Secondary Education (new effective Fall 2023)

The B.A. in Secondary Education is designed for students interested in teaching in a specific content in a middle school or high school classroom. The major provides special focus on the strategies for the unique learning needs of adolescents in these grade ranges. Students in the Secondary Education major are required to choose one concentration from the following options:

  • 5th-9th Grade Math
  • 7th-12th Grade Math
  • 5th-9th Grade English Language Arts
  • 7th-12th Grade English Language Arts
  • 5th-9th Grade Integrated Science
  • 7th-12 Grade Integrated Science
  • 5th-9th Grade Social Studies
  • 7th-12 Grade Social Studies

The curriculum is designed for students to complete in sequential phases which are outlined in the Secondary Education Pathway to Teacher Certification. The pathway includes academic coursework, professional preparation (i.e., field experiences), and passing scores on the relevant Michigan Test for Teacher Certification (MTTC) exam(s), during or following student teaching.

Certification

The College of Education, Health and Human Services recommends students for the Michigan Secondary Standard Teaching Certificate upon successful completion of the program and testing requirements. The Michigan Department of Education ultimately awards the certification.

Standard Teaching Certificate

The initial teaching certificate awarded to the beginning secondary school teacher is the Michigan Standard Teaching Certificate. This certificate is valid for teaching within the grade group and content area selected. Students are able to obtain endorsements by completing the course work and successfully passing the Michigan Test for Teacher Certification (MTTC) in their grade band and content area. The Standard Teaching Certificate is valid for five years and can be renewed an unlimited number of times provided that renewal conditions are met. Legislative or other state action may change these specifications. Therefore, students are advised to contact the College of Education, Health, and Human Services’ Office of Student Success to learn of the most recent policies.

Apprenticeship Semesters

Each student enrolled in a teacher certification program at UM-Dearborn is expected to spend two full academic terms in apprenticeship work. The period of time is called the “apprenticeship semesters.” This entails two full day's teaching load and all school-related activities at University-negotiated sites for two seven-week experiences in two different grade levels, ideally within the same school context. 

Internship (Student Teaching)

Each student enrolled in a teacher certification program at UM-Dearborn is expected to spend one full academic term exclusively in professional work. This period of time is called the internship. The Internship, also known as student teaching, and its related seminar serve as the core for this particular term. This entails a full day's teaching load and all school-related activities at a University-negotiated site. 

Opportunities for directed teaching are available only in the University's fall and winter terms. Students must review an application screencast and complete a survey roughly a year prior to the start of the internship. Students intending on entering their internship in the fall semester should complete this step in the preceding September whereas those entering in the winter term should do so during the preceding January. Information related to the screencast and application materials will be available on the Field Placement Office website. Requirements for acceptance into the professional semester are outlined in the Secondary Education Pathway to Teacher Certification.

Incompletes, Unsatisfactory Grades, and Withdrawals

No student will be assigned to, or registered for, directed teaching with incomplete work in the Professional Sequence of courses.

Any student, who has withdrawn from or received an unsatisfactory grade in the internship (student teaching), whether through the action of a school district, the University, or by personal choice, will have a request for future placement carefully reviewed by the College. Reassignment for the internship is not guaranteed, nor is it an automatic process.

Students must complete a remediation plan with the Field Placement Director which is subject to approval by the College’s Administrative Council.

General Field Placement Policy

Students in the teacher preparation program are assigned field placements, either as apprentices or as interns (student teachers) , in public or private schools. Field placement shall be made in accordance with the policies and procedures set forth by the College of Education, Health, and Human Services and in compliance with accreditation standards.

The student is expected to maintain professional dispositions in order to conform to the expectations of the placement school and the University. Appropriate academic preparation is required as outlined in the elementary and secondary programs of the College. Professional responsibilities during the Internship (Student Teaching) term are detailed in the "Department of Education Clinical Experience Handbook" which is located on the CEHHS Student Teaching Eligibility website.

The public and private schools exercise the right to screen the University's students. Acceptance or rejection of students is not controlled by the University. A placement school may reject a University student for several reasons, including a lack of placement positions in the school or a determination that the University student's presence in the school or classroom may disrupt or interfere in some way with the educational process.

Currently there is no way in which the University can require the placement school to state specific reasons for rejection.

If a University student is repeatedly denied placement by the field schools, the College of Education, Health, and Human Services will recommend career counseling and terminate matriculation in the teacher certification program.

