2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
    Oct 12, 2024  
2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog

Elementary Education with Licensure (1-6), B.S.E.


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The Bachelor of Science in Education major with licensure and licensure only programs are designed to prepare outstanding teacher candidates at the Massachusetts initial licensure level. Students may choose to major in Education (with licensure) or choose the licensure-only program. These programs include Early Childhood Education (grades PreK-2), Elementary Education (grades 1-6), and Special Education: Moderate Disabilities (grades PreK-8 or grades 5-12). Specific Westfield State University courses are required for Education students to address state Subject Matter Knowledge (SMK) requirements. All Education students must meet WSU Teacher Education program dispositions at a satisfactory level to complete the major.

Students who are not eligible to advance to practicum (student teaching) because of concerns related to their readiness to student teach, they have not reached the minimum overall GPA of 2.80 or the minimum GPA of 3.00 in the pedagogical sequence, or they have not passed all required Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTELs), may complete their Education major by replacing the practicum requirement within their programs of study if dispositional standing merits remaining in the major. The replacement of practicum involves taking additional Education coursework or comparable courses under the advisement of the Chair of the Education Department. Students who do not complete practicum will not be endorsed for the licensure; however, they may graduate from WSU with their Education major.

Westfield State University’s educator preparation programs are approved by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and accredited by the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP).

Education Required Subject Matter Knowledge Courses


The state of massachusetts has specific Subject Matter Knowledge (SMK) competencies expected of Elementary, Early Childhood, and Special Education Majors. To address these needs, the following courses are required to meet these requirements.

Area of Focus


Elementary Education students must declare an Area of Focus with their Education Advisor (15 credits).

Total Major: 107-108 credits

Additional Graduation Requirements


All students must meet the University Graduation Requirements  and complete a general education or common core of studies, distributed among the different academic areas as detailed in General Education: WISE  or Common Core .

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