Program Description
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 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 and history/social sciences. Licensure endorsements for other teaching areas (e.g., Algebra I, journalism and gifted education) are available as add-on endorsements. 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 minimum grade of "B-" in all required secondary education major courses (excludes EDUC 200, WRTC 103 and EDUC 175 or PSYC 160) and earn credit in all licensure area content coursework. Satisfactory completion of both the secondary education major and the content area major or equivalent are necessary to receive an endorsement 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 370 and MSSE 371. 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 advisors.
Admission Requirements
Students must meet specific requirements to be admitted to programs within the College of Education. These criteria can be found on the College of Education catalog page.
Degree Requirements
Degree and Major Requirements
| Degree Requirements |
Credit Hours |
| General Education 1 |
41 |
| Quantitative Requirement 2 |
3 |
| Scientific Literacy Requirement 2 |
3 |
| Major Requirements |
50-51 |
| Additional Content Major Requirements |
36-56 |
| Total |
125-128 |
Major Requirements
Students are responsible for transportation to field placements at local schools. Before beginning the licensure portion of the professional program, candidates must meet all criteria for admission to teacher education (e.g., minimum GPA of 2.5, completing required trainings. Candidates are expected to complete all admission processes early in their sophomore year. Candidates must meet all additional requirements of the program before completion. Candidates must submit passing scores on the Praxis Subject Assessment prior to registration for MSSE 420 and prior to beginning MSSE 475.
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Credits |
| EDUC 175 | Learning, Behavior and Engagement in Context [C5SD] | 3 |
| or PSYC 160 | Life Span Human Development [C5SD] |
| EDUC 200 | Foundations of Education in the United States | 3 |
| LED 440 | Disciplinary Literacy in Secondary Education | 3 |
| MSSE 210 | Diversity in Middle and Secondary Education | 3 |
| MSSE 370 | General Instructional Methods for Grades 6-12 | 3 |
| MSSE 371 | Clinical Experience in Adolescent Education | 1 |
| MSSE 403 | Behavior and Classroom Management in a Diverse Society | 3 |
| MSSE 415 | Content Area Field Experience in Middle Schools | 3 |
| MSSE 420 | Differentiation for Adolescents | 3 |
| MSSE 425 | Assessment in Middle and Secondary Education | 3 |
| MSSE 450 | Internship Seminar | 2 |
| 30 |
| MSSE 475 | Internship in High School | 8 |
| 8 |
| 12-13 |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| 12-13 |
| Total Credits | 50-51 |
Concentrations
Students should select one of the following concentrations.
Chemistry, Biology or Physics
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Credits |
| MSSE 414 | Natural Sciences Teaching Methods, Grades 6-8 | 3 |
| MSSE 444 | Science Content Methods, Grades 9-12 | 3 |
| MSSE 445 | Content Area Field Experience in Secondary Education, Grades 9-12 | 3 |
| MSSE 397/PHYS 302 | Science Pedagogy | 2 |
| MSSE 495/BIO 489 | Topics in Science Pedagogical Content Knowledge | 2 |
| Total Credits | 13 |
English
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Credits |
| LED 254 | Literature for Adolescents | 3 |
| MSSE 411 | English/Language Arts Teaching Methods, Grades 6-8 | 3 |
| MSSE 441 | English/Language Arts Content Methods, Grades 9-12 | 3 |
| MSSE 445 | Content Area Field Experience in Secondary Education, Grades 9-12 | 3 |
| Total Credits | 12 |
Social Studies
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Credits |
| MSSE 412 | Social Studies Teaching Methods, Grades 6-8 | 3 |
| MSSE 442 | Social Studies Content Methods, Grades 9-12 | 3 |
| MSSE 445 | Content Area Field Experience in Secondary Education, Grades 9-12 | 3 |
| MSSE 455 | Special Topics in Pedagogical Content Knowledge | 3 |
| Total Credits | 12 |
Mathematics
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Credits |
| MSSE 413 | Mathematics Teaching Methods, Grades 6-8 | 3 |
| MSSE 443 | Mathematics Content Methods, Grades 9-12 | 3 |
| MSSE 445 | Content Area Field Experience in Secondary Education, Grades 9-12 | 3 |
| MSSE 455 | Special Topics in Pedagogical Content Knowledge | 3 |
| Total Credits | 12 |
