Education

(a minimum 120 credit hours) Requirements are subject to change.

The goal of the Education Department is to prepare undergraduate students for teacher licensure in one of the following areas: early childhood (PreK-2); elementary (1-6); moderate disabilities/special education (PreK-8) or secondary (5-8 and/or 8-12) in biology, English, history, or mathematics. Additional teacher licensure programs offered by the College include health/family and consumer sciences (all grades), physical education (PreK-8 and/or 5-12), and visual arts (PreK-8 and/or 5-12). Students seeking teacher 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. Application to the teacher preparation program typically occurs prior to the junior year.

To comply with Massachusetts Department of Education regulations, students seeking teacher licensure must earn a bachelor’s degree that includes an arts and sciences major, additional coursework to meet the subject matter knowledge requirements and coursework to meet the professional standards for all teachers. Students completing any of the programs listed below also complete the requirements of the Education major.

The Education major may only be completed as a second major in conjunction with another undergraduate major specified by the program.

Students seeking secondary licensure must major in one of the following:

Students seeking elementary and/or special education licensure, must major in one of the following:

Students seeking early childhood licensure, must major in the following:

Psychology / Education / Early Childhood Teacher Licensure

More information about requirements for the majors listed above, including special requirements for students seeking licensure, can be found in the section for each specific major. Professional courses required for specific licensure programs may be found in the following areas:

Courses required for the Education major are listed below.

For more information about education programs, contact the Education department at (413) 748-3295 or the Admissions Office at (800) 343-1257.

CURRICULAR REQUIREMENTS

I. General Education Program (40 - 46 credits)

The General Education program at Springfield College is informed by its century-old Humanics tradition of educating the whole person in spirit, mind, and body, for leadership in service to humanity. These requirements have the goal of developing literate, thoughtful, socially responsible students, and instilling in them a spirit of inquiry into the nature of humankind and the universe. Towards those ends, the requirements emphasize and encourage: the acquisition of knowledge, understanding, and competency essential for the improvement of the human condition in a diverse society; a search for personal and spiritual values; and the development of an understanding and appreciation of physical well-being. For specific requirements, see the General Education Program (40 - 46 credits) section or the Sequencing Guide for this major.

II. Core Requirements (9 credits)

EDUC 101 - Schools, Society, and Diverse Learners Credits: 3
EDUC 237 - Foundations of Multicultural Education Credits: 3
EDUC 250 - Childhood and Adolescent Development in Educational Settings Credits: 3
or
PSYC 250 - Childhood and Adolescent Development Credits: 3

III. Selective requirements (22 credits)

You must complete 22 credits of selectives from the following menues, including at least two field-based courses. A minimum of 10 of those 22 credits must be upper-level coursework (300-level or above).