Secondary Education Program

Critical and analytical thinking, careful and thoughtful communication, and a desire to explore, question, and solve problems are promoted in the secondary education major. These institutional commitments are anchored in a research agenda and further exemplified through best instructional practice, professional service, and local school districts.

Each candidate preparing to seek teacher licensure in grades 6 through 12 will concentrate studies in three areas:

General Education
Courses in the humanities; social and behavioral sciences; mathematics; and biological and physical sciences. A teacher is, first of all, a well-educated citizen. The general education portion of your preparation is directed toward this goal.

Teaching Field(s)
You will receive in-depth preparation by taking extensive course work in the field(s) you are preparing to teach. The College of Education offers a degree in secondary education for all teaching fields except these noted here. A music teaching degree is earned through the College of Arts and Sciences; a family and consumers sciences teaching degree is earned in the College of Human Ecology; and agriculture teachers earn a degree in the College of Agriculture. A list of the courses you should take to be certified in a given teaching field may be secured from the Center for Student and Professional Services.

Professional Education
The professional portion of your program will include courses in teaching as a career, learning and development, educational psychology, methods of teaching, foundations of education, and multicultural and interpersonal relations. You will learn about uses of personal computers in the classroom, how to help students with reading in your content field, and how to adjust teaching methods to the needs of exceptional children.