Minor In Secondary Education: B.A. or B.S.

Coordinator: Dr. Adam Myers

Departments: An appropriate academic department in the College of Arts and Sciences in collaboration with the Department of Middle, Secondary, and K-12 Education (MDSK) in the College of Education

Minor in Secondary Education:
The programmatic purpose of the Minor in Secondary Education is to prepare excellent and reflective teacher candidates in the fields of English, mathematics, comprehensive science, biology, chemistry, earth science, physics, comprehensive social studies, and history to successfully utilize twenty-first century knowledge, skills, and dispositions for addressing the demands of an ever-changing global and ethnically diverse society, community, and classroom while implementing effective, research-based content pedagogy to meet the individual cognitive and emotional needs of all students, and systematic and reflective analysis of connections between practice and student learning.

A minor in Secondary Education requires 32 hours, including a 3-hour introductory course and 12 hours for the student teaching semester. Students wishing to minor in Secondary Education must be approved for admission to the minor by meeting statewide teacher education program admission requirements. Advising and admission to the minor are administered through the Office of Teacher Education, Advising, and Licensure (TEAL) in the College of Education. The criteria for admission include 45 earned credit hours, a GPA of 2.7 or above, a major in a subject area for which there is teacher licensure (English, math, biology, chemistry, earth sciences, physics, history, environmental studies, political science, and geography), a grade of C or above in MDSK 2100, passing scores on the SAT, ACT, or Praxis Core tests. Admission should occur no later then the spring junior year and as early as the second semester sophomore year. After admission to the minor, advising is offered through the Department of Middle, Secondary, and K-12 Education in collaboration with advising in the student’s major department. The minor is designed to be coordinated with Junior and Senior level coursework in the major, with the final semester as the student teaching semester. Successful completion of the minor will lead to a recommendation for the initial teaching license in the high school subject area associated with the student’s major.

The undergraduate minor in Secondary Education qualifies graduates for an entry-level (Standard Professional I) license to teach in one of the following subject areas in grades 9-12: English, mathematics, comprehensive science, biology, chemistry, Earth science, physics, and comprehensive social studies. Students major in an appropriate arts and sciences discipline and minor in secondary education through completion of a four-semester sequence of courses, which includes a year-long internship incorporating the student teaching semester. The comprehensive social studies license builds on a major in history or geography; the comprehensive science license builds on a major in biology, chemistry, Earth science, or physics.

Overview and Course Progression

Program Objectives:
Graduates of the Minor in Secondary Education are prepared to meet the state and national standards for new teachers in the following areas: content and content pedagogical knowledge; authentic applications of instructional design; effective integration of advanced and emerging technologies; respectful learning environments for a diverse student population; facilitation of learning for all students through collaboration and use of multiple instructional strategies; student motivation and management; purposeful and reflective practice; systematic formative and summative assessment; and leadership in schools, community, and profession.

Degree Requirements:
The undergraduate Minor in Secondary Education requires a major in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in a discipline relevant to the curriculum in grades 9-12 and a maximum of 128 hours as follows:

GENERAL EDUCATION (32-38 hours)

These course requirements vary with a student’s academic major in Arts and Sciences and are defined by faculty in each major.

CORE & RELATED COURSES IN AN APPROPRIATE ARTS AND SCIENCES MAJOR (30-78 hours)

Academic majors relevant to secondary education include English, geography, history, mathematics, biology, chemistry, Earth sciences, and physics. The requirements for each major are defined by faculty in that major.

SECONDARY EDUCATION (32 hours)

MDSK 2100 (Foundations of Education in Secondary Schools) should be taken prior to declaring the minor and must be completed with a grade of C or above for the student to qualify for admission to the Teacher Education Program in the selected field of secondary education. Other admission requirements include an overall GPA of at least 2.7 and passing scores on the Praxis Core examinations (or acceptable SAT or ACT scores). Students should consult an advisor in the Office of Teacher Education, Advising, Licensure as soon as they begin considering teacher education in order to graduate on time.

Admission to Teacher Education and Middle, Secondary, K-12 Education Department (MDSK) advisor’s approval are required in order to register for any of the following courses:

Please see the Minor in Secondary Education Planning Sheet for course sequence.

Admission to Teacher Education and advisor’s approval are required in order to register for any of the following courses:

Student teaching is required the last semester upon completing all major and minor coursework. A student teaching application is submitted to the Office of School and Community Partnerships during the second semester enrolled in the secondary minor.

Minor requirements include successful completion of a year-long internship beginning the semester prior to student teaching and ending upon the successful completion of student teaching.

For a degree to be conferred, students must successfully complete all program requirements which include:

  • C or better in all education classes with the exception of student teaching
  • Education degree minimum GPA of 2.75 and a minimum content GPA of 2.75
  • Recommendation for licensure
  • A grade of A or B in student teaching with recommendation from cooperating teacher and university supervisor
  • A score of “meets” or “exceeds expectations” on all criteria for state required electronic evidences

Individual Science Licensure Options:

Academic Advising
With the assistance of their major advisor in Arts and Sciences, students intending to seek a teaching license in an area of secondary education (grades 9-12) apply to the Teacher Education Program through the Office of Teacher Education, Advising, and Licensure (TEAL) in the College of Education. Interested students are encouraged to visit TEAL at any time before applying to teacher education. Upon admission to the Teacher Education Program, which typically occurs at the end of the Sophomore year or beginning of the Junior year, students are assigned a secondary education advisor in the Advising Center of the Department of Middle, Secondary, and K-12 Education. Dr. Adam Myers serves as the academic advisor for all students accepted into the Secondary Education Minor and provides guidance through all professional education course.

Dr. Adam Myers
amyers35@uncc.edu
704-687-6055

For advising, please visit the MDSK Advising Center located in College of Education Building 323B.

To Contact the Office of Middle, Secondary, K-12 Education

Phone: 704-687-8875 or 704- 687-8878
​Fax: 704-687-1630