center, yoga studio, etc.) - be supervised by a fitness professional - meet no less than 2 hours weekly over a period of 7 consecutive weeks - occur during the academic quarter that you are registered for OCPE

Verification of your attendance and participation of the activity on official letterhead must be submitted to the Director of Athletics, Fitness and Outdoor Programs at the end of the quarter.

Please take note: Students are only allowed to receive a maximum COMBINED of two (2) of the nondirected/guided PE classes. These include Off-Campus PE, Meditation, Swim Fitness, Independent Climb, Community Engagement, and Running Club/Running Outdoors. Once a student earns 2 credits in any of these classes any additional classes in this category will not be counted towards their six (6) total required for graduation. 

After earning two (2) nondirected/guided PE credits students are welcome to continue to take any of these classes as they prefer but will not earn additional credit.--

If you are in need of disability-related accommodations for PE courses or have questions about meeting the PE requirement at Reed as a student with a documented disability,  information about the PE accommodations process can be found here:  
http://www.reed.edu/disability_services/PE_accommodations.html

You can also contact the DAR Disability & Accessibility Resources office to set up an appointment to discuss your needs and learn more about the accommodations process.