Middle Level Education, B.A.
Learning Outcomes
- Students who graduate with a B.A. in Middle Level Education should be able to …
- Understand the major concepts, principles, theories, and research related to young adolescent development, and they provide opportunities that support student development and learning.
- Understand the major concepts, principles, theories, and research underlying the philosophical foundations of developmentally responsive middle level programs and schools, and they work successfully within these organizational components.
- Understand the major concepts, principles, theories, standards, and research related to middle level curriculum and assessment, and they use this knowledge in their practice.
- Understand and use the central concepts, tools of inquiry, standards, and structures of content in their chosen teaching fields, and they create meaningful learning experiences that develop all young adolescents’ competence in subject matter and skills.
- Understand and use the major concepts, principles, theories, and research related to effective instruction and assessment, and they employ a variety of strategies for a developmentally appropriate climate to meet the varying abilities and learning styles of all young adolescents.
- Understand the major concepts, principles, theories, and research related to working collaboratively with family and community members, and they use that knowledge to maximize the learning of all young adolescents.
- Understand the complexity of teaching young adolescents, and they engage in practices and behaviors that develop their competence as professionals.
Admissions
Admission to the Professional Program
All University teacher education students must apply and be admitted to Professional Program/Internship at mid-point(s) in their programs prior to final internship (i.e.student teaching). Requirements for admission vary by program, but for undergraduate students include 60 credit hours with a minimum overall GPA of 2.75, successful completion of a state-approved basic skills examination, and courses as specified by program area.
Students should contact their program area or the College of Education Office of Student Affairs for specific requirements and application deadlines.
Degree Requirements (122-124 hours)
See College of Education for certification requirements and other academic opportunities.
Program of Study
| Requirements | Credit Hours |
|---|---|
| 1. Carolina Core | 31-43 |
| 2. College Requirements | 0 |
| 3. Program Requirements | 3-6 |
| 4. Major Requirements | 85-90 |
Founding Documents Requirement
All undergraduate students must take a 3-credit course or its equivalent with a passing grade in the subject areas of History, Political Science, or African American Studies that covers the founding documents including the United State Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Emancipation Proclamation and one or more documents that are foundational to the African American Freedom struggle, and a minimum of five essays from the Federalist papers. This course may count as a requirement in any part of the program of study including the Carolina Core, the major, minor or cognate, or as a general elective. Courses that meet this requirement are listed here.
1. Carolina Core Requirements (31-43 hours)
CMW – Effective, Engaged, and Persuasive Communication: Written (6 hours)
must be passed with a grade of C or higher
- any CC-CMW course
ARP – Analytical Reasoning and Problem Solving (6-8 hours)
- any CC-ARP course
SCI – Scientific Literacy (7 hours)
- any two CC-SCI courses (one must include a lab)
GFL – Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Foreign Language (0-6 hours)
To meet the GFL requirement, students in the BA in Middle Level Education complete the Carolina Core approved courses in Foreign Language (GFL) or by achieving a score of 2 or better on a USC foreign language placement test.
GHS – Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Historical Thinking (3 hours)
- any CC-GHS course
GSS – Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Social Sciences (3 hours)
- any CC-GSS course
AIU – Aesthetic and Interpretive Understanding (3 hours)
- any CC-AIU course
CMS – Effective, Engaged, and Persuasive Communication: Spoken Component1 (0-3 hours)
- any overlay or stand-alone CC-CMS course
INF – Information Literacy1 (0-3 hours)
- any overlay or stand-alone CC-INF course
VSR – Values, Ethics, and Social Responsibility1 (0-3 hours)
- any overlay or stand-alone CC-VSR course
- 1
Carolina Core Stand Alone or Overlay Eligible Requirements — Overlay-approved courses offer students the option of meeting two Carolina Core components in a single course. A maximum of two overlays is allowed. The total Carolina Core credit hours must add up to a minimum of 31 hours. Some programs may have a higher number of minimum Carolina Core hours due to specified requirements.
2. College Requirements (0 hours)
No college-required courses for this program.
3. Program Requirements (3-6 hours)
Supporting Courses (3 hours)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Additional Literature or History | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Special Topics in British Literature | ||
| Special Topics in American Literature | ||
| American Literature | ||
| English Literature | ||
Select an additional History course | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 3 | |
Minor (18 hours) optional
A student may choose to complete a minor consisting of 18 credit hours of prescribed courses. The minor is intended to develop a coherent basic preparation in a second area of study. Courses applied toward general education requirements cannot be counted toward the minor. No course may satisfy both major and minor requirements. All minor courses must be passed with a grade of C or better.
