Teacher Education (B.A)

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SVSU is authorized by the State of Michigan to recommend students for initial certification for Early Childhood (Birth-Kindergarten), Lower Elementary (PreK-3^rd grade), and Upper Elementary (3^rd - 6^th grades). Students seeking teaching certification in one or more of these grade levels have options to fulfill the requirements for a bachelor’s degree in teacher education. All options include the completion of General Education and Pre-Education courses (with a grade of “C” or higher), along with professional studies of either:

Option One: Dual Certification

Two grade level bands from Early Childhood (Birth-Kindergarten), Lower Elementary (Prek-3^rd grade), and Upper Elementary (3^rd - 6^th grades)

Option Two: Certification with Specialty Endorsement

One grade level band from Early Childhood (Birth-Kindergarten), Lower Elementary (Prek-3^rd grade), or Upper Elementary (3^rd - 6^th grades) and one endorsement program from:

K-12 Special Education (Autism Spectrum Disorders, Cognitive Impairment, or Learning Disabilities)
K-12 or Elementary English as a Second Language (ESL)
K-12 World Languages (French or Spanish )
K-8 Content Specialty Areas (English Language Arts , Integrated Science , Mathematics , or Social Studies ) *available to add to the Upper Elementary (3rd-6th grades) certification only

The professional studies courses in the Teacher Education Major include academic knowledge essential for professional competence in teaching and practical experiences in local school classrooms that prepare teacher candidates to work effectively in a variety of educational settings. The Teacher Education Major consists of the following components:

General Education Requirements for Teacher Education majors;
Prerequisites for admission to the Teacher Education program (Teacher Education: Policies And Procedures);
Pre-Education courses that are prerequisites to the first semester of professional studies;
Professional Core courses;
Option One: Dual Certification OR Option Two: Certification with Specialty Endorsement
Internship (Student Teaching)

General Education Requirements for Teacher Education Majors

Note that ENGL 111 is a prerequisite for all courses in Category 1, Category 10 and all Communication Intensive (CI) courses.

Category 1: ENGL 205 /MFL 205 , required
Category 2: One of: ART 100 , ART 130! , MUS 117A , MUS 117B! , THEA 128A
Category 3: MATH 125 or MATH 132A are recommended
Category 4: minimum of two departments; must include at least one laboratory course
Category 5: HIST 100B , required
Category 6: PSYC 100
Category 7: One of: PS 123 , SOC 111
Category 8: One of:GEOG 201 , PS 130! , SOC 280!
Category 9: any course; COMM 105A is recommended
Category 10: any course

Pre-Education Courses

The following coursework (or approved equivalents) must be completed with a grade of “C” or better prior to beginning the Professional Sequence of the Teacher Education program (Option One or Option Two).

Note: TE 280 is only required for students completing a certification band in either Lower Elementary (PK-3) Education or Early Childhood General and Special Education (Birth to Kindergarten).

Pre-Education Electives

Students select 6-7 credits from two departments (one course must be PSYC 310, PSYC 313 or PSYC 210; PSYC 210 is approved only for students selecting Special Education in Option 2).

Social Studies Electives for Pre-Education

Students complete 3-4 credits beyond General Education requirements from:

ECON 125 - Introduction to Economics (GE6) 3 cr
ECON 221 - Principles of Macroeconomics (GE7) 4 cr
GEOG 202! - North Amer Regional Geography (GE6) 3 cr
HIST 241 - History of Michigan 3 cr
PS 130! - World Politics (GE8) 3 cr
SOC 111 - Introduction to Sociology (GE7) 3 cr
SOC 280! - Global Cultures (GE8) 3 cr
or approved 3-4 cr course related to Social Studies for Elementary Education

Admission to the Teacher Education Program

Candidates must successfully complete the following requirements prior to submitting an application for the Teacher Education Program:

Attendance at a Pre-Education Seminar
All University Basic Skills Requirements in mathematics, reading and writing
Minimum 3.00 cumulative grade point average based on the last 45 credits of university-level (credit earning) coursework. Letter grades associated with entry-level coursework will not be considered.
Completion of at least 45 credits in General Education requirements for Teacher Education majors and Pre-Education courses.

Note: All General Education requirements for Teacher Education majors and Pre-Education courses must be completed prior to beginning the Professional Sequence for Teacher Education majors.

Professional Sequence for Teacher Education Majors

Students completing Option One or Option Two of the Teacher Education Major should connect with their advisor to follow the sequence of coursework that is required for their selected program options. The following outlines the required courses for each grade level band in the Teacher Education major:

Early Childhood (B-K, General and Special Education)

*TE 311, TE 319, and TE 365 are shared with the Lower Elementary (pk-3) grade band

**TE 383 is only required for students selecting Option Two of the Teacher Education major with Early Childhood and a K-12 Specialty Endorsement

Lower Elementary (Prek-3)

TE 311, TE 319, and TE 365 are shared with the Early Childhood (Birth-K) grade band.

TE 313 and TE 360 are shared with the Upper Elementary (3-6) band.

Upper Elementary (3-6)

Note: TE 313 and TE 360 are shared with the Lower Elementary (pk-3) band. TE 354 is only for students completing Upper Elementary (3-6) with Endorsement.

Internship (Student Teaching)

Students select the internship course that relates to their program(s) of study/certification.

Clinical Seminar and Capstone Courses

All students complete TE 451 with their Internship semester. Students completing any Internship with B-K must take TE 389. Students completing any Internship with PK-3 or 3-6 must take TE 404.