Bachelor of Science in Middle School Education
Prepare to Have a Dynamic Impact in the Classroom
The Educator Preparation Program (FEP) at St. Catharine College is Kentucky’s first entirely field-based education curriculum. From your very first semester in college, you will be in the middle school classroom experiencing what it is like to lead a class. Initially, you will be observing classrooms, but by the second half of the first semester, you will be assigned to two different classrooms where you will assist students who need tutoring, help the teacher prepare materials for use in class and, in general, get a feel for the middle school teaching experience.
Through the program, you will be exposed to a wide variety of schools and classrooms so you can understand the different types of situations you may face as a classroom teacher. You will also learn to work with students from diverse backgrounds including those with special needs and language barriers. By the time you graduate, you will have developed the knowledge, skills, and dispositions that will enable you to be certified as a Middle School Teacher and meet the challenges of the profession.
Concentrations Available:
Students may work toward certification in Science, Language Arts or both Science and Language Arts. Social Studies certification has been submitted to the Education Professional Standards Board for approval in the fall of 2011.
Special Program Highlights and Features:
- Students are exposed to a wide variety of classrooms including urban disadvantaged, magnet school for creative and performing arts, Spanish language immersion, parochial and rural.
- St. Catharine offers Kentucky’s first field-based education program.
- Nearly all graduates of the program find teaching positions upon graduation.
- Students can receive help with job placement through the education department’s contacts, if desired.
- Students will learn to work with children who have special needs, a language barrier or other challenges.
- Having completed a minimum of four semesters working in the field in their once-w-week placements, SCC students also begin their student teaching experience sooner than in other programs, serving a twice-a-week placement in the classrooms in which they will student teach in the semester prior to student teaching. As a result, SCC students experience the complete range of teacher responsibilities from August pretests through spring testing and, in most cases, will manage a full teaching load for at least two months, compared to the two weeks experienced by students at other institutions.
- Education students are welcome to participate in our very active chapter of the Kentucky Education Association Student Program (KEA-SP).
Interesting Courses You Will Take:
Introduction to Education - An exploration of the purposes and organization of United States elementary, middle and secondary education and the role of educators within these existing structures.
Classroom Management: Positive Discipline in the Classroom – This course is designed to teach future educators how to implement discipline techniques that are respectful of both the student and the teacher. Children/students are empowered to use class meetings to solve problems, learn conflict resolution techniques, and establish class rules and responsibilities. This approach to discipline advocates parent education as part of communicating positive parenting education by schools.
Educational Psychology-This course introduces students to psychological research about human development and learning issues and explores the nature of individual and cultural differences that impact learning and schooling.
Curriculum Development – This course is designed to assist pre-service teachers in developing an interdisciplinary unit of study taught and assessed in the Clinical Experience.
Meet the Instructors
The instructors within the Education Department at St. Catharine College are highly experienced in the classroom. They know first hand the challenges you will face when you have a classroom of your own. In addition to courses taught by full-time faculty, the College also offers classes taught by several excellent education professionals from the area. All are exceptional classroom teachers in their own right who have a love for instruction that will inspire you to become an outstanding educator.
Career Outlook for Major
Well-trained teachers are always in demand. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the demand for kindergarten through secondary school teachers is expected to grow by 13 percent between 2008 and 2018, which is about as fast as the average for all occupations.
