COURSE CURRICULUM

The Middle School Education program at Avila University requires students to complete a 120-credit hour degree designed to prepare them as effective teachers for grades 5 through 9, with concentrations in Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, or Social Studies. The program begins with a liberal arts core tailored to each concentration, including courses in history, literature, mathematics, natural science, and social sciences, ensuring a broad-based foundation of knowledge. Students also fulfill a 6-hour Global Studies or Community Engagement requirement through ED 495, the Final Clinical Experience. Core middle school education requirements consist of 39 credit hours, including ED 185 Practicum, ED 229 Developmental & Educational Psychology, ED 235 Psychology of the Exceptional Child, ED 245 Tests & Measurements, ED 387 Multicultural Foundations of Education, ED 315 General Methods & Differentiated Learning, ED 320 Technology in Education, reading strategy courses, ED 418 Advanced Special Methods, ED 419 Managing the Learning Environment, ED 454 Middle School Philosophy & Organization, and capstone experiences through ED 494 and ED 499. Concentration-specific coursework deepens content expertise, with Language Arts focusing on literature, composition, and writing; Mathematics on algebra, geometry, calculus, and statistics; Science on biology, chemistry, physics, and geology; and Social Studies on economics, history, geography, and government. Students complete a minimum of 11 elective hours to round out the program, gaining the knowledge, pedagogical skills, and practical experience necessary to become reflective and capable middle school educators.