Licensure Statement

The pathways in our Educator Preparation Program were designed to satisfy educational prerequisites to initial and advanced licensure in only the state of Michigan. We encourage students to contact the appropriate licensing agency in the state in which they are located or, if different, the state in which they intend to seek licensure for more information. While the Educator Preparation Program pathways may or may not fully satisfy educational prerequisites to licensure in other states, academic advisors work with students on an individual basis and are available to discuss teaching certifications and reciprocity opportunities in other states. In addition, the Education Commission of the States website provides solid information as to the expectations each state and the District of Columbia has for obtaining licensure beyond Michigan licensure.

Dearborn Discovery Core (General Education)

All students must satisfy the University’s Dearborn Discovery Core requirements, in addition to the requirements for the major

Secondary Education Major

Pre-Professional Studies:
EDA 200Social Justice & Community Based Education3
EDA 306Foundations of Professionalism in Education 3
EDT 216Introduction to Learning Technologies1
EDC 300Educational Psychology3
EDC 305Adol Devl & Classroom Mgmt3
EDC 431Constructivist Education3
EDC 439Child Maltreatment and Trauma3
Total Credit Hours19

Note:  EDA 306, EDA 200, and EDC 305 include assigned clinical exploratory experiences in the local community.  

Secondary Education Major:
EDC 417Mgmt of Classroom Behavior3
EDC 460Educating the Exceptional Chld3
EDM 450Intercultural Education3
PDED 405Sp Ed Legisltn and Litigation3
EDD 469Reading in the Content Areas3
Apprenticeship I (EDFP 401, EDD 449, and EDT 317 taken concurrently)
EDFP 401Apprenticeship I: ESL3
EDD 449Tchng English as Second Lang3
EDT 317Learning Technologies in Content Areas1
Apprenticeship II (EDT 418 taken concurrently with relevant content methods and apprenticeship):
EDT 418Learning Technologies in the Classroom1
Apprenticeship Courses:
EDFP 444Apprenticeship II: Secondary English3
or EDFP 455 Apprenticeship II: Secondary Math
or EDFP 488 Apprenticeship II: Secondary Science
or EDFP 499 Apprenticeship II: Secondary Social Studies
Methods Courses:
EDD 444Teach English in Second Grds3
or EDD 455 Teach Math in Second Grades
or EDD 488 Teach of Sci in the Second Grd
or EDD 499 Secondary Social Studies Methods
Total Credit Hours29
Secondary Internship Courses:
EDFP 421Internship: Secondary School10
EDD 424Seminar: Teaching Secondary Grades2
Total Credit Hours12

Notes: Program Specific Requirements

  1. The minimum number of semester hours required to graduate is 120.
  2. CEHHS recommends successful program completers for State of Michigan Certification, however, it is ultimately up to the State of Michigan to issue certificates. Certain offenses on a criminal record can keep individuals from obtaining teacher certification. Please refer to The Revised School Code, Act 451 of 1976, section 380.1539b.
  3. Students are required to pass all of the MTTC tests for each concentration area selected to be recommended for certification.

Concentrations

Students in the Secondary Education major are required to choose one concentration from the following options:

5-9 ELA Major Concentration 34 Credit Hours

COMP 327Advanced Writing4
COMP 475Supporting Literacies4
EDC 490Litrcy Instr & Assess for Els3
ENGL 200Intro to English Studies4
SPEE 310Interpersonal Communication4
EDA 236Literacy in Grades 3-93
ENGL 238Intro to Lit: Arab American3
or ENGL 239 Storytelling: African American Literature
LING 280Introduction to Linguistics3
or LING 480 Concepts in Linguistics
LING 461Modern English Grammar3
or LING 482 History of the English Lang
LING 476Sociolinguistics3
or LING 474 Second Lang Acquisition: Engl
or LING 484 World Englishes

5-9 Integrated Science Major Concentration 30 Credit Hours

BIOL 100Principles of Biology3
CHEM 100Chemistry and Society4
PHYS 100Perspectives in Physics3
ESCI 118Geology I4
ESCI 118LGeology I Lab/Rec0
NSCI 231Inquiry: Physical Science3
NSCI 232Inquiry:Earth/Planet Science3
NSCI 233Inquiry: Life Science3
ENGR 360Design Thinking : Process, Method & Practice4
EXPS 400STEM Teaching and Learning3
Total Credit Hours30

