Middle Level Education, B.S.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Students who graduate with a B.S. in Middle Level Education should be able to …
  2. Understand the major concepts, principles, theories, and research related to young adolescent development, and they provide opportunities that support student development and learning.
  3. 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.
  4. Understand the major concepts, principles, theories, standards, and research related to middle level curriculum and assessment, and they use this knowledge in their practice.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. 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 31-44
2. College Requirements 0
3. Program Requirements 3-6
4. Major Requirements 85-92

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​

ARP – Analytical Reasoning and Problem Solving (6-7 hours) 

SCI – Scientific Literacy (7 hours)

GFL – Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Foreign Language  (0-6 hours)

To meet the GFL requirement, students in the BS 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) 

GSS – Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Social Sciences (3 hours) 

AIU – Aesthetic and Interpretive Understanding (3 hours)

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)

VSR – Values, Ethics, and Social Responsibility1 (0-3 hours)

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)

  • Select an additional Carolina Core-approved SCI course

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 (85-92 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 201Issues and Trends in Teaching and Learning3
EDFI 300Schools in Communities3
EDPY 401Learners and the Diversity of Learning3
Middle Level Core
EDML 321Middle Level Teaching and Management3
EDTE 522Integrated Curriculum at the Middle Level3
EDML 470Foundations in Reading3
EDML 471Middle Level Content Area Reading and Writing3
EDEX 491Introduction to Inclusion of Students with Mild Disabilities2
EDRM 423Introduction to Classroom Assessment2
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 498Internship A in the Middle School3
EDML 499Internship B in the Middle School12
EDML 584Middle School Internship Seminar3
Total Credit Hours49

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.S. degree cannot choose the English/Social Studies 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 572Middle Level Literacy Assessment3
ENGL 431AChildren’s Literature3
or ENGL 431B Picture Books
or ENGL 432 Young Adult Literature
ENGL 428AAfrican-American Literature I: to 19033
or ENGL 428B African-American Literature II: 1903 – Present
ENGL 360Creative Writing3
or ENGL 460 Advanced Writing
or ENGL 461 The Teaching of Writing
ENGL 450English Grammar3
or ENGL 389 The English Language
Select one of 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 Hours18

Social Studies Specialization (18 hours)

Course Title Credits
HIST 101European Civilization from Ancient Times to the Mid-17th Century3
HIST 102European Civilization from the Mid-17th Century3
HIST 111United States History to 18653
or HIST 112 United States History since 1865
GEOG 561Contemporary Issues in Geography Education3
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
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 Hours18

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 (if not used above)
Select one course from the following: 3
Mathematics Knowledge for Teaching II: PK-8
An Inductive Approach to Geometry
Foundations of Geometry
MATH 401Conceptual History of Mathematics3
or MATH 241 Vector Calculus
Select three additional courses from the following:9
Calculus I (if not used for Carolina Core requirement)
Calculus II (if not used above)
Vector Calculus (if not used above)
Finite Mathematics
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 (if STAT 506 was not taken)
Total Credit Hours18-19

Science Specialization (18-23 hours)

Select two courses from each of the following sciences:

Course Title Credits
Life Science
Select 6-7 hours 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 6-8 hours 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 6-8 hours of the following:6-7
Landform Geography
Weather and Climate
Introduction to the Earth
Environment of the Earth
Cultural Geology
Earth Resources (cannot be used if GEOL 103 used to fulfill Carolina Core)
Coastal Environments of the Southeastern U.S.
Rocks and Minerals
Oceans and Society
Origin and Evolution of Living and Non-Living Systems
Total Credit Hours18-22
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.S. Mathematics & English Concentration

Middle Level Education, B.S. Mathematics & Science Concentration

Middle Level Education, B.S. Mathematics & Social Studies Concentration

Middle Level Education, B.S. Science & English Concentration

Middle Level Education, B.S. Science & Social Studies Concentration