UTexas

Bachelor of Science in Education

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Students may pursue the Bachelor of Science in Education with a major in education or a major in youth and community studies. The curriculum for the degree has four components:

  1. the University-wide core curriculum
  2. prescribed work for the Bachelor of Science in Education
  3. major requirements
  4. electives

Education majors choose one of three major focus areas which can lead to certification: early childhood through grade six ESL generalist, early childhood through grade six ESL bilingual generalist, or all-level generic special education.

The youth and community studies major has two professional concentrations that can lead to secondary teacher certification: Urban Teachers English language arts and reading and Urban Teachers social studies.

Core Curriculum

All students must complete the University’s Core Curriculum. In the process of fulfilling the core curriculum and other degree requirements, all students are expected to complete the Skills and Experience flags.

  1. Writing: three flagged courses beyond Rhetoric and Writing 306 or its equivalent. Applied Learning and Development 328 carries a writing flag.
  2. Quantitative Reasoning: one flagged course
  3. Global cultures: one flagged course
  4. Cultural diversity in the United States: one flagged course. Applied Learning and Development 327 carries a cultural diversity in the United States flag.
  5. Ethics: one flagged course
  6. Independent Inquiry: one flagged course

In some cases, a course that is required for the Bachelor of Science in Education may also be counted toward the Core Curriculum; these courses are identified above. Courses used to fulfill flag requirements may also be used to fulfill other requirements.

Prescribed Work

All students must complete the following requirements. The education, early childhood through grade six ESL bilingual generalist major focus area and youth and community studies major require modifications to the prescribed work; these are described in the section for the major below.

  1. Applied Learning and Development 333
  2. Psychology 301 or Special Education 303. One of these courses may also be used to fulfill the social and behavioral sciences requirement of the Core Curriculum.
  3. UTeach-Natural Sciences 306J, 306K, or 306L. These courses may also be used to fulfill parts I and II of the science and technology requirement of the Core Curriculum. In addition, students must complete UTeach-Natural Sciences 306M.
  4. Mathematics 316K and 316L.
  5. Foreign language: Students must demonstrate proficiency in a single foreign language equivalent to that shown by completion of the second college semester in the language; proficiency is usually shown by earning credit for language courses 601D and 610D or the equivalent. Prospective Texas teachers are strongly encouraged to take Spanish to fulfill the language requirement.

Although the foreign language requirement is the attainment of a certain proficiency, rather than the completion of a specified number of hours, the courses taken to gain this proficiency are not electives and may not be taken on the pass/fail basis. Any part of the requirement may be fulfilled by credit by examination.

Students who completed two years of a single foreign language in high school and who are not pursuing teacher certification may substitute three courses in specific multicultural and language/communication courses for the foreign language requirement. A list of the acceptable substitute courses is available in the Student Dean’s Office, George I. Sánchez Building 216.

Education Major Requirements

Education, Early Childhood Through Grade Six ESL Generalist

The education, early childhood through grade six ESL generalist major focus area requires 124 hours of coursework. Students who have completed the education, early childhood through grade six ESL generalist major focus area are eligible to teach pre-kindergarten through grade six after meeting additional state requirements.

Students must complete the following:

  1. Coursework in applied learning and development:
    1. Three semester hours in cognition and learning chosen from Applied Learning and Development 320 or 321
    2. Applied Learning and Development 322
    3. Applied Learning and Development 327
    4. Applied Learning and Development 328
    5. Applied Learning and Development 329
    6. Health Education 329K
    7. Kinesiology 314
  2. A curricular specialization consisting of Curriculum and Instruction 370E (Topic 1: Reading), 370E (Topic 2: Language Arts), 370E (Topic 20: Teaching English as a Second Language), and 339D
  3. The Professional Development Sequence described below. Admission to the Professional Development Sequence is restricted; admission requirements are given in Admission to the Professional Development Sequence.
    1. Methods courses: Curriculum and Instruction 370E (Topic 3: Science), 370E (Topic 4: Social Studies), and 370E (Topic 5: Mathematics)
    2. Curriculum and Instruction 331E
    3. Curriculum and Instruction 371G
    4. Curriculum and Instruction 950E

Education, Early Childhood Through Grade Six ESL Bilingual Generalist

The education, early childhood through grade six ESL bilingual generalist major focus area requires 125 hours of coursework. Students who have completed the education, early childhood through grade six ESL bilingual generalist major focus area are eligible to teach pre-kindergarten through grade six in English and Spanish after meeting additional state requirements.

