Admission to Candidacy in Teacher Education

Undergraduates seeking teacher certification in elementary education should contact an advisor in the School of Education, Teaching and Health as early as possible. Admission to the university and declaration of a major does not constitute admission to candidacy in teacher education, which is based on academic and related performance criteria. 

To be admitted to candidacy, students must earn a passing score (as set by the District of Columbia teacher licensing agency) on the PRAXIS I: Pre-Professional Skills Test (PPST); earn an average grade of 2.70 or higher in EDU-205 Schools and Society and EDU-320 Psychology of Education, pass EDU-321 Field Experience: Observation and Analysis, receive satisfactory recommendations from faculty, and have an overall cumulative grade point average of 2.70 or higher. The Teacher Education Committee reviews student applications. Decisions regarding admission to candidacy are made by this committee based on academic performance and references. 

Liberal Arts and Science Requirements for Teacher Certification: Elementary

To qualify for teacher certification, students must have completed all of the requirements from the specific curricular areas listed below. Some requirements may overlap with the university General Education requirements. Consult a School of Education, Teaching and Health advisor for more information. 

• Literature: 3 credit hours in addition to LIT-102 
• The Arts: 3 credit hours 
• Health: 3 credit hours 
• U.S. history: 3 credit hours 
• Social science: 3 credit hours 
• Biological science: 3 credit hours 
• Physical science: 3 credit hours 

Note: biological or physical science must include a lab. 

University Requirements

• A total of 120 credit hours 
• 6 credit hours of college writing 
• 3 credit hours of college mathematics or the equivalent by examination 

General Education Requirements

• A total of ten courses, consisting of one foundation course and one second-level course in an approved sequence from each of the five curricular areas 
• No more than 6 credit hours may be taken in the same discipline 

Note: Students must consult with an advisor from the School of Education, Teaching and Health as early as possible to discuss the coordination of General Education requirements with certification requirements. 

Major Requirements

• 74 credit hours with grades of C or better, including 15 to 17 credit hours in a concentration 
• An overall cumulative grade point average of 2.70 or higher 
• All students must complete the Praxis II Exam prior to graduation. 

Course Requirements

• EDU-205 Schools and Society 4:2 (3) 
• EDU-250 Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers I (3) 
• EDU-251 Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers II (3) 
• EDU-319 Children’s Literature: Multicultural and
      International Approaches (3) 
• EDU-320 Psychology of Education (3) 
• EDU-321 Field Experience: Observation and Analysis (1) 
• EDU-330 Instructional Strategies and Teaching Methods (3) 
• EDU-362 Classroom Management (3) 
• EDU-371 Foundations of Reading Instruction (3) 
• EDU-492 Service Learning in Teacher Education (1) 
• EDU-519 The Uses of Technology in Education (3) 
• EDU-541 Foundations of Special Education for
      Exceptional Children (3) 

or 

EDU-545 Overview of all Exceptionalities: The Arts in Special Education (3) 

• EDU-552 Teaching Mathematics in Elementary
      Education (3) 
• EDU-553 Teaching Language Arts in Elementary
      Education (3) 
• EDU-554 Teaching Social Studies in Elementary
      Education (3) 
• EDU-555 Teaching Reading in Elementary Education (3) 
• EDU-556 Teaching Science in Elementary Education (3) 
• EDU-499 Student Teaching (12) 

Concentration

• 15–17 credit hours in one of the following concentrations in Art, Biology, History, Literature, Mathematics, or Music; or with approval, students may complete a minor in place of the concentration: 

Art (15 credit hours)

• ARTS-100 Art: The Studio Experience 1:1 (3) 
• One course from the following: 

ARTH-105 Art: The Historical Experience 1:1 (3) 

ARTH-210 Modern Art: Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries 1:2 (3) 

• Three courses from the following: 

ARTS-205 The Artist’s Perspective: Drawing 1:2 (3) 

ARTS-210 The Artist’s Perspective: Painting 1:2 (3) 

ARTS-215 The Artist’s Perspective: Sculpture 1:2 (3) 

ARTS-320 Painting Studio (3) 

ARTS-340 Sculpture Studio (3) 

ARTS-360 Drawing Studio (3) 

