Undergraduate and Undergraduate-Graduate Programs in Education

The College of Education offers, as electives toward the bachelor’s degree, courses designed to prepare the liberal arts student to meet requirements for licensure as a teacher. Those students who are pursuing licensure at the elementary (preK-6) level enter the Master of Science in Elementary Education Program, which is a five-year undergraduate-graduate program. Students complete education course work and field experiences at the undergraduate level; graduate with their class receiving their bachelor’s degree with a liberal arts or sciences major; and return for one more year during which they complete graduate education course work, an internship, and a research study. Those students who are pursuing licensure for Special Education: General Curriculum enter the Master of Education Five Year Initial Pathway Program, which is a five-year undergraduate/graduate program. Students major in biology, chemistry, physics, earth science, history, English, or mathematics, complete education coursework and field experiences at the undergraduate level; graduate with their class receiving their bachelor’s degree with a liberal arts or sciences major; and return for one more year during which they complete graduate education coursework, an internship, and a research study (33 total graduate hours).

Those students who are pursuing licensure for Special Education: Adapted Curriculum enter the Master of Education Five Year Initial Pathway Program, which is a five-year undergraduate-graduate program.
Students complete education coursework and field experiences at the undergraduate level; graduate with their class receiving their bachelor’s degree with a liberal arts or sciences major; and return for one more year during which they complete graduate education coursework, an internship, and a research study (36 total graduate hours).

The College also offers for students pursuing licensure at the preK-12 level in Visual Arts, Foreign Language (French, German, Latin, Spanish), Music, and Theatre Arts; and the Master of Education Initial Teacher Licensure Five-Year Pathway: Secondary for licensure in grades 6-12 in each of the following areas: Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, English, Earth Science, History and Social Science, Mathematics, and Physics. Add-on endorsements are offered in Journalism, Speech Communication, and Algebra I. These programs are undergraduate-graduate pathways to the Master of Education degree. Students complete education course work and field experiences at the undergraduate level; graduate with their class receiving their bachelor’s degree with a liberal arts or sciences major; and return for one more year during which they complete graduate education course work, an internship, and a research study.

College of Education students have access to all the academic resources outlined in the section of this Catalog beginning on page 35. All University Academic Policies described in the section beginning on page 49 apply to College of Education students. Students must complete general education requirements, a liberal arts or sciences major, and professional studies (education course work) requirements. The professional studies component provides students with background knowledge and experience in curriculum planning and implementation with a focus on teaching the national and state standards from a constructivist-developmental approach.

Throughout the program, students gain experiences and skills in monitoring their own professional growth through research, reflection, and problem solving. Most of the courses require students to complete field experiences in the public schools.

All students who gain admission to the program are eligible to join the Student Education Association. Students with high academic achievement are invited to become members of the Nu Xi Chapter of Kappa Delta Pi, an international honor society in education. An Outstanding Education Student Award is given each year to a student who excels in supervised teaching, academic achievement, and leadership. Students in the Teacher Education Program have the opportunity to apply for a variety of scholarships.

Admission and Requirements

Admission to the Teacher Education Program is by application directly to the College of Education. Admission is competitive and is based on academic achievement in the undergraduate program and on other indications of potential in meeting the program goals. Students interested in seeking credentials to teach should contact the College of Education as early in their college career as possible and must attend a Group Information Session on the Teacher Education Program. Group Information Sessions are offered throughout the academic year. At these Sessions, students are informed of the features and requirements of the program. Students are advised of the required Minimum Performance Standards and are asked to apprise the department of requests for accommodations. UMW students who are interested in the Teacher Education Program should attend one of these Group Information Sessions as soon as possible. Prospective transfer students who are interested in the Teacher Education Program are also encouraged to attend one of these Group Information Sessions.

Admission, continuation, and exit requirements are defined within a four-stage procedure: Provisional Admission, Formal Admission, Final Admission, and Successful Completion of the Program and Recommendation for Licensure. Detailed descriptions of the program requirements are explained on the College of Education web page, www.umw.edu/education, and in the Teacher Education Handbook, which is distributed to students in Education 203 and 204 and can also be found on the web page.

