CURRICULAR REQUIREMENTS

I. General Education Program

In addition to courses taken for their major, teacher preparation students complete 30 s.h.; non-teacher preparation students complete 30 s.h.

To integrate the humanics philosophy into their lives, Springfield College students engage in the search for knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of values through a variety of courses in the sciences and humanities. In addition to those General Education courses, students must complete 6 s.h. of Writing-Across-the-Curriculum (WAC) courses. For more information see the General Education Program and WAC courses. In the major requirements listed below, selected courses which fulfill General Education categories are marked with an asterisk; selected WAC courses are marked with a “W”.

II. Core Requirements (42 s.h.)

III. Teacher Preparation Requirements

Movement and sports studies majors may elect to seek licensure as a teacher of physical education (PreK-8 and/or 5-12). Students seeking licensure should begin their program upon their admission to the College, but in order to be considered teacher candidates and to complete the professional preparation requirements, they must apply for official admission to the teacher preparation program and be accepted. More information about requirements for admittance to the teacher preparation program can be found in Section IV below. Students seeking licensure must complete all requirements for the major plus the additional requirements listed below.

IV. Admission to the Teacher Preparation Program

Once admitted to Springfield College, the student must meet the following requirements for admission to undergraduate teacher preparation programs:

1. Follow the appropriate course of study based on the field the student is interested in teaching. This includes majoring in an acceptable major for that licensure area and taking the required teacher preparation courses. This enables the student to fulfill the prerequisites needed to gain admission to a teacher preparation program. Examples of acceptable majors and licensure areas are psychology for early childhood; American studies, English, or mathematics and computer technology for elementary; biology, English, history or mathematics for secondary; movement and sports studies for physical education; art/studio art concentration or art therapy for art; and health studies.
2. Complete, or be in the process of completing, all prerequisites identified for the specific program. [For application to the physical education licensure program, prerequisites are: PEPC 100, PHED 102, PHED 226, and PHED 227.]
3. Earn a minimum 2.750 cumulative grade point average for all designated licensure courses. See the educator preparation handbook for a list of these courses for each licensure program. [For application to the physical education licensure program, the designated licensure courses include all courses taken with the following prefixes: EDUC, HLTH, MOSK, MOST, MSCI, PHED, PEAC, and PEPC.]
4. Earn a minimum 2.500 cumulative grade point average.
5. Receive a score of 70 or higher on the Communication and Literacy Skills Tests (reading and writing) of the Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL).
6. Earn minimum grades specified for designated courses. [For application to the physical education licensure program, minimum grades of C or better in the following courses are required: PEPC 100, PHED 102, PHED 226, and PHED 227.]
7. Demonstrate the personal characteristics needed to become a teacher (for example, responsible, dependable, hard working, professional, committed to the teaching profession, etc.). [For application to the physical education licensure program, this standard is demonstrated by:
   1. having no more than one negative evaluation on file or having met the prescription requirements of the PETA department’s Appraisal and Retention Committee.
   2. meeting the technical standards for the department (available from the PETA department office).]
8. Be recommended for admission into a teacher licensure program by the appropriate major department and the Education Department. (For students in physical education and health, the only recommendation required is from the Physical Education and Health Education Department.)

Note: Students who have been admitted to a teacher preparation program must maintain all the admissions requirements listed above through the semester preceding the practicum (student teaching) in order to be eligible to begin the practicum experience.

Once all admissions requirements have been met, the student must:

1. Fill out the top portion of the application for admission into a teacher licensure program. Applications are available from advisors, departments, or the Educator Preparation Office. Bring the application to the appropriate department(s) for recommendation(s)/signature(s) and attachment of required documents.
2. Completed applications must be returned to the Office of Educator Preparation & Licensure (Administration Building, room 209). Applications are complete once they have all necessary signatures and have required documentation attached. This typically occurs prior to the student’ s junior year (or the equivalent for transfer students).

The Director of Educator Preparation & Licensure will review the completed application and notify the candidate of the admission decision. If a student wishes to appeal this decision, a written appeal must be submitted to the Educator Preparation Council.

V. Additional Curricular Requirements for General (Non-Teacher Preparation) Majors

In addition to the core requirements listed in Section II, general movement and sports studies majors (who are not seeking teacher licensure) must complete an official minor or an individually-designed concentration (minimum 18 s.h.), approved in advance by the chairperson of the Physical Education Teaching and Health Education Department (PETA).

In addition, general majors must complete the following courses:

• PEAC 205* - Lifeguard Training (ARC) Credits: 1 s.h

• or

• PEAC 206* - Water Safety Instructor Credits: 1 s.h
• PHED 342 - Sports First Aid and Injury Prevention Credits: 3 s.h

• PHED 342 can be waived with documentation of current certification

• PSYC 107 - Career Planning for Life Credits: 1 s.h
• .5 s.h. of the team selectives listed in Section III (PEAC or PEAI versions may be substituted)
• .5 s.h. of the individual/dual selectives listed in Section III (PEAC or PEAI versions may be substituted)
• .5 s.h. of the wellness selectives listed in Section III
• .5 s.h. of the martial arts selectives listed in Section III
• Up to 27.5 s.h. of electives, to complete 132 s.h.

VI. Program Standards for Movement and Sports Studies Majors

All MOST majors, including students following both the general and teacher preparation programs, must meet the following standards by the end of their sophomore year to continue in the major:

1. Meet or exceed a 2.75 professional cumulative index, consisting of any courses taken with the following prefixes: EDUC, HLTH, MOSK, MOST, MSCI, PHED, PEAC, and PEPC (cumulative indexes will be from the last semester completed).
2. Earn a minimum 2.500 cumulative grade point average.

VII. Sample Program by Year (Teacher Preparation)

The program listed below is a sample—courses are not guaranteed to be offered during the semester or year listed. It is the responsibility of students to insure that all requirements are met on a timely basis and that needed prerequisite courses are completed before taking upper-level requirements; therefore, they should consult carefully with an advisor when planning their program. Students must average a minimum of 16.5 s.h. a semester to complete this program in four years.

In addition to the courses identified below, teacher preparation students will need to complete the following General Education categories for this major: Computer Science, Literature, Second Language/Culture, Visual and Performing Arts, Philosophy, and Religion. General MOST majors will need to fulfill those categories, plus Social Justice and the second Writing-Across-the-Curriculum requirement.

Courses marked with an * fulfill or partially fulfill a General Education category. Courses marked with a w may fulfill a WAC requirement, depending on the year taken.