COURSE CURRICULUM

The Bachelor of Arts in Education (BAED) in English/Science (Middle Level Education) requires a minimum of 121 credit hours and prepares students to become licensed middle school teachers in grades 5–8 with specialization in both English language arts and science. Students must maintain a minimum overall GPA of 2.50 and a 2.50 GPA in major content coursework while completing the requirements of the WSU General Education Program and the College of Education. The English language arts component includes coursework in College English, Public Speaking, English Linguistics, Nature of Fiction, History of the English Language, World Literature, Theory and Practice in Composition, Literature for Adolescents, and multicultural or ethnic literature. These courses develop advanced skills in writing, communication, literary analysis, language studies, and literacy instruction. The science component provides a broad foundation through courses in Introductory General, Organic and Biochemistry, Introductory Physics, Solar System Astronomy, Earth Science and the Environment with laboratory, General Biology I and II, and Science Technology and Society. Students also complete professional education coursework, including Human Growth and Development, Introduction to the Education Profession, educational assessment, diversity, exceptionalities, literacy strategies, and educational philosophy and ethics. All teacher education courses require a grade of B- or higher. The professional preparation sequence is organized into four progressive stages. Core I introduces diversity, teaching methods, and field experiences. Core II focuses on grammar instruction, content-specific teaching methods, educational assessment, and practicum experiences. Core III includes literacy strategies and separate teaching internships in middle-level English and science classrooms. Core IV culminates with advanced instructional methods courses and full teaching internships in both English language arts and science, providing extensive supervised classroom experience. To qualify for licensure, students must successfully complete the Praxis II English/Language Arts and Science Content Knowledge Test along with the Teacher Licensure Capstone course. Through the support of the College of Education and Wichita State University, graduates gain strong interdisciplinary content knowledge, teaching expertise, and practical classroom experience needed for successful careers as middle school English language arts and science teachers.