Earth System Science with General Science Licensure (5-8), B.S.

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). The Chemical and Physical Sciences Department, in collaboration with the Education Department, offers a program of study leading to licensure by the Massachusetts Department of Education as a Teacher of General Science.

Requirements for General Science Licensure

Students seeking initial licensure in General Science (grades 5-8) must satisfy the following requirements prior to practicum placement:

Completion of all courses required for the Earth System Science major with General Science Licensure (5-8), B.S.
Overall GPA of 2.8, plus a 3.0 in all pedagogical coursework.
Completion of the appropriate professional sequence of education courses for the Middle and Secondary Education certification program, including the appropriate academic Methods course: either GNSC 0371 - Methods of Science Education for the Middle School or GNSC 0373 - Methods of Chemistry Education .
Achievement of a passing mark on both the Commucation and Literacy test and the appropriate subject matter exam of the Massachusetts Test for Educator Licensure (MTEL).
- Students attempt the Communication and Literacy MTEL exam during their first year, and the subject matter MTEL exam during the fall term of the junior year.

Middle School Licensure in General Science (5-8)

Foundational Courses - 47 credits

ASTR 0101 - Astronomy Credits: 3
BIOL 0128 - General Biology II Credits: 4
BIOL 0129 - General Biology I Credits: 4
CAIS 0101 - Computers in Society Credits: 3
CHEM 0109 - General Chemistry I Credits: 4
CHEM 0111 - General Chemistry II Credits: 4
ENVS 0101 - Exploring Environmental Issues Credits: 3
GEOL 0101 - Physical Geology with Laboratory Credits: 4
GEOL 0108 - General Oceanography Credits: 3
GNSC 0139 - Current Topics in Science Seminar I Credits: 1
MATH 0104 - Pre-Calculus Credits: 3
MATH 0108 - Elementary Statistics Credits: 3
or GPS 0246 - Quantitative Methods for Social and Physical Science Credits: 3
PHSC 0115 - General Physics I Credits: 4
PHSC 0117 - General Physics II Credits: 4

Required Upper Level Courses - 15 credits

GEOL 0205 - Environmental Geology: Walking on Earth Credits: 4
GEOL 0220 - Surface and Groundwater Hydrology Credits: 4
or ENVS 0220 - Surface and Groundwater Hydrology Credits: 3
GNSC 0239 - Current Topics in Science Seminar II Credits: 1
GNSC 0349 - Research Methods for the Physical Sciences Credits: 1
GNSC 0350 - Research Experience Credits: 2 *
GPS 0230 - Meteorology Credits: 3
*GNSC 0350 may be substituted with ASTR 0350 , CHEM 0350 , CHEM 0399 , or GEOL 0399 .

Professional Sequence: Middle and Secondary (Grades 5-12)

The Professional Sequence for Middle and Secondary must be completed by students intending to teach an academic subject area in the Middle or Secondary School. Students must complete an academic major in the subject area in which the licensure is sought.

Professional Sequence Core:

EDUC 0208 - Teaching in U.S. Secondary Schools Credits: 3 (preferred)
or EDUC 0220 - Schools in US Society Credits: 3 (*FB)
EDUC 0215 - Theory of Critical Multicultural Education Credits: 3

Professional Sequence Courses Middle and Secondary:

EDUC 0221 - Foundations of Special Education Credits: 3 (*FB)
EDUC 0321 - Middle School and its Students Credits: 3 (*FB)
EDUC 0341 - Field Experience 3: Advanced Theory to Practice Credits: 1 (*FB)
EDUC 0354 - Teaching Middle and High School Students Credits: 4 (*FB)
EDUC 0363 - Sheltered English Immersion Credits: 3
PSYC 0203 - Adolescent Development Credits: 3
Appropriate academic Methods course, such as the following:
BIOL 0390 - Teaching Secondary School Biology Credits: 3
ENGL 0350 - Methods of Teaching English in the Secondary and/or Middle School Credits: 4
GNSC 0371 - Methods of Science Education for the Middle School Credits: 3
GNSC 0373 - Methods of Chemistry Education Credits: 3
HIST 0432 - Methods of Teaching History: Middle and Secondary Credits: 3
Note: *FB indicates Field Based course.

Practicum

Appropriate academic Practicum and Seminar, such as the following:

ART 0451 - Practicum (Teaching Art, 5-12) Credits: 12
EDUC 0364 - Practicum: Middle School Credits: 10 *
EDUC 0369 - Practicum: Secondary School Credits: 10 *
EDUC 0372 - 5-12 Practicum: English and History Credits: 10 *
ENGL 0322 - Practicum Seminar: English Education Credits: 2 **
*Must take EDUC 0300 - Practicum Seminar (2 credits) as a co-requisite.
**Middle and Secondary education students in English must take ENGL 0322.

Note:

Students progress toward meeting Advanced Standing in Teacher Education is monitored at the end of the sophomore year (57 credits). All students must meet the requirements for Advanced Standing to achieve teacher candidacy. Please see section on Licensure for Teaching under Academic Policies.

In order to be eligible for student teaching, a student must have completed all required course and field work, have an overall GPA of 2.8 (including transfer work), a GPA of 3.0 in all pedagogy coursework, and have a passing grade in the appropriate Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (i.e., Communication and Literacy and subject matter tests).

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 .