To become an elementary school teacher, students are expected to declare the liberal studies for early and elementary education major. The major is the College of Humanities and Sciences’ undergraduate part of the five-and-a-half-year Extended Teacher Preparation Program. The LSEE major requires a minimum of 120 credits within a highly structured, pre-professional program that combines with the Master of Teaching in the Extended Teacher Preparation Program in with the School of Education. Successful completion of the LSEE major results in a Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies degree, which is awarded simultaneously with the M.T.

The LSEE major is separated into two divisions: foundation level and upper level. Students are first admitted to the foundation level after review of their SAT scores and GPA. Entering freshmen and transfer or change-of-major students are required to have a minimum GPA of 2.5 to be admitted. Advancement to upper-level status requires 60 or more credits (including TEDU 101 Introduction to Teaching and the classes listed as completing the College of Humanities and Sciences general education requirements), a minimum GPA of 2.8 and a passing grade on PRAXIS I or its alternatives. After completing at least 75 credits, LSEE students with upper-level status can apply for admittance to the School of Education’s Extended Teacher Preparation Program. With a minimum GPA of 3.0 in their last 60 credits and appropriate GRE or MAT scores, these LSEE students can apply to the graduate part of the program (M.T.) and continue their professional training.

The B.I.S. with the LSEE major is not designed as a terminal degree and by itself will not fully certify one to teach. Students who have reached senior status (85 credit hours or more) in any other major must graduate with that major and return as post-baccalaureate students to the M.T. program.

The LSEE curriculum is carefully articulated to provide interdisciplinary course work and in-school learning experiences that prepare students to teach at the elementary level (P-6). A number of general education courses are either required or recommended as electives to prepare for the core curriculum of advanced courses in this liberal studies major and the Extended Teacher Preparation Program that follows. Students in this major benefit from belonging to a community of learners.

Degree requirements for Interdisciplinary Studies, Bachelor of (B.I.S.) with a liberal studies for early and elementary education major

Learning outcomes

Upon completing this program, students will know and know how to do the following:

Proficiency in quantitative literacy: Students will demonstrate proficiency in understanding and explaining the categories of number and operations; algebra; geometry and measurement; and data analysis and probability.
Proficiency in written and oral communication: Students will effectively communicate ideas in both written and oral formats.
Proficiency in scientific knowledge: Students will integrate mathematics with life and physical sciences.
Proficiency in humanities and social sciences: Students will integrate social sciences and apply content knowledge across humanities disciplines.
Proficiency in experiential learning: Students will synthesize and apply content, theory and pedagogy in experiential learning opportunities, including service-learning, school observations and practicum field placements.
Proficiency in dispositions: Students will exhibit the professional dispositions for educators valued by the School of Education.
Proficiency in reflection: Students will be able to engage in reflective practice and critically evaluate their own performance and writing, as well as those of others.

General Education requirements (32-46 credits)	Credits
University Core Education Curriculum (minimum 21 credits)
UNIV 111 Focused Inquiry I	3
UNIV 112 Focused Inquiry II	3
UNIV 200 Writing and Rhetoric	3
Approved humanities/fine arts	3
Approved natural/physical sciences	3-4
Approved quantitative literacy	3-4
Approved social/behavioral sciences	3-4

Additional College of Humanities and Sciences requirements (11-23 credits)
HUMS 202 Choices in a Consumer Society	1
Approved H&S diverse and global communities	3
Approved H&S general education electives	6-8
Approved H&S human, social and political behavior (fulfills University Core social/behavioral sciences)
Approved H&S literature and civilization (fulfills University Core humanities/fine arts)
Approved H&S science and technology (fulfills University Core natural/physical sciences)
Experiential fine arts (course offered by the School of the Arts)	1-3
Foreign language through the 102 level (by course or placement)	0-8

Major requirements (73-78 credits)

Math and statistics (12 credits)
MATH 303 Investigations in Geometry*	3
MATH 361 Numbers and Operations	3
MATH 362 Algebra and Functions*	3
STAT 312 Data Analysis and Statistics for Elementary Education*	3
Natural sciences (10 credits)
ENVS 301 Introduction to Meteorology, ENVS 310 Introduction to Oceanography, INSC 300 Experiencing Science, INSC 301 Investigatory Mathematics and Science or PHYS/MHIS 307 The Physics of Sound and Music	3
GEOG 203 Physical Geography and GEOZ 203 Physical Geography Laboratory or GEOG 204 Physical Geography and GEOZ 204 Physical Geography Laboratory	4
INSC 310 Content of Elementary Science*	3
Social studies (18 credits)
ECON 203 Introduction to Economics	3
GEOG 102 Introduction to Human Geography	3
HIST 101 Survey of European History	3
POLI 103 U.S. Government**	3
RELS 108 Human Spirituality**, RELS/INTL 311 Religions of the World or RELS/INTL 312 Religions of the World	3
SOCS 302 Diverse Families and Children in the United States or SOCY/ANTH/GSWS 304 The Family	3
Cross-cultural communication (1-6 credits)
ENGL/LING/GSWS 452 Language and Gender, ENGL 454/INTL 454/ANTH 450 Cross-cultural Communication, INTL 101 Human Societies and Globalization, INTL 493 International Studies Internship, MASC/INTL 151 Global Communications, POLI/INTL 105 International Relations**, TEDU/FRLG 575 Intercultural Communication or study abroad (approval required)	1-6
Education (32 credits)
EDUS 301 Human Development and Learning, PSYC 301 Child Psychology or PSYC 304 Life Span Developmental Psychology	3
HPEX 390 Physical Education for the Elementary Teacher*	3
TEDU 101 Introduction to Teaching	3
TEDU 310 Practicum A* – senior capstone (see curriculum outline for corequisites)	2
TEDU 310 Practicum B* (see curriculum outline for corequisites)	2
TEDU 410 Classroom Management in Elementary Schools* (see curriculum outline for corequisites)	3
TEDU 411 Integrating the Arts in Curriculum for Young Children* or ARTE 301 Art for Elementary Teachers*	3
TEDU 414 Curriculum Methods for Early/Elementary Children* (see curriculum outline for corequisites)	4
TEDU 426 Teaching Reading and Other Language Arts* (see curriculum outline for corequisites)	3
TEDU/ENGL 386 Children's Literature*	3
TEDU/ENGL 389 Teaching Writing Skills*	3

Open electives (0-15 credits)
Consult with a program adviser regarding the selection of a possible minor or other coherent series of courses.

Total minimum requirement	120

* LSEE upper-level status required to take this class
** Satisfies a general education credit
*** LSEE upper-level status required and class satisfies general education credit

Click here to download a sample outline.