5-9 Math Major Concentration 29 Credit Hour

MATH 383Mathematics for Teachers III: Whole Numbers and Operations3
MATH 384Mathematics for Teachers IV: Fractions and Operations3
MATH 387Math for Elem Teachers III3
MATH 442Geometry for Teachers3
MATH 444Data Anlsys,Prob&Stat forTchrs3
MATH 445Number & Prop'l Rsng for Tchrs3
MATH 449Concepts of Calc for Teachers3
MATH 104College Algebra4
or MATH 105 Pre-Calculus
MATH 115Calculus I4
or MATH 113 Calc I for Biology & Life Sci

5-9 Social Studies Major Concentration minimum 41 Credit Hours 

HIST 101The World to 1500 CE3
HIST 103The World Since 1500 CE3
HIST 111The American Past I3-4
or HIST 316 African American History I: 1619-1865
or HIST 318 Early American Republic, 1776-1840
or HIST 319 Civil War & Reconstruction
HIST 300The Study of History4
HIST 304Studies in Det. Hist & Culture3-4
or HIST 309 Russian and Ukrainian Revolutions
or HIST 316 African American History I: 1619-1865
or HIST 333 The Age of Revolution in Europe and the World
or HIST 338 Women&Islam Mid East to 1900
or HIST 339 The Late Ottoman Empire, 1789-1924
or HIST 361 U.S. Economic History
or HIST 370 Women in Am-Hist Perspective
or HIST 387 Aspects of the Holocaust
or HIST 389 Nazi Germany
or HIST 3132 Armenians in the Modern World
or HIST 3368 Germany Since 1945
or HIST 3385 Sex, War, and Violence
or HIST 3520 Lebanon in Modern Middle East
or HIST 3603 Introduction to Latin America: Utopia to Autocracy
or HIST 3634 History of Islam in the US
or HIST 3672 Public History in Arab Detroit
or HIST 3673 Arabs & Muslims in Media
or HIST 3695 American City
HIST 3601Michigan History4
POL 101American Politics3
POL 311Int Group and Pol Process4
or POL 312 Legislative Process
or POL 313 American State Government
or POL 315 The American Presidency
or POL 322 Michigan Government, Politics, & Public Policy
or POL 323 Urban Politics
or POL 325 Environmental Politics
or POL 360 American Policy Process
or POL 362 Women, Politics, and the Law
or POL 484 Revitalizing Cities
or URS 300 Urban and Regional Studies
GEOG 302Mapping Our World4
GEOG 306World Regional Geography4
ECON 201Prin: Macroeconomics3
ECON 202Prin: Microeconomics3

7-12 ELA Major Concentration 38 Credit Hours

COMP 327Advanced Writing4
COMP 475Supporting Literacies4
EDC 490Litrcy Instr & Assess for Els3
ENGL 200Intro to English Studies4
SPEE 310Interpersonal Communication4
LIBR 470Literature for Young People3
ENGL 238Intro to Lit: Arab American3
or ENGL 239 Storytelling: African American Literature
LING 280Introduction to Linguistics3
or LING 480 Concepts in Linguistics
LING 461Modern English Grammar3
or LING 482 History of the English Lang
LING 476Sociolinguistics3
or LING 474 Second Lang Acquisition: Engl
or LING 484 World Englishes
ENGL 358Shakespeare on Film4
or ENGL 408 Shakespeare I: Earlier Works
or ENGL 409 Shakespeare II: Later Works

7-12 Integrated Science Major Concentration 30 Credit Hours

BIOL 130Intro Org and Environ Biology4
BIOL 140Intro Molec & Cellular Biology4
ESCI 118Geology I4
ESCI 118LGeology I Lab/Rec0
ESCI 370Environmental Hazards4
ASTR 130Introduction to Astronomy3
CHEM 134General Chemistry IA4
CHEM 136General Chemistry IIA4
CHEM 225Organic Chemistry I3
PHYS 125Introductory Physics I4
PHYS 126Introductory Physics II4
ENGR 360Design Thinking : Process, Method & Practice4
EXPS 400STEM Teaching and Learning3
Total Credit Hours45

7-12 Math Major Concentration 37 Credit Hour

MATH 442Geometry for Teachers3
MATH 443Algebra for Teachers3
MATH 444Data Anlsys,Prob&Stat forTchrs3
MATH 449Concepts of Calc for Teachers3
MATH 115Calculus I4
MATH 116Calculus II4
MATH 215Calculus III4
MATH 227Introduction to Linear Algebra3
MATH 300Math Lang Proof & Struct3
MATH 331Survey of Geometry3
MATH 412Introduction to Modern Algebra4

