Secondary Teacher Education Major (Grades 9-12)
Program Requirements
- Total units required: 37-40
- Students must achieve a grade of B or higher in required fieldwork and education course work.
Required Courses
This major prepares students to teach in senior high school grades 9 through 12. Students are required to complete a major in a content area and to maintain a 3.0 GPA in that major. In addition, students are required to complete the following education courses:
- 3 credits of educational foundations:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Educ 301C | The American School | 3 |
| or Educ 453B | Sociology of Education | |
| or Educ 459F | Philosophies of Education | |
| or Educ 481W | History of Education in the United States | |
- All of the following courses prior to the professional year:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Educ 313B | Education, Childhood, Adolescence, and Society | 3 |
| Educ 4052 | Educational Psychology: A Focus on Teaching and Learning | 3 |
| Educ 4053 | Early Field Experience | 1 |
| Educ 408 | Education and Psychology of Exceptional Children | 3 |
| Educ 4843 | Field Experience Seminar | 3 |
| Educ 5253 | Instructional Interventions in Reading for Adolescents and English Language Learners | 3 |
- In addition, secondary teacher certification students must enroll in Educ 4000 as well as the course(s) associated with their chosen content area in the fall of their senior year as indicated below:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| For ALL content areas | ||
| Educ 4000 | Curriculum and Instruction for Secondary Teachers (Grades 9-12, all content areas) | 2 |
| For English content area, grades 9-12 | ||
| Educ 400E | Curriculum and Instruction in Secondary English (Grades 9-12, content area: English) | 2 |
| Educ 4451 | Teaching Writing in School Contexts (Grades 9-12, content area: English) | 3 |
| For Science content area, grades 9-12 | ||
| Educ 400S | Curriculum and Instruction in Secondary Science (Grades 9-12, content areas: Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, and Physics) | 2 |
| For Mathematics content area, grades 9-12 | ||
| Educ 400M | Curriculum and Instruction in Secondary Mathematics (Grades 9-12, content area: Mathematics) | 2 |
| For Social Science content area, grades 9-12 | ||
| Educ 40SS | Curriculum and Instruction in Secondary Social Science (Grades 9-12, content area: Social Science) | 2 |
- Along with the Curriculum and Instruction courses, students must also enroll in Educ 5681 Reading in the Content Areas in the fall of their senior year.
- Students must enroll in the secondary school teaching block in the spring of their senior year:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Educ 4821 | The Teaching-Learning Process in the Secondary School | 3 |
| Educ 492 | Student Teaching in the Secondary School | 8 |
Additional Requirements for Teacher Education Majors
- Students interested in a major in Elementary, Middle School, or Secondary Teacher Education should seek admission to the teacher preparation program early in their sophomore year by contacting the Director of Teacher Education. To be eligible for admission students must:
- Achieve a passing score on an entrance exam mandated by the State of Missouri OR prove adequate content knowledge through ACT or SAT scores
- Hold a minimum grade point average of 3.0 in the content area
- Upon completion of the program, a satisfactory records check, and the recommendation of the Washington University Department of Education, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education will issue a teaching certificate if the student has met the following criteria:
- Achieved a passing score on the required Missouri certification exam(s)
- Maintained a minimum content area GPA of 3.0
- Earned a grade of B or higher in required fieldwork or Education course work
Additional Information
Honors Program
Honors in the Department of Education involves both the demonstration of acquired knowledge and a report on an original research project. Students in either major in the department — Educational Studies or Teacher Education — may pursue honors. The appropriateness of honors work in education for a given student is determined by reference to both GPA and faculty recommendation. Students may be eligible for either the College of Arts & Sciences' Latin Honors Program or departmental honors from the Department of Education. Students interested in Latin Honors work should speak with either the Director of Educational Studies or Director of Teacher Education about eligibility and requirements as early as sophomore year or, ideally, during the junior year.
Transfer Credit
- All courses for the major in Educational Studies or the majors in Teacher Education should be taken after the student has declared the major as a student at Washington University. Exceptions, up to 6 transfer credits, may be granted on an individual basis.
Study Abroad
Educational Studies Majors and Minors
- Courses taken abroad for the Educational Studies major or minor must be equivalent to 300-level or 400-level courses at Washington University.
- Students may transfer up to 6 credits earned abroad with the approval of the Department of Education Study Abroad Advisor.
- Courses taken abroad do not necessarily serve as substitutes for specific Educational Studies courses. Rather, courses are reviewed holistically to determine if they address the Individual Processes of Education and/or Social Context of Education (two areas of study for the Educational Studies major and minor). Any study abroad course determined to address the Individual Processes of Education and/or Social Context of Education can also count for an elective.
- Study Abroad courses cannot count for a discipline-based requirement.
Teacher Education Majors
- Teacher Education students have found studying abroad to be very helpful to their educational experiences and may do so during their sophomore or junior year. To ensure that students are in residence at Washington University during their professional year (senior fall and spring for secondary candidates and junior spring and senior fall for elementary candidates) when they must take coursework required by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, it is very important to plan the study abroad semester in consultation with the Director of Teacher Education. As a result, many Teacher Education students consider taking courses for their other major or minor during study abroad so that certification coursework is completed while on campus.
- Teacher Education students who are interested in studying abroad may transfer up to 6 credits of education foundations coursework from one of the preapproved sites listed below.
Preapproved Study Abroad Sites
There are six preapproved sites for semester-long study abroad in Educational Studies and Teacher Education:
- Danish Institute for Study Abroad (DIS) Copenhagen — Child Development and Diversity Program in Copenhagen, Denmark
- IES Abroad Amsterdam Semester Program in Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Trinity College Dublin with IES Abroad in Dublin, Ireland
- University of Auckland with IES Abroad in Auckland, New Zealand
- WU in Chile at Pontifcia Universidad Catolica de Chile (PUC) (Note: This program has a Spanish language prerequisite.)
- University of Sydney in Sydney, Australia
There are also two pre-approved sites for summer study abroad in Educational Studies and Teacher Education:
- Summer in Scandinavia Danish Institute for Study Abroad (DIS) Program in Copenhagen, Denmark, or Stockholm, Sweden
- The School for International Training (SIT) Study Abroad Africa: Education and Social Change in Durban, South Africa
Title II
Section 207 of Title II of the Higher Education Act mandates that Washington University's Teacher Education programs (or the Department of Education) make public specific Teacher Education performance data on the Department of Education website.
Contact Info
| Contact: | Alyssa McDonald |
| Phone: | 314-935-6791 |
| Email: | alyssa.mcdonald@wustl.edu |
| Website: | http://education.wustl.edu |