Electives (0-3 hours)
The number of elective hours required depends upon the number of hours used to fulfill other degree requirements. Minimum degree requirements must equal 122 hours.
4. Major Requirements (85-90 hours)
A minimum grade of C is required in all major requirements, including all major and concentration courses.
Major Courses (49 hours)
A minimum grade of C is required in all major courses.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Education Core | ||
| EDTE 201 | Issues and Trends in Teaching and Learning | 3 |
| EDFI 300 | Schools in Communities | 3 |
| EDPY 401 | Learners and the Diversity of Learning | 3 |
| Middle Level Core | ||
| EDML 321 | Middle Level Teaching and Management | 3 |
| EDTE 522 | Integrated Curriculum at the Middle Level | 3 |
| EDML 470 | Foundations in Reading | 3 |
| EDML 471 | Middle Level Content Area Reading and Writing | 3 |
| EDEX 491 | Introduction to Inclusion of Students with Mild Disabilities | 2 |
| EDRM 423 | Introduction to Classroom Assessment | 2 |
| Select two middle grades content-specific methods courses (500-level) from the following 4 courses: | 6 | |
| Methods and Materials for Teaching Science in the Middle Grades | ||
| Methods and Materials for Teaching Social Studies in the Middle School | ||
| Methods and Materials for Teaching English/Language Arts in the Middle Grades | ||
| Methods and Materials for Teaching Mathematics in the Middle Grades | ||
| Clinical Experience | ||
| EDML 498 | Internship A in the Middle School | 3 |
| EDML 499 | Internship B in the Middle School | 12 |
| EDML 584 | Middle School Internship Seminar | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours | 49 | |
Concentrations (36-41 hours)
Must be in addition to courses taken to meet Carolina Core requirements.
Specialization is required in two different content areas, chosen from:
- English
- Mathematics
- Science
- Social Studies
Students pursuing a B.A. degree cannot choose the Math/Science combination.
Specialization A (18-23 hours)
To be completed with courses listed below and approved by College of Education advisor in English, mathematics, science, or social studies.
Specialization B (18-23 hours)
To be completed with courses listed below and approved by College of Education advisor in English, mathematics, science, or social studies and different from Specialization A.
English Specialization (18 hours)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EDML 572 | Middle Level Literacy Assessment | 3 |
| ENGL 431A | Children’s Literature | 3 |
| or ENGL 431B | Picture Books | |
| or ENGL 432 | Young Adult Literature | |
| ENGL 428A | African-American Literature I: to 1903 | 3 |
| or ENGL 428B | African-American Literature II: 1903 – Present | |
| ENGL 360 | Creative Writing | 3 |
| or ENGL 460 | Advanced Writing | |
| or ENGL 461 | The Teaching of Writing | |
| ENGL 450 | English Grammar | 3 |
| or ENGL 389 | The English Language | |
| Select one literature course from the following: | 3 | |
| Epic to Romance | ||
| Romanticism | ||
| Realism | ||
| Modernism | ||
| Postmodernism | ||
| Early English Literature | ||
| Chaucer | ||
| Tudor Literature | ||
| The 17th Century | ||
| English Drama to 1660 | ||
| Shakespeare's Tragedies | ||
| Shakespeare’s Comedies and Histories | ||
| Milton | ||
| The Restoration and 18th Century | ||
| British Romantic Literature | ||
| Victorian Literature | ||
| Modern English Literature | ||
| English Drama Since 1660 | ||
| The English Novel I | ||
| The English Novel II | ||
| Selected Topics in Pre-1800 Literature and Culture | ||
| American Literature to 1830 | ||
| American Literature 1830-1860 | ||
| American Literature 1860-1910 | ||
| Modern American Literature | ||
| American Drama | ||
| Southern Literature | ||
| The American Novel to 1914 | ||
| The American Novel Since 1914 | ||
| American Poetry | ||
| Selected Topics in Post-1800 Literature and Culture | ||
| The Short Story | ||
| Science Fiction Literature | ||
| Women Writers | ||
| South Carolina Writers | ||
| Scottish Literature | ||
| Irish Literature | ||
| African Literature | ||
| Caribbean Literature | ||
| Selected Topics | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 18 | |
Social Studies Specialization (18 hours)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HIST 101 | European Civilization from Ancient Times to the Mid-17th Century | 3 |