7-12 Social Studies Major Concentration minimum 41 Credit Hours 

HIST 101The World to 1500 CE3
HIST 103The World Since 1500 CE3
HIST 112The American Past II3-4
or HIST 319 Civil War & Reconstruction
or HIST 358 Emerg of Modern U.S.,1876-1916
or HIST 359 Era of World Wars:1916-1946
or HIST 368 African American History II: 1865-Present
HIST 300The Study of History4
HIST 304Studies in Det. Hist & Culture3-4
or HIST 309 Russian and Ukrainian Revolutions
or HIST 316 African American History I: 1619-1865
or HIST 333 The Age of Revolution in Europe and the World
or HIST 338 Women&Islam Mid East to 1900
or HIST 339 The Late Ottoman Empire, 1789-1924
or HIST 361 U.S. Economic History
or HIST 370 Women in Am-Hist Perspective
or HIST 387 Aspects of the Holocaust
or HIST 389 Nazi Germany
or HIST 3132 Armenians in the Modern World
or HIST 3368 Germany Since 1945
or HIST 3385 Sex, War, and Violence
or HIST 3520 Lebanon in Modern Middle East
or HIST 3603 Introduction to Latin America: Utopia to Autocracy
or HIST 3634 History of Islam in the US
or HIST 3672 Public History in Arab Detroit
or HIST 3673 Arabs & Muslims in Media
or HIST 3695 American City
HIST 3601Michigan History4
POL 101American Politics3
POL 311Int Group and Pol Process4
or POL 312 Legislative Process
or POL 313 American State Government
or POL 315 The American Presidency
or POL 322 Michigan Government, Politics, & Public Policy
or POL 323 Urban Politics
or POL 325 Environmental Politics
or POL 360 American Policy Process
or POL 362 Women, Politics, and the Law
or POL 484 Revitalizing Cities
or URS 300 Urban and Regional Studies
GEOG 302Mapping Our World4
GEOG 306World Regional Geography4
ECON 201Prin: Macroeconomics3
ECON 202Prin: Microeconomics3

Secondary Education- Pathway to Teacher Certification

The College of Education, Health, and Human Services (CEHHS) at the UM-Dearborn is committed to providing quality preparation for pre-service teachers. A screening procedure is employed to help identify students most likely to achieve the level of excellence defined by the college.  This screening procedure is divided into five successive phases.  Requirements at one phase must be successfully completed before continuing on to the next.  Students are also responsible for meeting all program requirements for their selected degree as listed in Degree Works.

Pre-Professional Studies

  • Successful Completion of Pre-Professional Studies Courses (EDA 200, EDA 306 with EDT 216, EDC 300, EDC 305, EDC 431, and EDC 439)
  • Completion of three field clearances:
    • Criminal Background Check Consent Form
    • Video Recording Consent Form
    • Bloodborne Pathogens Training (online module produces a PDF certification which should be uploaded to clearance form)
  • Minimum Overall GPA of 2.75 required to move to Professional Studies
  • Required Academic Advising Appointment Upon Completion of 36 Credits

Professional Studies

  • Selection of 1 Concentrations
  • Minimum 55 credits earned to move to Apprenticeship I
  • Minimum GPA of 2.75 overall, in major, and in concentrations to move to Apprenticeship I
  • Completion of Apprenticeship I Application

Apprenticeship I

Apprenticeship II

  • Successful Completion of Apprenticeship II
    • EDT 418

    • Methods and Apprenticeship Courses Relevant to Content Area:
      • English Language Arts: EDFP 444 and EDD 444
      • Math: EDFP 455 and EDD 455
      • Science: EDFP 488 and EDD 488
      • Social Studies: EDFP 499 and EDD 499
         
  • Completion of all remaining degree requirements including Dearborn Discovery Core.
  • Minimum GPA of 2.75 overall, in major, and in concentrations to move to the Internship
  • Completion of the Internship Application including attendance at Internship Orientation Meeting

Internship

  • Successful completion of the Internship:
    • EDFP 421
    • EDD 424

Passing scores on relevant MTTC exam(s) are required prior to recommendation to the Michigan Department of Education for teacher certification.

  1. Candidates for certification will be capable in their content specialty areas (teaching major(s) and/or minor(s)).
  2. Candidates for certification will be capable users of pedagogical knowledge.
  3. Candidates for certification will be reflective about their practice.