Secondary Education
Undergraduate, Pre-professional Program

The undergraduate pre-professional program in secondary education is designed to provide the initial preparation for those individuals who wish to teach grades 6-12. This program provides the prerequisite course offerings and experiences that form the foundation for admission to the Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) program. Completion of the M.A.T. program is required for a licensure recommendation from the Secondary Education program at JMU. Candidates must earn a grade of "C" or better in all required pre-professional undergraduate education courses to continue in and complete the program. Candidates should consult with the department head or an adviser in secondary education early during the first year or as soon thereafter as possible to obtain information concerning completing the related general education and content area requirements, as well as the undergraduate and graduate education requirements.

Candidates should note that prerequisites and co-requisites are required for some of the courses included in the pre-professional secondary education program. Exceptions to meeting those requirements must be approved by the department head and the dean of the College of Education. Candidates should also note that actual teacher licensure requirements may differ from the catalog requirements listed for a program and the entry year because of changes enacted by the Virginia Department of Education or accrediting agencies after the catalog copy is approved. Therefore, it is important to confer with advisers and/or the department head on a regular basis.

Undergraduate Course Requirements

The courses listed must be satisfactorily completed prior to full admission to teacher education and to the graduate M.A.T. program.

Requirements should be completed in the following sequence:

First Year Credit Hours
MSSE 101. Orientation to the Profession (optional but recommended). 1
Second Year  
GPSYC 160. Life Span Human Development 3
EDUC 360. Foundations of American Education 3

Students must declare the Secondary Education minor and submit an Admission to Initial Licensure Programs application (AR-1 form) to the Education Support Center prior to enrolling in the remaining courses. The first three courses listed are co-requisite offerings and must be completed before enrolling in the next three courses that are also co-requisites.

Third and Fourth Years
EDUC 310. Teaching in a Diverse Society 3
MSSE 370. General Instructional Methods for Grades 6-12 3
MSSE 371. Clinical Experience for Adolescent Education 1
MSSE 470. Content Methods Course for Middle School 3
MSSE 471. Content Area Field Experience in Middle Schools 3
READ 440. Literacy-Based Learning in Secondary Education 3
  22-23

A more detailed listing of program information and requirements can be accessed and downloaded as a PDF file here.

Candidates may also access the content (subject area) course requirements for the specific licensure area of interest: biology, chemistry, earth science, English, foreign languages, mathematics, physics, and social studies.