For Provisional Admission and permission to take the first education course, Education 203 or 204, current UMW students must have attained a 2.5 GPA or better on at least 12 UMW credits and have attended an Education Group Information Session on the Fredericksburg campus. Applications are due the first Monday in October for admission to Education 203 or 204 during the subsequent spring semester, and the first Monday in February for admission to EDUC 203 or 204 during the subsequent fall semester. Transfer students who have a 3.25 GPA and have taken an education course at their previous institution may apply to take EDUC 203 or 204 their first semester at UMW. They should submit their application for EDUC 203/204 by May 15 for fall enrollment or December 1 for spring enrollment. Transfer students who do not submit applications by these deadlines or do not meet the above requirements should apply to take these courses once they are enrolled at UMW under the guidelines for current UMW students.

After the students pursuing elementary licensure, secondary or preK-12 successfully complete Education 203, they are assigned to a professional studies cohort that is determined by the year that they will complete the graduate course work. Cohorts meet for advising each semester and students are required to attend.

To continue in the program, students are responsible for following the regulations and application deadlines. Applications for Formal Admission to the Teacher Education Program are due on the last day of classes during the first semester students are enrolled in any education class(es) beyond Education 203 or 204. Students who do not apply or who are not accepted into the program will not be permitted to enroll in any additional education courses. To be formally admitted students must: (a) maintain good academic standing with an overall GPA of 2.5 or better; (b) achieve a GPA of 3.0 or better on the required professional education courses; (c) demonstrate the potential to meet the program goals; (d) demonstrate the ability to meet the Minimum Performance Standards, as specified in the Teacher Education Program Handbook; (e) achieve satisfactory evaluations in all field experiences; (f) submit passing scores for Praxis I (or qualifying equivalent assessments); and (g) attend all mandatory cohort advising meetings. Students not accepted into the Program should note that there is a 12-credit limit on education course work that may be applied toward the degree.

To remain in the Program, students must maintain satisfactory performance in both course work and field experiences. Students who apply for the fifth or graduate year of the M.S. in Elementary Education program or one of the M. Ed. Initial Licensure 5-year Pathway programs must submit their application for Final Admission at the beginning of the spring semester of their final year of undergraduate study. To receive Final Admission to the Program students must do the following: (a) continue to meet the criteria listed for Formal Admission, (b) successfully complete required course work, (c) receive a bachelor’s degree from UMW, (d) and must achieve passing scores on Praxis II, the Virginia Communication and Literacy Assessment, and for those students in the Elementary program only, the Reading for Virginia Educators assessment.

Successful completion of the program and recommendation for licensure to the Virginia Department of Education are contingent upon: (a) a 2.5 minimum overall GPA, and a minimum GPA of 3.0 in the professional studies sequence (undergraduate and graduate); (b) completion of all degree requirements; (c) a grade of “B” or better in the Teaching Internship (elementary only) or a grade of “C” or better in
Student Teaching (secondary and preK-12); (d) achieving passing scores on Praxis I (or SAT substitute for Praxis I), Praxis II, the Virginia Communication and Literacy Assessment, the Child Abuse Recognition and Intervention training, and the Virginia Reading Assessment (elementary only) as required and established by the Virginia State Board of Education.

M.S. in Elementary Education (preK-6) Undergraduate Endorsement Requirements:

Education 203, Math 204, Education 303, 305, 311, 371, 373, 386, 387, 388, and 420. Undergraduate course descriptions are listed below.

M.S. in Elementary Education (preK-6) Graduate Endorsement Requirements:

Education (EDUC) 510 The Inclusive Classroom (4), 514 Models of Instruction (4), 521 Educational Research Methods (2), 530 Masters Research (3), 539 Graduate Internship Seminar (1), 540 Teaching Internship (12) and one of the specialization areas 522 Arts Specialization (4), 523 English Language Learners Specialization (4), 524 Instructional Technology Specialization (4), 525 Literacy Specialization (4), 526 Mathematics Specialization (4), 527 Science Specialization (4), 528 Social Studies Specialization (4), or 529 Special Education Specialization (4). See UMW Graduate Catalog for Course Descriptions.

M. Ed in Special Education, General Curriculum Initial Licensure Five Year Pathway, Undergraduate Endorsement Requirements:

EDUC 203, 371, appropriate discipline-specific course from EDUC 321, 322, 323 or 324, plus 351, 390, and 420.

M. Ed in Special Education, General Curriculum Initial Licensure Five Year Pathway, Graduate Endorsement Requirements:

EDCI 500, 589, EDSE 519, 522, 533, 534, 535, 552, and INDT 531. See UMW Graduate Catalog for Course Descriptions.

M.Ed. in Special Education, Adapted Curriculum Initial Licensure Five Year Pathway, Undergraduate Endorsement Requirements:

EDUC 203 or EDUC 204, EDUC 371, 390, 420