Middle Education Program

Grades Six through Eight

The Middle Education program is in the Middle, Secondary and Mathematics Education Department of the College of Education. The program is comprised of an undergraduate, pre-professional component and a graduate, professional education component. Successful completion of the graduate portion of the program, also referred to as the fifth year component, results in a Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) degree. Middle education teacher licensure candidates must complete both the undergraduate and graduate components of the program to fulfill requirements for a recommendation from James Madison University for a Virginia teaching license with a middle school endorsement. The program is approved by the Commonwealth of Virginia and accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).

Teacher candidates are required to meet competencies that are identified by the state of Virginia as well as any additional competencies required by the teacher education unit at JMU. In Virginia and many other states, middle grades teachers must have concentrations in two of the four core subject areas (mathematics, social studies/history, science, English/language arts). In order to meet these requirements, candidates are advised to major in Interdisciplinary Liberal Studies (IDLS) as undergraduates. The IDLS major enables candidates to complete two content concentrations and meet the necessary subject-matter competencies. The combination of IDLS concentrations currently available are the Humanities (English, History, Social Sciences), Natural Sciences and Mathematics.

Candidates who complete the Middle Education program should be able to:

  • Design and deliver curricula that effectively impact student learning,
  • Integrate technology in learning settings,
  • Work effectively with faculty and students of diverse backgrounds, cultures, and abilities,
  • Collaborate with colleagues, parents, and others,
  • Be reflective practitioners who continually evaluate their actions,
  • Practice lifelong learning and engage in professional development and inquiry

To be recommended for licensure to teach, all candidates must do the following:

  • Meet all middle education pre-professional (undergraduate) and professional (M.A.T.) program requirements
  • Meet all admission, retention, and completion criteria for teacher education including satisfactory Praxis I & II scores
  • Meet performance and behavior standards as indicated by ratings on the program Professional Behaviors Checklist


Degree and Major Requirements
BA/BS Undergraduate Degree  
General Education 1 41
Interdisciplinary Liberal Studies Major 39-42
Pre-Professional Studies in Education 36
M.A.T. Program  
Graduate Level Professional Studies 32
  148-151






1 The General Education program contains a set of requirements each student must fulfill. The number of credit hours necessary to fulfill these requirements may vary.