Grades Six through Twelve Licensure Program
The undergraduate major in Secondary Education provides candidates with course offerings and experiences that form the required foundation for licensure in secondary education through James Madison University. In addition to the Secondary Education major, students also complete a major or the equivalent in a discipline closely associated with the desired teaching area. The state approved licensure areas in the Secondary Education concentration at JMU include: English, mathematics, biology, chemistry, physics, earth science, and history/social sciences. Licensure endorsements for other teaching areas (e.g., Algebra I, Journalism, TESOL, and Gifted Education) are available as add-on programs. Students should contact the department of Middle, Secondary, and Mathematics Education for information concerning those programs.
For successful completion of the Secondary Education major, students must earn a grade of “B-” or better in all required Secondary Education courses and earn credit in all licensure area content coursework. Satisfactory completion of both the Secondary Education major and the licensure courses are necessary to receive a recommendation through JMU for a teaching license.
Students should be aware that there is a teacher education admission process that must be completed after a Secondary Education major is declared. Students must be fully admitted to Teacher Education prior to registering for MSSE 240 . Students should also note that actual teacher licensure requirements may differ from the catalog requirements listed because of changes enacted by the Virginia Department of Education or accrediting agencies after the catalog copy is approved. Therefore, it is important for students to confer regularly with their Secondary Education advisers.
