Nov 05, 2024  
2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog

Middle Level Education, B.S.E.


Return to: 4170 Department of Middle and Secondary Education  

Additional Teacher Education information is found in section 1600 Educator Preparation .

The B.S.E. major in Middle Level Education prepares outstanding middle level educators who can meet the needs of young adolescents in today’s diverse, highly technological, and changing society. Graduates have a well-developed content knowledge in two fields (language arts, mathematics, science, and/or social studies) and have the option to pick up a third general curriculum concentration in Special Education. Successful completion of this program, the appropriate GACE Content Assessment tests and Georgia Educator Ethics Assessment (360) leads to a recommendation for licensure for grades four through eight in the areas of concentration. Students may also choose to add a concentration in Special Education which leads to certification in P-12 Special Education General Curriculum or a concentration in ESOL which leads to an ESOL endorsement for teaching English language learners in grades 4-8. Preservice teachers in the B.S.E. in Middle Level Education are automatically admitted into the Urban Education endorsement upon acceptance to their degree program. Upon graduation, the Urban Education endorsement can be added to their initial certificate.

Program Admission

Students are required to apply for teacher education after completing required courses for undergraduate Core IMPACTS  and Field of Study. To be accepted into teacher education, students must:

  • Have a 2.50 overall grade point average on all undergraduate coursework previously completed;
  • Complete the Georgia Educator Ethics Assessment (360);
  • Successfully complete Core IMPACTS  and Field of Study courses required for the program of study;
  • Submit proof of tort liability; and
  • Participate in an interview and/or provide a writing sample as a part of the application process.

Program Financial Information

B.S.E majors must pay all tuition and fees charged by the university and the college. A lab fee of $125 will be charged at the time students register for the student teaching experience. Educator preparation students must be aware that extra costs such as tort liability and transportation will be incurred at various times during the completion of various teacher education field experiences, particularly during the students’ senior year. 

Program Academic Regulations

Pre-Service Certificate: Upon admission to a teacher education program, students will be contacted by the Office of Field Placements and Certification with instructions to claim enrollment in their program and submit a GaPSC Pre-Service Certificate Application. The pre-service certificate is required for placement in required field experiences or clinical practice.

Certification: Students must post passing scores on the GACE Content Assessments and Georgia Educator Ethics Assessment (360) in order to be recommended by Georgia State University for clear, renewable certification.

For Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC) certification requirements, students must earn a grade of “B” or higher in EXC 4020  Characteristics and Instructional Strategies for Students with Disabilities.

Exit Critieria

  • Successful completion of all program coursework.
  • Successful completion of professional portfolio.

Core IMPACTS Course Recommendations (42 Semester Hours)


Students must complete 42 semester hours required for undergraduate Core IMPACTS  with the recommendations listed in this section. See Section 1410 Core IMPACTS  in the undergraduate catalog. Courses in the Communication in Writing and Mathematics and Quantitative Skills sections must be completed with a grade of C or better.

Mathematics & Quantitative Skills


Students who choose mathematics or science as one of their areas of concentration should select precalculus or a more advanced mathematics course to fulfill the mathematics requirement.

Courses in the Mathematics and Quantitative Skills section must be completed with “C” or higher grades.

Arts, Humanities & Ethics


Students who choose language arts as one of their areas of concentration should select ENGL 2110 , ENGL 2120 , or ENGL 2130  to fulfill three semester hours of the Arts, Humanities and Ethics requirements.

Technology, Mathematics & Sciences


Students who choose mathematics as one of their areas of concentration should select calculus of one variable (or a more advanced mathematics course) to fulfill three semester hours of the Technology, Mathematics and Sciences requirements. Students who choose science as one of their concentration areas are encouraged to choose CHEM 1151K   and CHEM 1152K   or BIOL 1103K  and BIOL 1104K . Students who choose Social Studies as an area of concentration are encouraged to choose GEOG 1112K   and GEOG 1113K  .

Social Sciences


Students who choose social studies as one of their areas of concentration should select either AAS 1141 , AAS 1142 , AAS 2010 ANTH 1102 , ECON 2105 , ECON 2106 , GEOG 1101 , HIST 1141 , or HIST 1142  to complete the Social Sciences requirement.

Field of Study: Preparation for the Major (18 Semester Hours)


Students must earn a grade of “C” or higher in each course used to fulfill Field of Study requirements.

Select Three (9 Hours)


With advisor approval, students select two additional 1000- or 2000-level courses for a minimum of six semester hours in one concentration area and one course for three semester hours in a second concentration area.

Mathematics

Sciences

Recommendation if not taken for the Technology, Mathematics and Sciences section of Core IMPACTS.

Social Studies

Recommendation if not taken in the Technology, Mathematics and Sciences or Social Sciences sections of Core IMPACTS.

Major Courses (48-57 Semester Hours)


Students who have completed the above criteria and are ready to apply for the program must choose two Content Concentrations within this section from the following list: Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies. In addition to fulfilling requirements for content concentrations, students may also choose to add a concentration in Special Education which leads to certification in P-12 Special Education General Curriculum or in ESOL which leads to an ESOL endorsement for teaching English language learners in grades 4-8.

Content Concentrations for Middle Level Education (24 Hours)


In consultation with their advisors, students select TWO areas of concentration from among language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. Each area of content concentration consists of 12 semester hours of coursework, at least 6 of which must be numbered 3000 or higher. Students are expected to have completed all prerequisites prior to enrolling in any of the following courses requiring prerequisites. Students must earn a grade of “C” or higher in each course used to fulfill Content Concentration course requirements.

Language Arts Content Concentration (12 Hours)

Required (3 Hours)

Language

Select one course (3):
Mathematics Content Concentration (12 Hours)

Science Content Concentration (12 Hours)

Social Studies Content Concentration (13-15 Hours)

Core Knowledge for Middle Level Education (12-15 Hours)


Students must earn a grade of “B” or higher in each course used to fulfill Core Knowledge requirements.

Special Education Concentration (3 Hours)

Students adding the Special Education Concentration are also required to complete:
ESOL Concentration (3 Hours)

Students adding the ESOL Concentration are also required to complete:

Pedagogical Knowledge (12-18 Hours)


Students must earn a grade of “B” or higher in each course used to fulfill Pedagogical Knowledge requirements.

Students must complete all Content Concentration and Core Knowledge courses prior to enrolling in Pedagogical Knowledge courses in this section. Pedagogical Knowledge courses may be taken concurrently.

Special Education Concentration (6 Hours)

Students adding the Special Education Concentration are also required to complete:
ESOL Concentration (6 Hours)

Students adding the ESOL Concentration are also required to complete:

Student Teaching (12 Semester Hours)


Students must successfully complete all Pedagogical Knowledge courses to be authorized to enroll in Student Teaching courses.

Students should not enroll in other courses while completing Student Teaching course requirements.

Students must earn a grade of “B” or higher in each course used to fulfill Student Teaching course requirements.

Required for Students NOT Pursuing Special Education or ESOL (12 Hours)


Required for Students Pursuing Special Education (12 Hours)


Required for Students Pursuing ESOL (12 Hours)


Total Program: Minimum of 120 Semester Hours


Total Program with ESOL Concentration: Minimum of 129 Semester Hours


Total Program with Special Education Concentration: Minimum of 129 Semester Hours