Pictured | Joshua Lindsey | Secondary Education, English | La Porte, Indiana (hometown)
Bachelor of Science in Education (Secondary Education)
The IU South Bend School of Education offers several degree programs in secondary education. Successful secondary education graduates are licensed in one or more content areas for grades 5-12. Each candidate’s degree program is aligned with the developmental standards for both the middle school/junior high and high school levels as defined by the Indiana Department of Education.
Education majors must regularly discuss program plans, options, and scheduling with Education Advisors to ensure successful progress toward program completion.
Specialization Areas
Candidates may select one or more of the following content areas
- Science (candidate selects one or more areas from the following)
- Social Studies (candidate selects three areas from the following six options)
- Economics
- Geographical Perspectives
- Government and Citizenship
- Historical Perspectives
- Psychology
- Sociology
- World Languages
Candidates may choose to add the following content area:
- Special Education—Mild Intervention
A license in any of the areas listed above requires the completion of specified general-education courses, professional education courses, and content area courses for a total of 120 credit hours for the Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree. Candidates are advised that there are very few elective courses in the secondary education degree programs and that early program selection and advising is important for timely graduation.
For specific courses and advising information, candidates must contact the Office of Education Student Services to speak with an undergraduate advisor. For general program information, candidates may also request to speak with the department chair.
Degree Requirements
General Education
General education courses and other experiences lay the foundation for IU South Bend’s Teacher Education programs. There is a focus on building skills in written and oral communication, information technology, inquiry, science, literature, quantitative reasoning, and both global and democratic perspectives.
Candidates are encouraged to complete a program of general education by enrolling in courses designated for education majors whenever they are available. The sequence has been planned to provide the strongest foundation in learning and to build the most powerful connections between the content of the individual courses.
Professional Education
The professional education component of the Teacher Education Program develops the knowledge, dispositions, and skills required for entry to the teaching profession. Some courses focus on knowledge, dispositions, and skills that underlie all teacher education regardless of the developmental focus. Other courses and field experiences focus on what it takes to promote effective teaching and learning at a particular developmental level or in a particular school setting. At IU South Bend, the professional education component is not a collection of isolated courses, but rather a carefully articulated program of study. Courses are taken in a prescribed order. Some must be taken in blocks, which is a sequence of coursework.
Student Teaching
The student teaching and the accompanying integrated seminar represent the culminating experience in the Teacher Education Program. By assuming full responsibility for a class of students, candidates demonstrate their achievement of standards, and reflect both on student learning and on their own effectiveness as teachers. Teacher candidates student teach for up to 16 weeks, depending on their majors. Typically teacher candidates submit application forms for student teaching to the Office of Student Teaching and Clinical Practice about one academic year prior to the beginning of the student teaching semester. Teacher Candidates should look for notifications of student teaching application meetings, and plan to attend approximately two semesters prior to the student teaching semester. The Director of Student Teaching and Clinical Practice makes student teaching placements.
Pearson CASA Core Content Exams
Prior to admission to a teacher preparation program in the state of Indiana, candidates are required to pass the Pearson Core Academic Skills Assessment (CASA) or provide documentation for passing approved alternative assessments. The CASA measures proficiency in basic academic skills and includes tests for reading, writing, and mathematics.
Photo credit | Teresa Sheppard