Entering freshmen at SOU have an opportunity to explore their interests during their freshman and sophomore years while fulfilling the University Studies (general education) requirements. General education and elective course selection in the first 90 credit hours will vary by students’ needs and backgrounds. Certain upper division courses in the field are restricted to majors. Students are encouraged to meet with an advisor in the School of Education early in their freshman year.
Students should declare an education major at the end of their sophomore or beginning of their junior year. Students seeking the BA/BS degree along with an initial teaching license must apply and be formally admitted to the licensure track. Applications for licensure coursework are usually submitted during the winter term in the junior year. Admission to this track is competitive. The School of Education notifies students of its decision after reviewing applications. Information about the application process and criteria for admittance is available from individual advisors, from the School of Education website, and from the office coordinator.
The undergraduate Education program has strong partnerships and articulation agreements with RCC and other state and regional community colleges. Community college transfer students who wish to earn a bachelor’s degree in education may apply their previous credits upon acceptance at SOU. Transfer students should seek early advisement in SOU’s School of Education to learn more regarding application and admittance procedures to the education degree and licensure program.
Majors in education take upper division coursework in their junior and senior years that includes teacher preparation requirements, including content knowledge, pedagogy, and field experiences. The coursework focuses on understanding children in unique stages of development and learning, children and families from diverse backgrounds, multidisciplinary content knowledge and pedagogy, and field experiences in multiple, diverse settings.
