Degree Offered
- Bachelor of Arts
Nature of the Program
Students who want to become secondary English teachers (grades 5-Adult) complete a series of Secondary Education courses, requirements for General Education Foundations (GEF) components that are related to the area of specialization, and courses specific to the area of specialization: English, Grade 5-Adult.
The program boasts a clear set of research-based program goals and carefully sequenced learning experiences. Students will learn to integrate what one teaches with how it is taught and will receive more than 1,000 hours of experience in public school classrooms. The program functions in close collaboration with exemplary local public schools and has selective and rigorous standards for admission and retention of students as well as rigorous performance requirements that are relevant to effective teaching practice.
Admissions for 2025-2026
- First-Time Freshmen are admitted directly into the major.
- Students transferring from another major at WVU must have a 2.75 overall GPA.
- Students transferring from another institution must have a 2.75 overall GPA.
Major Code: 1423
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.
Degree Requirements
Students must complete WVU General Education Foundations requirements, College B.A. requirements, major requirements, and electives to total a minimum of 120 credit hours. For complete details on these requirements, visit the B.A. Degrees tab on the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences page.
Departmental Requirements for the B.A. in English Secondary Education
Students wishing to graduate with a degree in English Secondary Education must complete a total of 96 credit hours in their major. Students must abide by the following rules:
- Capstone Requirement: The university requires the successful completion of a Capstone course. Students majoring in English Secondary Education will complete EDUC 485 for their Capstone experience.
- Writing and Communication Skills: The English Secondary Education program is a SpeakWrite Affiliated Program, committed to fostering and assessing student's written, verbal, visual, and mediated communication skills. The English Secondary Education major requires its Bachelor of Arts program graduates to complete at minimum the following SpeakWrite certified courses: ENGL 101 and ENGL 102 (or ENGL 103), ENGL 200, ENGL 241 , ENGL 242, ENGL 261, ENGL 263, ENGL 405.
- Calculation of the GPA in the major: Students must earn a minimum grade C- in all C&I, EDUC, ENGL, and SPED courses applied toward English/Secondary Education Major Requirements, and minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.75. If a course is repeated, all attempts will be included in the calculation of the GPA unless the course is eligible for a D/F repeat.
- WV State Certification Requirements:
- PRAXIS II #5038 English Language Arts (NOTE: Successful completion of this assessment is required prior to the year-long residency. Scores must be received prior to obtaining a clinical experience permit.)
- edTPA Teacher Performance Assessment – a three-part performance exam during Residency II. (NOTE: Successful completion of this assessment is required for program completion.
- Teacher candidates complete 125 field experience hours in middle and high schools during the third year of the program. During the final year of the program, teacher candidates complete a year-long residency. The College of Applied Human Sciences coordinates the placement and supervision of teacher candidates as they engage in these professional experiences.
- Benchmark Expectations: Please check Degree Progress tab.
Curriculum Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| University Requriements | 37 | |
| ECAS B.A. Requirements | ||
| English/Secondary Education Major Requirements | 83 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |
University Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education Foundations (GEF) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 (31-37 Credits) | ||
| Outstanding GEF Requirements 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 | 21 | |
| ENGL 191 | First-Year Seminar | 1 |
| General Electives | 15 | |
| Total Hours | 37 | |
ECAS B.A. Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Fine Arts Requirement | ||
| Global Studies and Diversity Requirement | ||
| Total Hours | 0 | |
English/Secondary Education Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation Course: | 3 | |
| Foundations of Literary Study | ||
| English Language Course | 3 | |
| The English Language | ||
| Historical Breadth Courses: | 9 | |
| American Literature 1 | ||
| American Literature 2 | ||
| British Literature before 1800 | ||
