• General Program Information
• Secondary English
• Secondary Mathematics
• Secondary Social Studies
• Minor
• Field Experience

Undergraduate Secondary Education Programs

The undergraduate programs in Secondary Education prepare students as middle school and high school teachers in English, Mathematics, or Social Studies. Students who complete this program are ready to begin their teaching career in D.C. or to apply for a teaching license in a state of their choice, based on the Interstate Agreement between the District and most of the other continental States and Territories. 

Conceived as a joint major, the program enable students to build a solid foundation in the discipline of their choice while introducing them to the multifaceted nature of education.  It also strives to develop students’ capacity for critical reflection on the purposes and practices of education by exposing them to the different theoretical perspectives that have historically guided educational choices and by introducing them to the psychological and pedagogical research literature and teaching methodologies, both general and specific to the content-area of their interest. 

Knowledge in the specific content area is developed through classes offered by the respective disciplinary departments (i.e., English, History, and Mathematics) and courses comprised in the Liberal Arts Curriculum.  The work in the classes is integrated with a sequence of field experiences in a variety of settings (e.g., middle and high school; Catholic, public, charter, and private schools) that culminates in a full-semester student teaching experience.  In this way, students are able to cultivate their capacity for well-grounded, critical reflection on the field experiences, and to build their professional qualities and skills in a supportive environment. 

For additional information on Secondary Education Programs, please contact:

Dr. Cynthia Sanders, Coordinator of Secondary Education programs: sanderscy@cua.edu 

Education Course Requirements for Secondary English Education

In addition to courses required for the major in English and those needed to satisfy licensure requirements, Secondary English Education students take five core Education courses, three Practicum Seminar courses, and a semester of supervised Student Teaching.

The suggested program of study includes:

5-year (4+1) BA/MA in English / MA in Secondary Education

This 4+1 program prepares students as middle-school and high-school English teachers while offering the opportunity for students to earn an MA in Secondary English Education in just five years. It builds on the excellent preparation in content and thinking offered by the English sequence of courses, and introduces students to the pedagogical foundations and the fieldwork needed to teach English in the secondary schools, effectively. 

The program of study includes the following:

Education Course Requirements for Secondary Mathematics Education

In addition to courses required for the major in Mathematics and those needed to satisfy licensure requirements, Secondary Mathematics Education students take five core Education courses, three Practicum seminars, and a semester of supervised Student Teaching.

The suggested program of study includes: 

Course Number	Title	Recommended Semester
Sophomore
EDUC 251	Foundations of Education	Any
EDUC 271	Psychology of Education	Any
Junior
EDUC 386/ EDUC 387 Practicum Seminar	Curriculum and Methods in Adolescent Education	First
EDUC 382/ EDUC 383 Practicum Seminar	Reading in the Content Areas: Learning to Learn from Texts
Senior
EDUC 479/ EDUC Practicum Seminar	Teaching Mathematics in Secondary Schools	First
EDUC 461/462/463	Student Teaching and Seminar: Secondary Education	Second

5-year (4+1) BS in Mathematics / MA in Secondary Education

This 4+1 program prepares students as middle-school and high-school Math teachers while offering the opportunity for students to earn an MA in Secondary Math Education in just five years. It builds on the excellent preparation in content and thinking offered by the Mathematics sequence of courses, and introduces students to the pedagogical foundations and the fieldwork needed to teach Mathematics in the secondary schools, effectively. 

The suggested program of study includes the following:

Course Number	Title	Recommended Semester
Sophomore-Junior
EDUC 261	Human Growth and Development	Any
EDUC 271	Psychology of Education	Any
Senior
EDUC 586/ EDUC 689C Practicum Seminar	Curriculum and Methods in Adolescent Education	First
MATH 5xx	Graduate course in Mathematics 5xx (or higher)	First
EDUC 582/ EDUC 689C Practicum Seminar	Reading in the Content Areas: Learning to Learn from Text	Second
MATH 5xx	Graduate course in Mathematics 5xx (or higher)	Second
5th Year
EDUC 525	Psychology of Learning for Diverse Population	Summer
EDUC 699	Introduction to Educational Research	Summer
EDUC 765	Principles of Curriculum	Fall
EDUC 579/ EDUC Practicum Seminar	Teaching Math in Secondary Schools	Fall
EDUC 581	Educating Diverse Learners	Fall
EDUC 702	Advanced Foundations of Education	Spring
EDUC 500/561/562/563	Student Teaching, Seminar, and Capstone Experience	Spring

Education Course Requirements for Secondary Social Studies Education

In addition to courses required for the major in History and those needed to satisfy licensure requirements, Secondary Social Studies Education students take five core Education courses. three Practicum Seminars, and a semester of supervised Student Teaching.

