Degree Offered
- Associate of Arts
Nature of the Program
Elementary Education students complete the initial phases of degree work required to become a certified teacher. Future teachers naturally expect to be responsible for lesson planning, instruction, and assessment in their future classrooms; however, with society’s demands for critical thinkers and citizens committed to life-long learning, it is crucial that future educators experience teacher-preparation rich in opportunities to discover the impact of culturally relevant teaching, learner centered classrooms, and integrated curriculum as well as solid communication, management, and organizational classroom skills.
WVU Potomac State College offers direct classroom experience for prospective elementary educators as early as the first semester of study and a rigorous two-year approach designed to provide an interdisciplinary background for prospective teachers.
Graduates should expect to continue course work in Elementary Education at an accredited baccalaureate granting institution to become certified teachers.
Career Opportunities
Many Elementary Education majors expect to become elementary teachers. Other career options (some requiring advanced degrees) include teaching in a private school or charter school; curriculum design and development; curriculum sales; educational support services; child care administration; educationally focused government work; administration; educational psychology; and higher education support or teaching. Four-year graduates can begin working as a classroom teacher while simultaneously earning their graduate degree.
Faculty
Chair
- Cassandra Pritts - M.A. History (Duquesne University)
Year @ PSC (2011)
Assistant professor
- Andrea Schafer - M.A. Elementary Education (West Virginia University)
Year @ PSC (2014)
Admissions
Entering freshmen are admitted directly into the major.
Benchmark Expectations
Elementary Education majors must earn a C- or better in EDUC 100, EDUC 200, and EDUC 301 for graduation. Students must demonstrate competence and professionalism, following all College and school district guidelines and policies, in their school-based placement(s). Students must meet with their education adviser each semester. Students who do not meet these benchmarks may be removed from their major.
Students who plan to continue at WVU-Morgantown must earn a C- or better in all professional education courses and will need to maintain a minimum GPA of 2.5. Major transfers from within WVU, including from Potomac State, must follow the elementary education program’s admission requirements for transfer students.
Testing Requirements
In West Virginia, Praxis Core tests are waived if you have already completed a master’s degree OR if you scored 26 on the ACT OR if you scored 1170 on the SAT (Math and Verbal, pre-March 2016 sitting) OR SAT Evidence Based Reading/Writing and Math Section 1240 (post-March 2016 sitting). All other students must earn passing scores (based on score benchmarks for the intended transfer institution) on all subsections of the Praxis Core by the application or transfer deadline set by the intended transfer institution. More information about the Praxis CORE can be found at https://www.ets.org/praxis/site.html.
Disclaimer: State Board of Education requirements may change testing and program requirements.
General Education Foundations
Please use this link to view a list of courses that meet each GEF requirement.
NOTE: Some major requirements will fulfill specific GEF requirements. Please see the curriculum requirements listed below for details on which GEFs you will need to select.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education Foundations | ||
| F1 - Composition & Rhetoric | 3-6 | |
| Introduction to Composition and Rhetoric and Composition, Rhetoric, and Research | ||
or ENGL 103 | Accelerated Academic Writing | |
| F2A/F2B - Science & Technology | 4-6 | |
| F3 - Math & Quantitative Reasoning | 3-4 | |
| F4 - Society & Connections | 3 | |
| F5 - Human Inquiry & the Past | 3 | |
| F6 - The Arts & Creativity | 3 | |
| F7 - Global Studies & Diversity | 3 | |
| F8 - Focus (may be satisfied by completion of a minor, double major, or dual degree) | 9 | |
| Total Hours | 31-37 | |
Please note that not all of the GEF courses are offered at all campuses. Students should consult with their advisor or academic department regarding the GEF course offerings available at their campus.
