The Middle School program is a small, personalized program that serves students who wish to teach middle school or junior high school students. It is a hybrid program, combining the child centered philosophy of elementary certification with a content specialization more typical of secondary certification. Middle school majors earn certification in one or more content areas for grades 5-9. They may be certified to teach math, science, communication arts, or social studies. Middle school majors explore the unique challenges and rewards of teaching students aged 10-14 and gain real world experience through internships and practicums at area schools. Students progress through the program in small cohorts supervised by professors with extensive middle school experience. UMSL’s middle school program is highly regarded in the surrounding educational community and, due to the limited number of students choosing this major, employment prospects are good.
Ellen Meadows
This area of specialization in elementary education prepares students to teach in grades 5-9.
B.S.Ed. degree candidates must complete the following General Education courses required by the College of Education and the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Core Areas: | ||
First Year Writing | ||
ENGL 1100 | First-Year Writing (MOTR ENGL 200) | 3 |
or HIST 1111 | Reacting to the Past | |
Math Proficiency | ||
MATH 1030 | College Algebra (MOTR MATH 130) | 3 |
Communication Proficiency | ||
EDUC 2222 | Interpretation: Connecting Audiences and Meaning | 3 |
or COMM 1040 | Introduction to Public Speaking (MOTR COMM 110) | |
Information Literacy | ||
ED TECH 2230 | Information Literacy | 3 |
American History or Government | ||
POL SCI 1100 | Introduction to American Politics (MOTR POSC 101) | 3 |
Explore Areas | ||
Humanities and Fine Arts | ||
Three courses from two of the following fields: art, foreign language, music (excluding applied music), philosophy, theater, and literature. | 9 | |
Social Science | ||
ED PSY 2212 | Child and Adolescent Development | 3 |
GEOG 1001 | Introduction to Geography (MOTR GEOG 101) | 3 |
or GEOG 1002 | World Regions (MOTR GEOG 101) | |
HIST 1001 | American Civilization to 1865 (MOTR HIST 101) | 3 |
or HIST 1002 | American Civilization 1865 to Present (MOTR HIST 102) | |
Math and Life/Natural Science | ||
BIOL 1012 | General Biology (MOTR BIOL 100) | 3 |
GEOL 1001 | General Geology | 4 |
Additional course in Physics or Chemistry or Combined Physics/Chemistry | 3 |
MATH 1150 | Structure of Mathematical Systems I | 3 |
MATH 2510 | Structure of Mathematical Systems II | 3 |
ECON 1052 | Microeconomics for the School Curriculum | 3 |
HLTH PE 3432 | Teaching Health and Physical Education in Elementary Schools | 3 |
ENGL 3100 | Junior-Level Writing | 3 |
All students in the B.S.Ed. in Elementary Education, Middle School program are required to take the following Level I, Level II, and Level III courses. Each student must select a content area and complete the required courses for that content area.
Professional Education courses must be completed with a grade of C or better (a grade of C- or below is unacceptable).
Beginning with those students graduating in May, 2017 and receiving teacher certification, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education requires a 3.0 GPA in professional education courses, a 3.0 GPA in the teaching content field, and a 2.75 overall GPA.
Students must pass the required DESE certification assessments to receive the B.S.Ed. degree.
Introduction to Education | ||
TCH ED 1000 | Building Community, Culture, and Learning in Education | 1 |
TCH ED 1001 | Early Clinical Experience: Community Agency | 1 |
Level I: Exploring Education as a Profession | ||
TCH ED 2000 | Becoming a Professional Educator | 1 |
TCH ED 2001 | Early Clinical Experience: Schools | 1 |
TCH ED 2209 | Foundations of Teaching in American Schools | 2 |
Level II: Teaching and Learning Across Context and Clinical Experiences | ||
Must be admitted to the Teacher Education Program to enroll in the following courses: | ||
ED PSY 3312 | Psychology of Learning, Instruction, and Assessment | 3 |
SPEC ED 3318 | Inclusive Classrooms | 3 |
TCH ED 3212 | Sociolinguistics and Communication in the Classroom | 3 |
TCH ED 3001 | Mid-Level Clinical Experience: Diverse Learners | 1 |
MID ED 4315 | The Middle Level School | 3 |
TCH ED 4391 | Literacy for Adolescent Learners in Content Areas | 3 |
Level III: Synthesizing Theory and Practice in Education | ||
Entrance into Level III is based on successful completion of all course work in Levels I and II, as well as any prerequisite courses required by advanced methods courses. | ||
MID ED 4316 | Middle Level Curriculum and Instruction | 3 |
MID ED 4317 | The Middle-Level Child | 3 |
Methods Course in Certification Area | 3 | |
SEC ED 4880 | Writing for Teachers | 3 |
MID ED 4989 | Practicum I: Middle Level Education Site Based Experience | 3 |
MID ED 4990 | Practicum II: Middle Level Education Site Based Experience | 12 |
Area of Concentration for State Certification | ||
Middle School 5-9 requires a minimum of 24 hours for certification in one specific content area and appropriate methods course (math, science, social studies or language arts). Content requirements are listed on our website. |
Total: minimum 122 hours