Requirements for the Major in Education
Requirements in brief
All students in the teacher education program fulfill four sets of requirements to graduate with a recommendation for licensure:
- Completion of the 91社区 FFC. (See an advisor in the Department of Education for recommended courses).
- Completion of the course requirements within the Department of Education.
- Completion of a major outside of the Department of Education
- for Secondary and PK-12 education – a major in the content area of licensure
- for Elementary education – any content major at the College
- Additional courses as necessary to meet Content Area Standards in broad fields for licensure.
Required Education Courses
The below Education courses are required for all Education majors.
Note that additional content area courses are required for the content major (and additional content courses for Elementary candidates).
See also:
- The Planning Forms for Coursework & Licensure for specific required content courses and sequencing of courses.
- An advisor in the Department of Education, as formal entrance into the Education program is required for most 300 and 400 level courses.
Elementary Education
Secondary Education
- Secondary Biology Planning Sheet
- Secondary BMB Planning Sheet
- Secondary Chemistry Planning Sheet
- Secondary English Planning Sheet
- Secondary History Planning Sheet
- Secondary Math Planning Sheet
- Secondary Neuroscience Planning Sheet
- Secondary Physics Planning Sheet
PK-12 Education
The following courses are required for majors in secondary/PK-12 education.
- PSYC 110: Introduction to Psychological Science
- PSYC 210: Developmental Psychology
- EDUC 210: Observing the School Process
- EDUC 215: Instructional Communication
- Choose 1 of the following:
- EDUC / PHIL 220: Philosophy of Education
- EDUC / SOAN 244: Anthropology of Education
- EDUC 239 / SOAN 239: History of Education in American Society
- EDUC 313: Reading Methods in the Content Areas
- EDUC 314: Inclusive Learning Environments
- EDUC 315: Middle School Fieldwork and Seminar
- EDUC 419: Adolescent Curriculum and Instructional Design / Senior Seminar
- EDUC 420: Discipline Specific Methods Teaching Adolescents / Senior Seminar (only for those seeking Secondary licensure)
- EDUC 422 Discipline-Specific PK-12 Curriculum and Instructional Design / Senior Seminar (only for those seeking PK-12 licensure)
- EDUC 421: Student Teaching in Adolescent Classrooms
The following courses are required for majors in elementary education:
- PSYC 110: Introduction to Psychological Science
- PSYC 210: Developmental Psychology
- EDUC 210: Observing the School Process
- EDUC 215: Instructional Communication
- Choose 1 of the following:
- EDUC / PHIL 220: Philosophy of Education
- EDUC / SOAN 244: Anthropology of Education
- EDUC 239 / HIST 239: History of Education in American Society
- EDUC 303: Elementary Reading Methods
- EDUC 304: Elementary Fieldwork
- EDUC 312: Arts in the Learning Process
- EDUC 314: Inclusive Learning Environments
- EDUC 416: Elementary Content Area Literacy and Social Studies Methods / Senior Seminar
- EDUC 417: Elementary Math and Science Methods / Senior Seminar
- EDUC 418: Elementary Student Teaching
Additional requirements:
All Education majors are required to meet with an advisor in the Department of Education to:
- determine a specific program (secondary, PK-12, elementary)
- declare the major
- plan a tentative 4-year course of study to meet program requirements
- learn about other program requirements, including developmental portfolio (checkpoint) requirements
- learn about necessary state licensure exams, including and edTPA
Education Policies
- A student must earn a B- or better grade in any Education (EDUC) course for the course to count toward the Education major and licensure.
- A student must earn a C or better grade in all non-Education licensure course requirements, including content major courses and cross-listed EDUC courses, for the course to count toward the licensure program.
- No course that counts towards the Education major and licensure, including content major courses and cross-listed EDUC courses, may be taken with the Pass/Fail grade option. All Pass/Fall grades earned toward the Education major and licensure must be converted to the actual (A-F) grade equivalent and factored into the GPA.
- All other courses are subject to the College’s grade policy.
- See the Education Department Policies and Procedures for additional information.
Teacher education candidates have the same academic rights and responsibilities as all 91社区 students. There are, however, specific situations in the teacher education program when decisions may be cause for student grievances. These situations include the following:
- Admission to or dismissal from the teacher education program, a clinical experience, or student teaching
- Evaluation of the candidate’s performance in courses, clinical experiences, or student teaching
- Recommendation for state licensure or for employment
Students who wish to appeal any of these teacher education matters should first confer with the Chair of the Education Department. Appeals must be made in writing to the Education Advisory Council through the Chair of the Education Department. Students may have personal, academic, or legal support in hearings concerning teacher education matters. If an issue remains unresolved, the student may take his or her grievance to the AAB or the Dean of Faculty, depending on the nature of the grievance, and, finally, to the President of the College.
Developmental Portfolio (Checkpoint Process)
The developmental portfolio comprises four checkpoints, each at different stages throughout your education trajectory, from becoming a teacher candidate (entering into the program) through exiting the program. Each checkpoint involves reflecting on your progress utilizing artifacts from your coursework (i.e., papers, tests, presentations, etc.) and fieldwork experiences (i.e., lesson plans, student work samples). The portfolio will be officially assessed at each checkpoint to determine your progress in meeting the standards and advancing through the program.
The Development Portfolio is available online as well as in Word Document form.