Teacher Education (B.A)

Print Degree Planner (opens a new window) |

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:

(Autism Spectrum Disorders, Cognitive Impairment, or Learning Disabilities)
K-12 World Languages ( or )
K-8 Content Specialty Areas (, , , or ) *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: / , required
Category 2: One of: , , , ,
Category 3: or are recommended
Category 4: minimum of two departments; must include at least one laboratory course
Category 5: , required
Category 6:
Category 7: One of: ,
Category 8: One of: , ,
Category 9: any course; 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).

COMM 389 - Family Communication 3 cr
COMM 435 - Communication in the Classroom 3 cr
ENGL 370 - Language in Education 3 cr
PSYC 210 - Applications in Human Development 4 cr
cr
cr
cr

Social Studies Electives for Pre-Education

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

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.