Secondary Education

About Our Secondary Licensure Programs

Our Program Goal:

To help aspiring secondary teachers develop the professional knowledge, skills and identities they will need to succeed in diverse settings.

Our Program’s Quality Characteristics:

Content Focused… Academic content courses, education courses and field experiences will help you build teaching knowledge and skills within your specialized academic discipline.

Student Centered… You will learn to construct learning experiences for diverse learners, including those with learning characteristics such as cultural and linguistic diversity or special needs.

Research Based… In our courses and field experiences you will study and apply research on best teaching practices and student learning in the academic disciplines.

As a student in our programs, you will learn how to apply what you are learning in your methods courses under the supervision of a veteran 7-12 grade teacher in sustained, intensive classroom-based field experiences. The undergraduate licensure program of studies includes general academic core requirements, three teaching and learning support courses, teaching field-concentration in one of the academic disciplines, and professional licensure courses. The M.A. with Licensure program of studies includes required licensure coursework for the alternative license or the standard license, and the Master’s core curriculum which students may complete after meeting licensure requirements. Professional licensure courses provide a coherent curriculum over two semesters to prepare you for the work of a teacher in 7-12 schools:

• A content specific methods course for the academic area you will teach in a secondary school setting,
• a special ed course designed to support instruction in your content and grade level in the least restrictive environment,
• One reading course,
• One course that will introduce you to issues of teaching diverse learners, adolescent development, classroom management, and understanding the relationship between secondary schools and community.
• Field experiences over the duration of the program that complement your university-based courses.