Education: Undergraduate Programs

Department Chair: Dr. Kimberly Marman

FACULTY: See Personnel  

Philosophy

The Department of Education undergraduate programs are designed to develop exceptional, ethical, and professional educators and learners who take responsibility for student learning, who demonstrate strong pedagogical content knowledge, and display the characteristics needed to positively impact P-12 students’ learning.

Note: Successful completion of a program of study in the Department of Education qualifies students to take the teacher licensure exam in their program area. Candidate teacher licensure pass rates can be found on the Department of Education web page.

Online Admissions Policy

Requirements for acceptance into the Online Elementary Education Program are:

• Official Transcripts from a regionally accredited institution
• Cumulative GPA of 2.75
• Two letters of recommendation

Undergraduate Program Admission Requirements:

The specific requirements for entrance to the Department of Education are as follows:

1. A student must have minimum overall GPA of 2.75.
2. A student must complete a Personal Data Form.
3. A student must submit a current Advising Worksheet.
4. A student must write and submit an essay on his/her philosophy of education or autobiography.
5. A student must submit a copy of scores from his/her core Academic Skills Tests for Educators in Writing, Reading, and Mathematics to the Department of Education; scores must meet or exceed the North Dakota Education Standards and Practices Board (ESPB) licensure cut-off scores or meet the Basic Competency requirements for Reading, Writing, and Math.
6. For Business Education, Chemistry Education, SBS Education, English Education, History Education, Biology Education, Math Education, and Music Education Majors only: Students must provide written evidence of acceptance by their major.

Admission to the Department of Education is prerequisite to taking EDU and PED 300-400 level courses. Admission requirements are presented and discussed in EDU 200 - Introduction to Education , and students are strongly advised to complete all 200-level courses prior to enrollment in EDU and PED 300-400 level courses.

Student Teaching Program Admission Requirements:

The student teaching experience is the capstone course of the teacher preparation program in the Department of Education at the University of Mary. The specific requirements for admission into the student teaching program are as follows: A teacher candidate must

1. be admitted into the Department of Education
2. submit a copy of his/her Praxis II test scores (Content and Principles of Learning & Teaching) to the Department of Education the semester before student teaching
3. attend the preliminary Student Teaching meetings during the semester prior to student teaching,
4. complete the Student Teaching Program Application materials that are provided by the Program Director; they include:
   • Disclosure of Experiences with Diverse Populations form,
   • Student Teaching Application form,
   • Release of Electronic Portfolio form,
   • Release of Background Investigation form,
   • Three Recommendation Forms to Student Teach (see Note below),
     Note: Recommendation Forms to Student Teach forms indicate the candidate’s readiness to student teach, and must be from the following people: Department of Education faculty, content area faculty (secondary ed), and a practicum teacher.
   • If applicable, Petition(s) to Student Teach (see Note below),
     Note: if a candidate has any coursework to complete, the candidate is required to submit, along with a copy of the Advising Worksheet, a Petition Letter listing all of the courses to be completed for his/her teaching degree and a timeline of when and where the courses will be completed. The Petition Letter must be submitted to the Student Teaching Program Director who will present the Petition to the Department faculty for approval.
   • Course Registration form
5. schedule and participate in a Student Teaching advising session with his/her EDU Advisor to complete an audit of the Advising Worksheet, and submit the completed Worksheet to the Department of Education. These forms provide verification that the prospective student teacher has met the following Student Teaching Program requirements:
   • Completed all course work required for a teaching license;
   • Earned a minimum GPA of 3.0 within the teaching major(s);
   • Earned grades that are no lower than a C- in any course required for a teaching license.
6. complete and pass  a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) fingerprint background check, and submit a hard copy of the results of that background check to the Department of Education.
   Note: If the background check reveals that the student has a conviction, that record must be submitted to the school district in which the student petitions to student teach. Based on the nature of the conviction, the university and /or school district can refuse to have the student placed in that school district and, as a result, that student will NOT complete his/her teaching major requirements or university graduation requirements.
7. Present and successfully pass an electronic portfolio interview on Student Portfolio Day

Before being placed into student teaching, each student must:

1. Receive a passing grade in EDU 411 , all licensure courses, and practicum experiences. 

Programs

• Child Development Studies Major
• Coaching and Sports Studies Major
• Early Childhood Education Major
• Elementary Education Major
• Human Support Services Major
• Physical Education Major
• Secondary Education Program
• Special Education Major

• Coaching and Sports Studies Minor
• Health Education Minor
• Special Education Minor