The pre-professional secondary education minor is designed to provide candidates with the prerequisite course offerings and experiences that form the required foundation for admission to the Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) dual degree program. Completion of the M.A.T. program is one of the pathways that can be selected for a recommendation for Virginia licensure in secondary education through JMU. Undergraduate candidates who are planning to pursue licensure to teach in an academic area at the secondary school level in this dual degree pathway should complete the 20-22 credit hour pre-professional secondary education minor.
Candidates should also complete a major or the equivalent in one of the arts and sciences disciplines closely associated with the desired teaching area. The state-approved licensure areas in the secondary education program at JMU include English, mathematics, the natural sciences (biology, chemistry, physics, earth science) and history/social science (social studies). Licensure endorsements for other teaching areas (e.g., algebra) are available as add-on programs. Candidates should contact the departmental office for information concerning those programs.
Candidates should consult with the department head or an advisor in secondary education early during the first year or as soon, thereafter, as possible to obtain information concerning completing the related General Education and content area requirements, as well as the undergraduate and graduate education requirements.
This secondary education licensure program pathway is an integrated program of undergraduate and graduate dual degree requirements and experiences. It is important for candidates to understand that they must meet the requirements for a baccalaureate degree and that the appropriate undergraduate pre-professional courses (i.e. the pre-professional SEED minor) and experiences must be completed satisfactorily before they will be admitted to the M.A.T. program.
Candidates must earn a grade of “B-” or better (unless noted otherwise) in all required pre-professional undergraduate courses in the education program to continue in and complete the pre-professional program. In addition, a minimum undergraduate cumulative GPA of 2.5 is required for admission into the Teacher Education program. A minimum undergraduate cumulative GPA of 2.7 is required for admission to the graduate program. All students applying to the M.A.T. in Education must ensure they complete a minimum of 120 undergraduate credits to receive their bachelor’s degree.
Consult the Graduate Catalog for M.A.T. graduate requirements. If utilizing this pathway to licensure, admission to and the satisfactory completion of the M.A.T. program are required in order to receive a recommendation through JMU for a teaching license at the secondary school level.
Candidates should note that, at times, actual teacher licensure requirements may differ from the catalog requirements listed for a program because changes enacted by the Virginia Department of Education or accrediting agencies may have occurred after the catalog copy was approved. Therefore, it is important for students to confer with their education advisors on a regular basis.
