Secondary Education and Special Education Major (B.S.E.)

Faculty: Adjapong (Program Director); Daly; Katz; Meadows

The program in secondary education (SCED) consists of strong field-oriented and sequenced professional studies and a diverse selection of fields of specialization. Candidates must complete a liberal arts core and an academic major in one of the listed fields, in addition to the sequence of professional education courses in secondary education. Candidates must maintain an overall GPA of 3.0 in order to remain in the program. The College of Education and Human Services will adhere to state regulations as they change in regard to minimum standards. Continuation in the program requires demonstration of competencies.

All secondary education content fields have been nationally recognized for meeting rigorous standards for teacher preparation. Secondary teacher candidates join professional organizations in their respective content areas to keep apprised of developments in teaching their subjects. Candidates are encouraged to take advantage of study abroad to develop high level proficiency in their language. Other content majors have similar opportunities to excel in study of and scholarship within their fields.

Secondary program faculty are committed to the Civic Mission of Schools. Candidates in all content fields are aware of the importance of civic engagement and the civic mission of schools through participation in experiences such as Project Citizen and Deliberations in Democracy. Work in international programs is an increasing component of this program. In addition, technology experiences are infused throughout the program so that pre-service teachers exit the program prepared to use technology applications with their students.

Supervised pre-clinical internships in sophomore and junior years are varied and are connected to specific professional education courses. The culminating Clinical Internship experience is two semesters long or one full year with a tenured cooperating teacher. Candidates apply for pre-clinical internships with the Office of Clinical Experience and Applied Research (OCEAR): Fall (January 1) and Spring (September 1). For senior Clinical Practice, applications are due a year in advance: December 1 for the following Fall semester and April 1 for the following Spring semester. Candidates provide their own transportation to the pre-clinical internships and senior clinical Practice.

After completing the degree program, candidates are eligible for the baccalaureate degree and for recommendation to the State of New Jersey for the certificate of eligibility with advanced standing to teach specific subject areas, K-12. Passing score(s) on the appropriate Praxis Exams also are required for this certificate of eligibility with advanced standing.

Reciprocal certification agreements exist among many states; occasionally, they are subject to change. Candidates from states other than New Jersey should check with the Seton Hall Certification Officer and the individual state’s Department of Education for specific requirements.

Candidates elect a certification field that must be taken as an academic major in the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Communication and the Arts. Fields of certification include:

Art
English*
Mathematics
Music**
Science (Biology, Chemistry, Physics)
SocialStudies***
WorldLanguages****(French, Latin, Italian, Spanish)

Candidates must complete the academic major in their field of certification and are required to have an adviser in that field. Credit requirements vary for each major.

Students studying for the secondary certification track (SCED) may opt to enroll instead in the Secondary and Special Education (SSED) dual-track major which prepares candidates for certification in a secondary content area, and as a teacher of students with disabilities in the State of New Jersey.

*: English Education majors’ course work includes History of the English Language, Adolescent Literature, Shakespeare and Grammar (1 credit).
**: Music is a competitive major. Before a student is accepted into the music program, an audition must be successfully completed. Students wishing to audition for admittance to the program should contact Dr. Dena Levine of the College of Communication and The Arts at dena.levine@shu.edu.
***: Social studies coursework requires economics, geography, political science and sociology in addition to the history major to prepare for the Praxis Exam in the area.
****: Language education majors must pass the OPI (Oral Proficiency Interview) in order to earn state certification to teach the language. See adviser for details about prescribed language electives and OPI information in support of this major.

Major Program in Secondary Education

In addition to the departmental core requirements for the degree, candidates must satisfactorily complete the required courses in professional education, their academic major and related areas and liberal arts electives.

Course and credit requirements are subject to change in accordance with changing New Jersey teacher certification requirements. Candidates are responsible for meeting with their assigned advisers in teacher education and the College of Arts and Sciences each semester to schedule courses and assess progress. Course registration is done with the secondary education program faculty. Individual courses of study will vary according to selected major field(s).

The minimum number of credits required to graduate is 120. Credit requirements of the academic major may require the candidate to exceed the 120 minimum. If the candidate has a total of fewer than 120 credits after completing the liberal arts core, the professional core and the academic major, then additional liberal arts electives must be taken to reach the minimum of 120. It is the responsibility of candidates to be aware of requirements of their academic major. The minimum number of liberal arts credits required is 60, including the liberal arts core and the academic major.

Liberal Arts Core

All teacher education candidates take a minimum of 60 hours of liberal arts credits in their program which can be drawn from core courses listed below, their academic major and/or minor programs, and electives. Currently, academic major requirements in different disciplines approved by the State of New Jersey for teaching in public schools range from 42-57 credits. For their remaining liberal arts course requirements, candidates may choose to prepare extensively in their chosen academic field, pursue minor programs that expand or supplement their content area knowledge, or explore related fields.