| Gender/Multicultural/Transnational (GMT) Course: | 6 | |
| World Literature | ||
| and select one of the following: | ||
| Topics in Appalachian Studies | ||
| Topics in Multiethnic Literature | ||
| Topics in Native American Literature | ||
| Global Anglophone Literature | ||
| American Women Writers | ||
| British Women Writers | ||
| Topics in Women's Literature | ||
| Topics in Gay/Lesbian Studies | ||
| Study of Major Author course: | 3 | |
| Shakespeare 1 | ||
or ENGL 363 | Shakespeare 2 | |
| Methods Courses: | 6 | |
| Approaches to Teaching Composition | ||
| Young Adult Literature | ||
| English Electives: | 9 | |
Select one ENGL Writing Elective from the list below: | ||
| Creative Writing Workshop: Fiction | ||
| Creative Writing Workshop: Poetry | ||
| Creative Writing Workshop: Non-Fiction | ||
| Topics in Creative Writing | ||
| Writing Theory and Practice | ||
| Editing | ||
| Multimedia Writing | ||
| Business and Professional Writing | ||
| Technical Writing | ||
| Topics in Digital Humanities | ||
Select any two ENGL classes at the 200-level or above (only one 200-level course is permitted). | ||
| UNDERGRADUATE PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION COURSEWORK | 41 | |
| Professional Inquiry in Education | ||
| Learning in PreK-Adult Educational Settings | ||
| Reading in the Content Areas | ||
| Teaching Language Arts: Secondary School | ||
| Approaches to Teaching Language | ||
| Identity and Cultural Diversity in the Classroom | ||
| Special Education in Contemporary Society | ||
| Differentiation of Instruction | ||
| Teaching Practicum | ||
| Professional Field Experience (Residency 1) | ||
| Professional Field Experience (Residency 2) | ||
| Capstone Experience: | 3 | |
| Residency/Technology Capstone in Secondary Education | ||
| Total Hours | 83 | |
SUGGESTED PLAN OF STUDY
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| ENGL 101 (GEF 1) | 3 | ENGL 102 (GEF 1) | 3 |
| GEF 2A | 3 | GEF 3 | 3 |
| GEF 5 | 3 | GEF 4 | 3 |
| ENGL 191 | 1 | ENGL 226 (ECAS Global Studies Req. & F7) | 3 |
| ENGL 200 | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
| General Elective | 3 | ||
| 16 | 15 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| GEF 2A | 3 | ENGL 242 (GEF 8 Course 1) | 3 |
| ENGL 221 | 3 | ENGL 263 (GEF 8 Course 2) | 3 |
| ENGL 241 (ECAS Fine Arts Req. & F6) | 3 | ENGL 405 | 3 |
| ENGL 261 | 3 | EDUC 200 | 3 |
| ENGL Elective at the 200 level or above | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| ENGL 309 | 3 | ENGL 300-Level GMT | 3 |
| EDP 301 | 3 | 300- or 400-level ENGL or WRIT elective--creative writing or professional writing & editing course suggested | 3 |
| SPED 404 | 3 | ENGL 300-Level Elective | 3 |
| C&I 424 | 3 | RDNG 422 | 3 |
| C&I 490 | 1 | C&I 490 | 1 |
| General Elective | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
| 16 | 16 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| C&I 491 (Residency 1) | 6 | C&I 491 (Residency 2) | 9 |
| C&I 324 | 3 | EDUC 485 | 3 |
| C&I 489 | 3 | ||
| SPED 460 | 3 | ||
| 15 | 12 | ||
| Total credit hours: 120 | |||
Degree Progress
- By the end of the fourth semester in the major, the student must have completed EDUC 200 with a C or better and must have a minimum GPA of 2.75. If a student does not meet these criteria, they will be removed from the major until the benchmarks are met.
- By the end of the sixth semester in the major, the student must have completed 125 hours of field placement and must have a minimum GPA of 2.75.
- To graduate with this major, a student needs an overall GPA of 2.75.
Major Learning Outcomes
English/Secondary Education
Upon successful completion of the B.A. degree, English majors will be able to:
- Interpret texts within diverse literary, cultural, and historical contexts.
- Demonstrate a general knowledge of the social and structural aspects of the English language.
- Demonstrate a range of contextually effective writing strategies.
The learning goals for the WVU Secondary Teacher Education Program are to prepare students who:
- Have commitment and skills to engage in life-long learning;
- Are effective communicators;
- Recognize that teaching is a professional, moral, and ethical enterprise with well-developed ethical frameworks which facilitate effective teaching;
- Will serve as a facilitator of learning for all students;
- Possess in-depth knowledge of both pedagogy and content, and the relationships between them;
- Are reflective practitioners;
- Are aware of, and have respect for, human diversity;
- Value and integrate knowledge from a wide variety of fields, are creative and open to new ideas, and are able to act constructively in a world characterized by technological, cultural, and societal diversity and change.