ARTS-363 Relief Printmaking Studio (3) 

ARTS-364 Intaglio Studio (3) 

Biology (17 credit hours)

• BIO-110 General Biology I 5:1 (4) 
• BIO-210 General Biology II 5:2 (4) 
• Three courses from the following: 

BIO-200 Structure and Function of the
Human Body 5:2 (3) 

BIO-220 The Case for Evolution 5:2 (3) 

BIO-250 Oceanography  5:2 (3) 

ENVS-250 Living in the Environment 5:2 (3) 

BIO-xxx 300-level or above course, with advisor’s approval 

History (15 credit hours)

• HIST-205 American Encounters: 1492–1865 2:2 (3) 
• HIST-215 Social Forces that Shaped America 2:2 (3) 
• One course from the following: 

HIST-100 Historians and the Living Past 2:1 (3) 

HIST-110 Renaissance and Revolutions: Europe, 1400-1815 (3) 

HIST-120 Imperialism and Revolution 3:1 (3) 

HIST-210 Ethnicity  in America 4:2 (3) 

HIST-220 Women in America 4:2 (3) 

HIST-225 Russia and the Origins of Contemporary
Eurasia 3:2 (3) 

HIST-235 The West in Crisis, 1900-1945 2:2 (3) 

HIST-250 Civilization and Modernization: Asia 3:2 (3) 

• One approved HIST-2xx course (3) 
• One approved HIST-3xx course (3) 

Literature (15 credit hours)

• LIT-120 Interpreting Literature 1:1 (3) 

or 

LIT-105 The Literary Imagination 1:1 (3) 

• Two courses from the following: 

LIT-125 Great Books that Shaped the Western
World 2:1 (3) 

LIT-210 Survey of American Literature I (3) 

LIT-211 Survey of American Literature II (3) 

LIT-220 Survey of British Literature I (3) 

LIT-221 Survey of British Literature II (3) 

• One course from the following: 

LIT-225 The African Writer 1:2 (3) 

LIT-235 African-American Literature 2:2 (3) 

LIT-240 Asian American Literature 2:2 (3) 

LIT-245 The Experience of Poetry  1:2 (3) 

LIT-265 Literature and Society in Victorian
England 2:2 (3) 

LIT-270 Transformations of Shakespeare 1:2 (3) 

• One approved LIT-3xx course (3) 

Mathematics (17 credit hours)

• Two courses at the 200-level to include: 

MATH-211 Applied Calculus I (4) and 

MATH-212 Applied Calculus II (3) 

or 

MATH-221 Calculus I (4) and 

MATH-222 Calculus II (4) 

• Three approved courses at the 300-level or above 

Music (16 credit hours)

• PERF-124 Harmony I (3) 
• PERF-227 Musicianship I (3) 
• MUS-100 Class Instrumental Study: Piano (1) 

MUS-101 Class Vocal Study (1) 

• MUS-122 Private Instrumental or Vocal Study (2) (four semesters for a total of 8 credit hours) 

University Honors Program

All University Honors students must complete at least 12 credit hours of advanced-level (300-level and above) Honors courses including a 3 to 6 credit hour Honors Senior Capstone Project. Students may graduate with University Honors in the major if they complete at least 12 advanced-level Honors courses including the Senior Capstone Project in the department. Each department has three levels of University Honors requirements: Level I Options (100-200-level Honors classes); Level II Options (300-level and above Honors classes); and Level III Options (Honors Senior Capstone). The department Honors coordinator advises students in the University Honors Program regarding departmental options. For more information, go to www.american.edu/academic.depts/honors/ . 

Combined Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees

American University offers students the opportunity to earn both undergraduate and graduate degrees through its accelerated bachelor’s/master’s programs. Undergraduate students may complete up to 3 credits for every 9 credits required for the graduate degree that may be applied to the requirements for both degree programs.  The department that oversees the graduate program the student enters will determine if the courses the undergraduate student completes will satisfy master’s degree requirements. 

Bachelor’s/master’s students must complete at least 18 in-residence credit hours at the graduate level after the bachelor’s degree is earned and  maintain continuous, sequential enrollment in the two programs. Students must finish the master’s degree requirements within three years from the date of first enrollment in the master’s program.