Collection Development Guide: Curriculum & Instruction: Program Purpose and Description

Prepares knowledgeable and effective teachers who are responsive to the diverse needs of society. Through school and community partnerships, we advance research-based inquiry and instructional approaches that influence practice and policy. The department also offers undergraduate and graduate degrees that focus on the preparation and development of teachers and teacher leaders.

All undergraduate programs in the department lead to initial teaching certification, and the field-based emphasis of these programs has garnered recognition and has led to outstanding collaborative relationships with local school districts. A Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies with one of the following initial teaching certifications:

EC-6 ESL Generalist
EC-6 Bilingual
EC-6 Special Education
4-8 Generalist, Social Studies/Language Arts, Math, Science, or Math/Science

Secondary Teacher Certification (8-12) in the following majors: Agriculture, Science and Technology; Basic Business; Computer Science; Dance; English/Language Arts/Reading; French; Family and Consumer Sciences; German; History; Hospitality, Nutrition, and Food Science; Human Development and Family Studies; Technology Education; Journalism; Mathematics; Social Studies Composite (Economics, Geography, Government, and History); Spanish; Speech.

Graduate programs currently provide three choices: initial post-baccalaueate teaching certification, advanced studies Master's degrees, and/or professional certification.

• Post-Baccalaureate Initial Teaching Certification serves individuals who have earned bachelor's degrees in fields other than education. Students may earn EC-6, 4-8, or 8-12 certification by taking graduate level courses that may count toward a graduate degree.


• Master's Degree Programs offer advanced study and professional development options for certified teachers and other education professionals. Current options include Elementary Education, Early Childhood, Bilingual Education, Gifted/Talented Education, Reading, Special Education, and Secondary Education.


• Professional Certificates are also available for the Reading Specialist and Educational Diagnostician.