Degree Offered
- Associate of Arts
Nature of the Program
Secondary Education majors complete the initial course 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 secondary educators as early as the first semester of study.
Secondary Education teacher education has a two-part focus: the content area (English or Social Studies) and educational design and delivery.
Secondary Education majors who wish to pursue a four-year degree in other content areas (biology, chemistry, math, or physics) should pursue an AA in the content area, complete EDUC 100 their first semester and EDUC 200 their fourth semester, and meet with their secondary education advisor every semester.
Career Opportunities
Four-year graduates teach students from 5th through 12th grades. They usually specialize in one subject area and may teach several different classes within that subject area. Some teachers continue course work in their specific discipline, earning a graduate degree leading to careers in research, higher education, or curriculum development. Others pursue graduate degrees in school administration.
Faculty
Chair
- Cassandra Pritts - M.A. History (Duquesne University)
Year @ PSC (2011)
Associate professor
- Andrea Schafer - M.A. Elementary Education (West Virginia University)
Year @ PSC (2014)
Admissions
Entering freshmen are admitted directly into the major.
Benchmark Expectations
Secondary Education majors should earn a C- or better in EDUC 100 and EDUC 200 to meet degree requirements. 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.
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 |
| EDUC 100 | Education Colloquium | 1 |
| EDUC 200 | Professional Inquiry in Education | 3 |
| Foreign Language | 6 | |
| MATH 121 | Intro Concepts Of Mathematics (or higher - GEF 3) | 3 |
| Elective | 6 | |
| Select one of the following tracks: | 34 | |
| English Track (34 credit hours) | ||
GEF 2A | ||
GEF 4 | ||
GEF 5 | ||
GEF 7 | ||
| Foundations of Literary Study | ||
| World Literature | ||
| American Literature 1 (GEF 6) | ||
| American Literature 2 (GEF 8) | ||
| British Literature 2 | ||
| Shakespeare 1 (GEF 8) | ||
Elective | ||
| Social Studies Track (34 credit hours) | ||
GEF 2B | ||
| Growth of the American Nation to 1865 (GEF 5) | ||
| Making of Modern America: 1865 to the Present | ||
| World History to 1500 (GEF 8) | ||
| World History Since 1500 (or HIST 250) | ||
| Principles of Microeconomics (GEF 8) | ||
| Principles of Macroeconomics (GEF 8) | ||
| Global Sustainability | ||
| Introduction to American Government | ||
| Introduction to Psychology (GEF 4) | ||
| Introduction to Anthropology (GEF 7) | ||
| Total Hours | 60 | |
Suggested Plan of Study for English Track
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| EDUC 100 | 1 | ENGL 102 (GEF 1) | 3 |
| ENGL 101 (GEF 1) | 3 | ENGL 200 | 3 |
| ENGL 241 (GEF 6) | 3 | ENGL 242 (GEF 8) | 3 |
| ENGL 263 (GEF 8) | 3 | MATH 121 (or higher - GEF 3) | 3 |
| Foreign Language | 3 | Foreign Language | 3 |
| WVUE 191 | 1 | ||
| Elective | 1 | ||
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| ENGL 226 | 3 | EDUC 200 | 3 |
| GEF 2A | 3 | ENGL 262 | 3 |
| GEF 4 | 3 | GEF 2A | 3 |
| GEF 5 | 3 | GEF 7 | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Total credit hours: 60 | |||
Suggested Plan of Study for Social Studies Track
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| EDUC 100 | 1 | ENGL 102 (GEF 1) | 3 |
| ENGL 101 (GEF 1) | 3 | SUST 102 | 3 |
| MATH 121 (or higher - GEF 3) | 3 | HIST 179 (GEF 8) | 3 |
| HIST 152 | 3 | PSYC 101 (GEF 4) | 3 |
| Foreign Language | 3 | Foreign Language | 3 |
| WVUE 191 | 1 | ||
| 14 | 15 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| ECON 201 (GEF 8) | 3 | ECON 202 (GEF 8) | 3 |
| POLS 102 | 3 | EDUC 200 | 3 |
| ANTH 105 (GEF 7) | 3 | HIST 153 | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | HIST 180 | 3 |
| GEF 2B Elective | 4 | Elective | 3 |
| 16 | 15 | ||
| Total credit hours: 60 | |||
Major Learning Outcomes
Secondary Education
A primary mission of the AA in Secondary 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, Secondary 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.