The suggested course of study includes: 

Course Number	Title	Recommended Semester
Sophomore
EDUC 251	Foundations of Education	Any
EDUC 271	Psychology of Education	Any
Junior
EDUC 386/ EDUC 387 Practicum Seminar	Curriculum and Methods in Adolescent Education	First
EDUC 382/ EDUC 383 Practicum Seminar	Reading in the Content Area: Learning to Learn from Text	Second
Senior
EDUC 485/ EDUC Practicum Seminar	Teaching Social Studies in Secondary Schools	First
EDUC 461/462/463	Student Teaching and Seminar: Secondary Education	Second

5-year (4+1) BA in History / MA in Secondary Education

This 4+1 program prepares students as middle-school and high-school Social Studies teachers while earning an MA in Secondary Social Studies Education in just five years. It builds on the excellent preparation in content and thinking offered by the History sequence of courses and by other courses offered by the Social Sciences, and introduces students to the pedagogical foundations and the fieldwork needed to teach Social Studies in the secondary schools, effectively. 

The suggested program of study includes the following:

Course Number	Title	Recommended Semester
Sophomore-Junior
EDUC 261	Human Growth and Development	Any
EDUC 271	Psychology of Education	Any
Senior
EDUC 586/ EDUC 689C Practicum Seminar	Curriculum and Methods in Adolescent Education	First
HIST 5xx	Graduate course in History 5xx (or higher)	First
EDUC 582/ EDUC 689C Practicum Seminar	Reading in the Content Areas: Learning to Learn from Text	Second
EDUC 702	Advanced Foundations of Education	Second
5th Year
EDUC 525	Psychology of Learning for Diverse Population	Summer
EDUC 699	Introduction to Educational Research	Summer
EDUC 765	Principles of Curriculum	Fall
EDUC 585/ EDUC Practicum Seminar	Teaching Social Studies in Secondary Schools	Fall
EDUC 581	Educating Diverse Learners	Fall
ENGL 5xx	Graduate course in History or other Social Science 5xx (or higher)	Fall
EDUC 500/561/562/563	Student Teaching, Seminar, and Capstone Experience	Spring

Minor

Candidates can obtain the form to declare their minor from the Dean's office (107 McMahon). Once the form is completed, candidates must meet with their minor and major advisor to plan their program of studies for a timely graduation.

Secondary Education Majors - can minor in many disciplines, such as religion, philosophy, language, music, art, biology, chemistry, drama, history and others. See the undergraduate list of minors for a complete list of minors and their requirements.

Arts & Sciences Majors - can minor in Secondary Education. In order to get a minor in Secondary Education, students need to take the following courses and seminars:

EDUC 251	Foundations of Education
EDUC 271	Psychology of Education
EDUC 382/383 Practicum Seminar	Reading in the Content Areas: Learning to Learn from Text
EDUC 386/ 387 Practicum Seminar	Curriculum and Methods in Adolescent Education
choose one of the following 2 courses:
EDUC 261	Human Growth and Development
EDUC 381	Educating Diverse Learners
EDUC (elective)	Choose one Education elective

 Policies on Arts and Sciences minors can be found here.

Field Experiences: Undergraduate Secondary Education

The work in the Education classes is integrated with a sequence of field experiences in a variety of settings (e.g., middle and high school; Catholic, public, charter, and private schools) that culminates in a full-semester student teaching experience.  In this way, students are able to cultivate their capacity for well-grounded, critical reflection on the field experiences, and to build their professional qualities and skills in a supportive environment. 

Specifically, undergraduate students in Secondary Education will have three observational field experiences. Students are placed in a classroom during the semester to observe a secondary classroom. Called the Practicum Seminar, these field experiences allow students to explore in greater depth the theories and pedagogical concepts discussed in the related core Educational courses. 

• Students spend 20 hours in the fall of their junior year observing in a secondary classroom and assisting the classroom teacher in conjunction with EDUC 386, Curriculum and Methods in Adolescent Education.

• Students spend 20 hours in the spring of their junior year observing in a secondary classroom and assisting the classroom teacher in conjunction with EDUC 382, Reading in the Content Area: Learning to Learn from Texts. 

• Students spend 30 hours in the Fall semester of their senior year observing in a secondary classroom and assisting the classroom teacher with specific instructional tasks in conjunction with the Methods course in their respective program areas: EDUC 479 Mathematics, EDUC 480 English, EDUC 485 Social Studies.

Student Teaching:

In addition to the Practicum Seminars, teacher education majors seeking licensure in their concentration area are immersed a school setting for their final semester. Students spend the entire school day in the Spring semester of their senior year in a secondary classroom as part of a full semester of supervised student teaching. Students assist the classroom teacher with specific instructional tasks and teach a full schedule of classes as the principal teacher for at least four weeks during the semester.

During this semester, students also attend once a week a seminar associated with student teaching, produce their Action Research Paper, and complete their Electronic Portfolio. The Action Research Project that students develop and implement during their student-teaching semester captures the integrated nature of the program. Based on the analysis and assessment of their specific students’ needs and supported by an accompanying seminar, students use educational research to develop and implement educational experiences addressing these needs, evaluate the impact on their students’ learning, and reflect on it. Students also create an Electronic Portfolio to present their work to a panel of faculty members.