College Graduation Requirements

Requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Science in Education

The degree of Bachelor of Science in Education, with a recommendation for certification to the State of Pennsylvania, may be conferred upon a student by recommendation of the faculty and upon the successful completion of a minimum of 128 semester hours with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0. These credit hours must be earned in three requirement categories: University Core Curriculum requirements; College of Education requirements, including the Professional Course Sequence and, for teacher certification, the General Studies Requirements; and program requirements.

General Studies Requirements, the University Core Curriculum, and the College of Education's Professional Course Sequence
Commonwealth standards for teacher certification require that at least one-third of a student's program be taken in general studies. This requirement is designed to assist individuals in their intellectual development and to provide the breadth of background needed by a teacher. This certification standard is met in all programs in the College of Education. In most cases, these general studies credits also meet the University Core Curriculum requirements.

In addition to fulfilling the general studies requirements, all undergraduate students in the College of Education must complete the Professional Education Course sequence. These courses, along with a selected list of courses that meet the general studies requirement or the University Core requirements are listed below:

Other Requirements for College of Education Students

In addition to taking the required courses above, all students in the College of Education must meet the following requirements. Most of these requirements are determined by the University Core Curriculum. Exceptions, exclusions, and additions to these requirements are noted in the individual program descriptions.

Composition/Writing:
In addition to taking Composition C050, all students must complete five writing intensive courses. Three of these courses will be Intellectual Heritage X051 and X052, and the College of Education capstone course in the student's major area.

Literature:
A minimum of one course in literature offered by the English or Foreign Language departments is required. 3 credit hours.

Mathematics/Statistics/Logic:
In addition to taking C055 (College Mathematics), all students must take at least one additional second semester course of mathematics, statistics, or logic from those meeting Core requirements. 6 credit hours.

Science and Technology:
All students must take a minimum of two courses, one first-semester course and one second-semester course, from one scientific field. 8 credit hours. (Note: Students in the Elementary Education program must take an additional semester of science.)

Social Science:
In addition to C060 (Psychology as a Social Science), all students are required to take at least one additional course selected from the departments of African American Studies, Anthropology, Economics, Geography and Urban Studies, Political Science, Psychology, or Sociology. 3 credit hours.

History:
All programs in the College require that students take either C067 (History of the United States to 1877) or C068 (History of the United States since 1877). 3 credit hours.

The Arts:
At least one Core course in performance, appreciation, or history of the arts is required. 3 credit hours.

Language or International Studies:
At least two courses are required. The list of courses meeting the Core requirements is available from advisors. 6 credit hours.

American Culture:
At least one course is required. This requirement can be met through X060/C060 (Education, Schooling, and the Individual in U.S. Society), or by History C067 or C068. 3 credit hours.

Race:
One course in race and racism is required (see your adviser). 3 credit hours.

Professional Certification

All curricula leading to Commonwealth certification are organized to meet the standards established by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Certificates for which Temple University, College of Education, undergraduate students may be recommended include the following:

-Art Education (See Tyler School of Art)

-Early Childhood Education

-Elementary Education

-Health Education (See Health Professions)

-Health and Physical Education

-Music (See Boyer College of Music and Dance)

-Secondary Education

-English

-Foreign Language

-French

-German

-Hebrew

-Italian

-Latin

-Portuguese

-Spanish

-Mathematics

-Science

-Biology

-Chemistry

-Earth and Space Science

-General Science

-Physics

-Social Studies (no new admissions)

-Citizenship Education

-Social Sciences

-Special Education

-Career and Technical Education

-Business, Computer, and Information Technology K-12 (Formerly Business Education)

-Cooperative Education

-Marketing Education K-12

-Vocational (Industrial) Education

Graduation from the College of Education does not carry automatic endorsement for state certification. Students desiring certification must hold the appropriate degree and fulfill competency requirements, be recommended by the College of Education, and submit the required application form. Recommendations are predicated upon successful completion of all academic and statutory requirements and on the fitness of the individual for the professional position.

Students not obtaining Pennsylvania State Teacher certification within five years of completing their programs must take additional coursework before the College of Education will recommend them for certification.

In addition, all students seeking certification are required by the State of Pennsylvania to pass the relevant parts of the Pennsylvania Teacher Certification Testing Program in order to be eligible for teacher certification. As of September 1, 2000, the required tests include the Praxis I and Praxis II batteries. Students should check with the Office of Student Services for the current regulations. Data on temple Student's performance on the PRAXIS Tests are contained in the following table:

Physical and Medical Standards
All students must meet certain health standards to obtain an Instructional Certificate to teach in the public schools of Pennsylvania. Physical and medical standards for certification and employment vary considerably from one state to another and from one school district to another within the same state. Students expecting to apply for positions in certain school districts should determine what the standards are in evaluating their own prospects for employment. The specific requirements for a given school district may be determined by writing to the appropriate official. Some representative statements of standards are on file in the Office of the Dean. Any student with a medical problem or a physical handicap is urged to consult this office and the Health Services staff to ascertain suitability for the teaching profession. State law provides that each student participating in the school must take the same tuberculosis test required of teachers and other school employees. A report of the test obtained no earlier than six months prior to the first contact with schoolchildren shall be valid for a period of two calendar years.

Diagnostic Speech Assessment
Candidates for teacher certification are given a diagnostic speech assessment. Additional diagnostic testing may be required and corrective actions may be taken to remediate problems. Decisions about remedial efforts and student eligibility to continue in a program will be determined by the Department Chairperson of the department in which the student is enrolled and approved by the Associate Dean of the College of Education.

Performance Assessment
In addition to the teacher certification tests (Praxis I and Praxis II tests) required by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, students are required to complete three performance assessments in order to gauge the extent to which they (a) know the content they will teach, (b) can teach the content, and (c) embody the professional attributes required of professional educators. The performance assessments occur at three points in the undergraduate program: early on when prospective students are being admitted to certification programs (candidacy); in the junior year, prior to student teaching (intermediate assessment); and before graduation, during/after student teaching (senior assessment). In addition to assessing and informing candidates about their teaching, the performance assessments are intended for use by faculty as a tool for program evaluation.

Professional Education Portfolio
After being admitted to a teacher certification program and for the duration of the degree program, students will be required to maintain a professional education portfolio in either electronic or hard copy form. Faculty will use the portfolio to complement the performance assessment activity described above. The specific requirements for the portfolio will be available from the student’s faculty adviser.

Student Teaching
Application for student teaching placement must be made the semester prior to student teaching. Application forms are available in the Student Teaching Center (Ritter Hall 341). The following due dates are in effect: September 15th for spring semester placements and February 1st for fall semester placements.

Contact information for academic departments can be found under the listing for each individual program.

Assistant Director of Student Services
Jeremy Wagner
247 Ritter Hall Annex
(215) 204-6010
jwagner@temple.edu