Curriculum Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| WVUE 191 | First Year Seminar | 1 |
| ENGL 101 & ENGL 102 | Introduction to Composition and Rhetoric and Composition, Rhetoric, and Research (GEF 1) | 6 |
| BIOL 101 & 101L | General Biology 1 and General Biology 1 Laboratory (GEF 2) | 4 |
| MATH 126 | College Algebra (GEF 3) | 3 |
| PSYC 101 | Introduction to Psychology (GEF 4) | 3 |
| Select one of the following (GEF 5): | 3 | |
| Growth of the American Nation to 1865 | ||
| Making of Modern America: 1865 to the Present | ||
| GEF 6 ENGL course in World Literature | 3 | |
| Select one of the following (GEF 7): | 3 | |
| Introduction to Anthropology | ||
| Global Political Issues | ||
| Select one of the following (GEF 8): | 3 | |
| World History to 1500 | ||
| World History Since 1500 | ||
| Science Electives (ASTR, CHEM, GEOL, PHYS - GEF 8) | 6 | |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Families Across the Life Span | ||
| Introduction to Human Development | ||
| GEOG 102 | World Regions | 3 |
| Select two of the following: * | 6 | |
| Materials and Procedures | ||
| Music in the Elementary School | ||
| Dance and Movement in PK-12 Schools | ||
| EDUC 100 | Education Colloquium | 1 |
| EDUC 200 | Professional Inquiry in Education * | 3 |
| EDUC 301 | Learning in Educational Settings * | 3 |
| EDUC 330 | Mathematics for Elementary Teachers 1 | 3 |
| or EDUC 331 | Mathematics for Elementary Teachers 2 | |
| Electives | 3 | |
| Total Hours | 60 | |
- *
Courses only available on the WVU-Morgantown Campus.
- **
Students pursuing the BA in Elementary Education will complete one year on the PSC Campus before making application to the BA program and continuing program requirements on the Morgantown Campus. Students are encouraged to meet all recommended requirements listed in year one before continuing on to the Morgantown Campus. Not completing all listed requirements may influence program completion timeline. These students must make application to the program and meet all program admission requirements, including passing scores for appropriate PRAXIS examination and specified GPA, by the spring application deadline. Consult BA Elementary Education Program Website at https://www.wvu.edu/academics/programs/elementary-education-ba.
Suggested Plan of Study
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| WVUE 191 | 1 | ENGL 102 (GEF 1) | 3 |
| ENGL 101 (GEF 1) | 3 | Select one of the following (GEF 5): | 3 |
| EDUC 100 | 1 | ||
| PSYC 101 (GEF 4) | 3 | ||
| GEOG 102 | 3 | Science Elective (ASTR, CHEM, GEOL, PHYS - GEF 8) | 3 |
| BIOL 101 & 101L (GEF 2) | 4 | MATH 126 (GEF 3) | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | ||
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| Science Elective (ASTR, CHEM, GEOL, PHYS - GEF 8) | 3 | EDUC 200 | 3 |
| EDUC 301 | 3 | GEF 6 ENGL course in World Literature | 3 |
| EDUC 330 or 331 | 3 | Select one of the following (GEF 8): | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | ||
| Select one of the following (GEF 7): | 3 | ||
| Elective | 3 | ||
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Total credit hours: 60 | |||
- *
Students may satisfy requirements to earn an Associate’s Degree in Elementary Education by completing the additional courses listed in Second Year, First and Second semester on the Morgantown Campus.
Major Learning Outcomes
Elementary Education
A primary mission of the AA in Elementary Education at Potomac State College is to prepare individuals for a changing teaching profession. Teachers influence many facets of education including students, parents, school policies and procedures, curriculum design, instructional materials, and classroom environment. Educational issues must be grounded in current research on best practices and deep reflection on ways to implement them in teaching practice.
Upon successful completion of the A.A. degree, Elementary Education majors will be able to:
- Utilize commitment and skills to engage in life-long learning, including research skills applied to the discipline;
- Practice effective communication; both oral and written;
- Recognize that teaching is a professional, moral, and ethical enterprise with well-developed ethical frameworks which facilitate effective teaching;
- Serve as facilitators of learning for all students;
- Apply in-depth knowledge of both pedagogy and content, and the relationship between them
- Be reflective practitioners;
- Be aware of, and have respect, human diversity;
- Value and integrate knowledge from a wide variety of fields, be creative and open to new ideas, and be able to act constructively in a world characterized by technological, cultural, and societal diversity and change.