| HIST 102 | European Civilization from the Mid-17th Century | 3 |
| HIST 111 | United States History to 1865 | 3 |
| or HIST 112 | United States History since 1865 | |
| GEOG 561 | Contemporary Issues in Geography Education | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| The History of South Carolina, 1670-1865 | ||
| History of South Carolina Since 1865 | ||
| The Old South | ||
| Introduction to Southern Studies 1580-1900 | ||
or SOST 202 | Introduction to Southern Studies: The Twentieth Century | |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
Additional 300-level HIST | ||
| Great Discoveries in Archaeology | ||
| Prehistoric Civilizations of the New World | ||
| Mesoamerican Prehistory | ||
| Ancient Civilizations | ||
| Introduction to Economics | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 18 | |
Mathematics Specialization (18-19 hours)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select one course from the following: | 3-4 | |
| Mathematics Knowledge for Teaching I: PK-8 | ||
| Inquiry Approach to Algebra | ||
| Calculus II | ||
| Select one course from the following: | 3 | |
| Mathematics Knowledge for Teaching II: PK-8 | ||
| An Inductive Approach to Geometry | ||
| Foundations of Geometry | ||
| STAT 201 | Elementary Statistics | 3 |
| MATH 401 | Conceptual History of Mathematics | 3 |
| or MATH 241 | Vector Calculus | |
| Select two additional courses from the following OR three courses if STAT 201 was used to fulfill the Carolina Core ARP requirement: | 6 | |
| Calculus I (if not used for Carolina Core requirement) | ||
| Calculus II (if not used above) | ||
| Vector Calculus (if not used above) | ||
| Finite Mathematics | ||
or MATH 174 | Discrete Mathematics for Computer Science | |
| Probability | ||
| Linear Algebra | ||
| Algebraic Structures I | ||
| Discrete Mathematics I | ||
| Elementary Number Theory | ||
| Introduction to Experimental Design | ||
| Statistical Methods I | ||
| Statistical Methods II 1 | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 18-19 | |
- 1
If STAT 506 was not taken.
Science Specialization (18-23 hours)
Select two courses from each of the following sciences:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Life Science | ||
| Select two of the following: | 6-7 | |
| General Biology | ||
| Genetics and Society | ||
| Human Anatomy and Physiology I | ||
| Introduction to Environmental Biology (cannot be used if GEOL 103 used to fulfill Carolina Core) 1 | ||
| Interdependence of Living Systems | ||
| Physical Science | ||
| Select two of the following: | 6-8 | |
| General Physics I and General Physics Laboratory I | ||
| General Physics II and General Physics Laboratory II | ||
| Physics in the Visual Arts and Physics in the Visual Arts Laboratory | ||
| Musical Acoustics | ||
| Fundamental Chemistry II (if not used for Carolina Core requirement) | ||
| Chemistry and Modern Society I (if not used for Carolina Core requirement) | ||
| General Chemistry I (if not used for Carolina Core requirement) | ||
| Energy, Motion, and Matter | ||
| Earth Science | ||
| Select two of the following: | 6-8 | |
| Landform Geography | ||
| Weather and Climate | ||
| Introduction to the Earth | ||
| Environment of the Earth | ||
| Cultural Geology | ||
| Earth Resources 1 | ||
| Coastal Environments of the Southeastern U.S. | ||
| Rocks and Minerals | ||
| Oceans and Society | ||
| Origin and Evolution of Living and Non-Living Systems | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 18-23 | |
- 1
Cannot be used if GEOL 103 used to fulfill Carolina Core.
Major Map
A major map is a layout of required courses in a given program of study, including critical courses and suggested course sequences to ensure a clear path to graduation.
Major maps are only a suggested or recommended sequence of courses required in a program of study. Please contact your academic advisor for assistance in the application of specific coursework to a program of study and course selection and planning for upcoming semesters.
Middle Level Education, B.A. Mathematics & English Concentration
Middle Level Education, B.A. Mathematics & Social Studies Concentration
Middle Level Education, B.A. Science & English Concentration
Middle Level Education, B.A. Science & Social Studies Concentration
Middle Level Education, B.A. Social Studies & English Concentration