Undergraduate Bulletin > Teacher Education and Higher Education

Department of Teacher Education and Higher Education

Undergraduate majors in this department are prepared to receive the North Carolina Standard Professional I License for teaching in public schools, grades K–6 and 6–9. The majors in this department include Elementary (K–6) and Middle Grades (6–9) Education.

Elementary and Middle Grades Education majors progress through their professional studies in Inquiry Teams of about 25 students under the guidance of a university instructor, who serves as their field supervisor, academic advisor, and weekly seminar leader. Students assigned to an inquiry team take all Elementary or Middle Grades methods courses together and do 10-hour per week internships in schools. Three internships are required prior to student teaching. New inquiry teams begin in the fall semester of the junior year and continue for four consecutive semesters.

Student Learning Goals

Student Learning Goals are consistent with standards set forth by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) programs at www.ncate.org, the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC) at www.ccsso.org/intascs.html, the National Educational Technology Standards at www.iste.org, and the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction at their Web site www.ncpublicschools.org.

Admission to the Teacher Education Program and to the Elementary or Middle Grades Education Majors

Admission to the University does not guarantee admission to Teacher Education with a major in the Department of Teacher Education and Higher Education.

The School of Education’s Department of Teacher Education and Higher Education reserves the right to refuse admission where additional enrollments would threaten the academic quality of classes or programs. The size of each junior class coming into Elementary or Middle Grades Education is determined by the availability of instructors for student practicum and student teaching experiences. Therefore, it may not be possible to assure space for each student who meets the quantitative criteria for admission to the major as specified above. Interviews and/or other qualitative criteria will be implemented in such instances. Students must apply for admission by July 1 to be admitted for the fall semester.

In addition to admission to teacher education (see Teachers Academy), a student who seeks admission to the Elementary or Middle Grades Education major is expected to achieve:

1. A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.75;
2. A grade of C or better in TED 250;
3. Completion of all courses needed to fulfill the General Education Requirements; and
4. Satisfactory scores on the Praxis I.

Admission to Student Teaching

The department has specific grade point average expectations and performance criteria to remain active in the program. Please contact the department office for this information.

Eligibility to enter student teaching requires maintaining a grade point average of 2.75 or better after being admitted to the major, and achieving a grade of C or better in each professional course. After admission to the major, if a student fails to maintain a grade point average of 2.75, the student has one semester to improve his/her grade point average. If a student receives a C- or lower in a professional course, the student is eligible to retake the course at its next offering.

Second Academic Concentration Requirement

• All students majoring in Elementary Education are required to complete an approved second concentration of at least 18 hours in a basic academic discipline or in an approved interdisciplinary studies program, although some departments (e.g., French and Spanish) have a 24-hour requirement. Depending upon the academic discipline selected, a maximum of six (6) hours in either of the concentrations may be counted toward the General Education requirements.
• All students majoring in Middle Grades Education must complete at least 24 hours in two of four middle level content fields: Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, or Social Studies.