Students must complete the following:

  1. Nine hours of the science and technology requirement of the Core Curriculum, with the option to take UTeach-Natural Sciences 306L or 306M
  2. Foreign language must be Spanish and completed through Spanish 311 or 311J taken in residence at UT Austin.
  3. Coursework in applied learning and development:
    1. Three semester hours in cognition and learning chosen from Applied Learning and Development 320 or 321
    2. Applied Learning and Development 322
    3. Applied Learning and Development 325
    4. Applied Learning and Development 328
    5. Applied Learning and Development 330
    6. Kinesiology 314
  4. A curricular specialization consisting of Curriculum and Instruction 370E (Topic 1: Reading), 370E (Topic 2: Language Arts), 370E (Topic 20: Teaching English as a Second Language), and 339D 
  5. The Professional Development Sequence described below. Admission to the Professional Development Sequence is restricted; admission requirements are given in Admission to the Professional Development Sequence.
    1. Methods courses: Curriculum and Instruction 370E (Topic 3: Science), 370E (Topic 4: Social Studies), and 370E (Topic 5: Mathematics)
    2. Curriculum and Instruction 331E
    3. Curriculum and Instruction 340D
    4. Curriculum and Instruction 371G
    5. Curriculum and Instruction 950E

Education, All-Level Generic Special Education

The education, all-level generic special education major focus area requires 120 hours of coursework. Students who have completed the education, all-level generic special education major focus area are eligible to teach in special education classrooms from pre-kindergarten through grade twelve after meeting additional state requirements.

Students must complete the following:

  1. The Prescribed Work, with the following modifications:
    1. Students are not required to take Applied Learning and Development 333 or Informatics 320 (Topic 2: Children’s Literature)
    2. Students only need to complete nine hours of the science and technology requirement and have the option of taking UTeach-Natural Sciences 306L or 306M
    3. Students are not required to take a Foreign Language
  2. Coursework in applied learning and development and related areas:
    1. Three semester hours in human development chosen from Human Development and Family Sciences 313 and Psychology 304

    2. Three semester hours in cognition and learning chosen from Applied Learning and Development 320, 321, or 333

    3. Applied Learning and Development 322 and 327
  3. Prescribed work in special education: Special Education 332, 337, 372, 375C, 376, 378D, 378D, 378R, 378S, and 378T (Topic 6)
  4. The Professional Development Sequence described below. Admission to the Professional Development Sequence is restricted; admission requirements are given in Admission to the Professional Development Sequence.
    1. Curriculum and Instruction 370E (Topic 1), 370E (Topic 2), 370E (Topic 5), and 370E (Topic 20)
    2. Curriculum and Instruction 331E
    3. Special Education 960

Youth and Community Studies Major Requirements

The youth and community studies major requires 120 hours of coursework. The youth and community studies major has two professional concentrations that can lead to secondary teacher certification after meeting additional state requirements: Urban Teachers English language arts and reading and Urban Teachers social studies. Youth and community studies majors in other professional concentrations are not entitled to receive a teaching certificate.

Students must complete the following:

  1. The Prescribed Work, with the following modifications:
    1. A course in English or rhetoric and writing may be counted in place of Applied Learning and Development 333. The course used to fulfill the humanities requirement of the core curriculum may not also be counted toward this requirement.
    2. Students must take Educational Psychology 318T (Topic 5: Introduction to Career Planning)
    3. Students are not required to take UTeach-Natural Sciences 306J, 306K, or 306L and an additional natural sciences or computer science course. However, they must complete the science and technology, part I and part II, requirements of the Core Curriculum.
    4. Mathematics 316K and 316L are not required.
    5. Students must take a three-semester-hour entrepreneurship course.
  2. Coursework in applied learning and development and related fields:
    1. Applied Learning and Development 320, 322, 327, 329, and 331
    2. Applied Learning and Development 321 or Educational Psychology 350G
    3. Health Education 329K
    4. Three semester hours of coursework in kinesiology or health education
  3. Either a specialization in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Education, a minor outside of applied learning and development or education, a certificate, or a track in a second field of study which consist of a minimum of 15 hours of coursework, six of which must be upper-division. No more than six hours in the minor may also be counted toward other degree requirements. Information about approved areas of study and specific courses that may be used is available in the Student Dean’s Office, George I. Sánchez Building 2.110.
     
  4. Professional concentration: Fifteen semester hours selected from one of the following concentrations: Coaching, Early Childhood, Physical Education Activity, Special Populations, Urban Teachers English language arts and reading, Urban Teachers social studies, and Youth and Social Services. A list of courses in each concentration is available in the Student Dean’s Office, George I. Sánchez Building 2.110.

Electives

Additional elective coursework may be needed to provide the total number of semester hours required for the major. All majors must complete at least 36 hours of upper-division coursework.