Elementary Major and Certification (K-6)

Major requirements include:

Elementary teacher candidates major in Education Studies: Elementary Education. These candidates will be eligible for K-6 certification. Candidates must successfully pass Praxis Core Academic Skills Test (ETS), Foundations of Reading (Pearson) and Praxis II (elementary) or equivalent exams. Candidates will complete a clinical experience in one of each of the following grade groupings: (K-2), (3-4), and (5-6). It is highly recommended that a variety of sites are used: Catholic, urban, and suburban.

Students considering studying abroad, which is not required for the Elementary Education major, must decide by the end of the spring semester freshmen year. It is critical for planning purposes.

Students will complete core and major requirements. There are five clinical experiences that are embedded in each of the following courses: ED 130 - Principles of Teaching and Learning , SEFE (Sophomore Early Field Experience), 30 hours; ED 322 - Inclusion, Equity, and Diversity in Education , 30 hours; ED 375 - Theory and Methods of Teaching Elementary Reading , 30 hours; ED 430 - Elementary Reading and Mathematics Seminar , Bridge Experience, 20 hours; and ED 432 - Supervised Student Teaching , 15 weeks. Each placement will be in a school with an experienced certified elementary teacher.

The Education Department does not allow service learning hours to count for more than one course at a time. Therefore, Education students are able to take one service learning or clinical course per semester.