Elementary Education - BA, BS

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Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services

School of Teacher Education and Leadership

About This Degree

A degree in Elementary Education prepares a student to receive a Professional License from the Utah State Board of Education to teach in grades K-6. Utah State’s program in elementary education is unique in that students have the opportunity to be in the classroom starting their first year in the program rather than waiting until their junior year, which is typical at other universities. By the time students graduate, they will have spent more than 400 hours in the classroom or working with children through a variety of field experiences.

The major in elementary education is particularly well suited to students transferring with an associate’s degree because the curriculum is designed so students can easily transition into the program and finish on time.

For more information about Elementary Education, see the website.
Admitted and current students must meet with an advisor (435-797-0391).
Log on to Degree Works to check student-specific program progress.
The highest math requirement for this degree is MATH 2020 - Euclidean Geometry and Statistics for Elementary Education School Teachers (QI) .

Minimum University Requirements

Total Credits: 120
Credits of C- or better: 100
Total credits taken through USU: 30
Total major required credits taken at USU: 10
Minimum Grade Point Average (many majors require a higher GPA): 2.0 GPA
Credits of upper-division courses (#3000 or above): 40
Upper-division credits taken at USU: 20
General Education Requirements
University Studies Requirements
Undergraduate Degree Requirements

Admission Requirements For This Program

New freshmen must be admitted to USU in Good Standing.
Transfer students from other institutions or other programs at USU must have a 2.0 overall GPA.

Preparation Courses

Unless otherwise noted, these courses require a grade of B- or better.

ELED 1010 - Orientation to Elementary Education 3 credit(s) or
TEAL 1010 - Introduction to Education 3 credit(s)
HDFS 1500 - Human Development Across the Lifespan (BSS) 3 credit(s) (Minimum grade of C or higher)
TEAL 2660 - Educational Psychology for Teachers 2 credit(s)
ELED 2480 - Early Childhood Education Kindergarten Through Grade 3 3 credit(s)

Major Requirements

A GPA of 3.0 is required in major courses. Program requirements may not be taken for a pass/fail grade, except for those courses that are only taught pass/fail. In addition to satisfying the basic Communications Literacy (CL) general education requirement, students in this major must receive a grade of C+ or better in both ENGL 1010 and ENGL 2010 . A dual major program is available for Elementary Education and Early Childhood Education. See website for more information.

Mathematics Requirement (10 credits)

MATH 1051 or MATH 1050 require a grade of C- or better. MATH 2010 and MATH 2020 require a grade of C or better.

MATH 1051 - Classical Algebra for Teachers (QL) 4 credit(s) or
MATH 1050 - College Algebra (QL) 4 credit(s)
MATH 2010 - Algebraic Thinking & Number Sense for Elementary Education School Teachers (QI) 3 credit(s)
MATH 2020 - Euclidean Geometry and Statistics for Elementary Education School Teachers (QI) 3 credit(s)

Assessment, Curriculum, and Instruction Core (37 credits)

A grade of B- or better is required for those courses taken prior to program admission. A grade of B- or better is required for those courses taken after receiving program admission for continuation in the program.

Arts Methods

Choose one of the following:

ART 3700 - Elementary Art Methods 3 credit(s)
MUSC 3260 - Elementary School Music 3 credit(s)
THEA 3320 - Movement Exploration for Elementary Education Majors 3 credit(s)
THEA 3330 - Drama for Classroom Teachers 3 credit(s)
THEA 3340 - Methods of Teaching Drama, Grades K-6 3 credit(s)
THEA 3380 - Drama Across the Curriculum, Grades K-12 3 credit(s)

Foundations Block (Level II)

ELED 3000 - Historical, Social, and Cultural Foundations of Education (CI) 3 credit(s)
ELED 3002 - Foundations Practicum 1 credit(s)
ELED 3050 - PE and Health in the Elementary Classroom 2 credit(s)
ELED 3100 - Classroom Reading Instruction 3 credit(s)
ELED 4061 - Teaching Elementary School Mathematics I: Rational Numbers, Operations, and Proportional Reasoning 3 credit(s)

Literacy Clinical Block (Level II-B & C)

ELED 4040 and ELED 4042 must be taken together.

ELED 4040 - Reading Assessment and Intervention (CI) 2 credit(s)
ELED 4042 - Reading Assessment and Intervention Practicum 1 credit(s)
ELED 4049 - Foundations of Reading Review 1 credit(s)
ELED 4150 - Assessment and Differentiation Across the Curriculum 3 credit(s)
SPED 4000 - Education of Students with Disabilities 3 credit(s)
TEAL 3080 - Integrating Arts into Academic Learning (DHA) 3 credit(s)
TEAL 5710 - Instruction for Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Learners 3 credit(s)

Content Pedagogy Block (15 credits) (Level III)

ELED 4020 - Teaching Science in Elementary School 2 credit(s)
ELED 4030 - Teaching Language Arts (CI) 2 credit(s)
ELED 4050 - Teaching Social Studies in Elementary School 2 credit(s)
ELED 4056 - Elementary Content Practicum 4 credit(s)
ELED 4062 - Teaching Elementary School Mathematics II: Number, Operations, and Algebraic Reasoning 2 credit(s)
ELED 5105 - Motivation and Classroom Management 3 credit(s)

Student Teaching (12 credits)

ELED 5150 - Student Teaching: Elementary 3-9 credit(s) (Register for 3 credits)
ELED 5250 - Elementary Education Student Teaching Seminar 3 credit(s) (Register for 9 credits)

Electives (15 credits)

Sufficient credits of electives to meet 120 total credits for graduation (usually 15). All courses must have a grade of C- or P or better. Please see advisor for details.

Licensure Notification

This program typically leads to licensure and was designed to meet licensing qualifications in the state of Utah. If students wish to work in another state within the United States, they should review the qualifications for that state and the Education Licensure Compliance Table provided by School of Teacher Education and Leadership.

For more information, please contact the School of Teacher Education and Leadership at https://cehs.usu.edu/teal/

Open Electives

Total elective credit is determined by General Education courses taken, degree type selected, additional credits earned, and any additional math or other prerequisite courses needed. Please consult your Academic Advisor for details.

Total Credits: 120-129

Suggested Degree Map - Elementary Education BA, BS

Elementary Education BA, BS - 4 Year Degree Map