Physical education is a degree requirement .
The physical education program concentrates on lifetime sports, so that all students leave Middlebury College with exposure to sports or recreational activities in which they have developed a degree of skill and interest, which will be an asset to them in later years. Each course carries one unit of physical education credit, with the exception of beginning swimming for nonswimmers, which can be taken during the first year for two units of credit. Before graduation , students must complete two different courses to receive the required two credits. In the case of transfer students, students are encouraged to complete the requirement by the end of their second semester at Middlebury. Students who have not completed their requirement by the second semester of their senior year will not be eligible to graduate.