Undergraduate Catalog | 2024-2025
Secondary Education, Minor
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The Minor in Secondary Education prepares excellent and reflective teacher candidates in the fields of English, Mathematics, Comprehensive Science, and Comprehensive Social Studies to successfully utilize 21st century knowledge, skills, and dispositions for addressing the demands of an ever-changing global and ethnically diverse society, community, and classroom while implementing effective, research-based content pedagogy to meet the individual cognitive and emotional needs of all students, and systematic and reflective analysis of connections between practice and student learning.
A Minor in Secondary Education requires 35 credit hours, including a 3 credit hour introductory course and 12 credit hours for the student teaching semester. The Minor in Secondary Education qualifies graduates for an entry-level (Standard Professional I) license to teach in one of the following subject areas in grades 9-12: English, Biology, Chemistry, Comprehensive Science, Environmental Studies, Earth Science, Physics, or Mathematics. Students major in an appropriate Arts and Sciences discipline and minor in Secondary Education through completion of a three-semester sequence of courses, which includes a yearlong internship incorporating the student teaching semester. The Comprehensive Social Studies license builds on a major in History, Geography, or Political Science. The Comprehensive Science license builds on a Major in Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Studies, or Physics.
Graduates of the Minor in Secondary Education are prepared to meet the state and national standards for new teachers in the following areas: content and content pedagogical knowledge; authentic applications of instructional design; effective integration of advanced and emerging technologies; respectful learning environments for a diverse student population; facilitation of learning for all students through collaboration and use of multiple instructional strategies; student motivation and management; purposeful and reflective practice; systematic formative and summative assessment; and leadership in schools, community, and profession.
All program-level Admissions and Progression Requirements are in addition to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte Admission Requirements .
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Admission Requirements
Current UNC Charlotte Undergraduate Students
Students wishing to minor in Secondary Education must be approved for admission to the minor by meeting statewide teacher education program admission requirements. Advising and admission to the minor are administered through the Office of Teacher Education Advising and Licensure (TEAL) in the College of Education.
See University Admission Requirements
The criteria for admission include:
- 30 earned credit hours
- GPA of 2.7 or above
- Major in a subject area for which there is teacher licensure (English, Math, Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Studies, Physics, History, Political Science, and Geography)
- Grade of C or above in MDSK 2100
- A passing score on the Praxis Core exam or acceptable alternatives (SAT or ACT scores)
- Signed Statement of Commitment to Professional Dispositions
- Pass a criminal background check (completed at time of application in TEAL)
- Students should consult with an advisor in Office of Teacher Education Advising and Licensure (TEAL) as soon as they begin considering teacher education in order to graduate on time.
- After admission to the minor, advising is offered through the Department of Middle, Secondary, and K-12 Education in collaboration with advising in the student’s major department.
- The minor is designed to be coordinated with coursework in the major, with the final semester as the student teaching semester. Successful completion of the minor leads to a recommendation for the initial teaching license in the high school subject area associated with the student’s major.
Minor Requirements
The undergraduate Minor in Secondary Education requires a major in the College of Humanities & Earth and Social Sciences in a discipline relevant to the curriculum in grades 9-12, a minimum of 120 credit hours, and a maximum of 128 credit hours as follows:
General Education Courses (31-32 credit hours)
For details on required courses, refer to the General Education Program . These course requirements vary with a student’s academic major in the College of Humanities & Earth and Social Sciences and are defined by faculty in each major.
Core and Related Courses in an Appropriate College of Humanities & Earth and Social Sciences Major (30-66 credit hours)
Academic majors relevant to secondary education include Biology, Chemistry, English, Environmental Studies, Geography, History, Mathematics, Physics, and Political Science. The requirements for each major are defined by faculty in that major.
Secondary Education Courses (32 credit hours)
Admission to Teacher Education and Department of Middle, Secondary, K-12 Education advisor approval are required in order to register for any professional education coursework.
Prior to Admission (3 credit hours)
The following course should be taken prior to a student’s final three semesters and must be completed with a grade of C or above for the student to qualify for admission to the Teacher Education Program in the selected field of secondary education.
Semester 1 (3 credit hours)
Semester 2 (8 credit hours)
Semester 3 (6 credit hours)
(First Semester of Yearlong Internship)
Method Course (3 credit hours)
Select one of the following corresponding to content specific major in which candidate seeking licensure:
Content Area Instruction and Assessment Course (3 credit hours)
Select the section of the following course that is specific to the content major:
Semester 4 (15 credit hours)
(Second Semester of Yearlong Internship)
Yearlong Internship
Students are required to complete a yearlong internship beginning the semester prior to the student teaching semester and ending upon the successful completion of the student teaching semester. Application to the yearlong internship should be submitted to the Office of School and Community Partnerships during the second semester of professional education courses.
Major/Content advisor recommendation is required for beginning the Yearlong Internship in Semester 3 of program course sequence. Requirements include:
- GPA of 2.75 in the major/licensure, with grades of C or above, must be attained before the student teaching semester
- Documentation of Major/Content Planning Sheet for Student Folder in the Department of Middle, Secondary, and K-12 Education
Minor Total = 35 Credit Hours
Progression Requirements
For a degree to be conferred, students must successfully complete all program requirements which include:
- Grades of C or above in all professional education courses
- Education degree minimum GPA of 2.75 and a minimum content GPA of 2.75
Recommendation for licensure must include:
- A grade of P in student teaching with recommendation from a Clinical Educator, University Supervisor, and Principal
- Passing score on edTPA is required for licensure and graduation
Special Policies or Requirements
The successful completion of this degree program includes meeting the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction’s licensure requirements for certification. Consequently, additional requirements must be completed during the student’s program and are listed below. Since state licensure requirements often change, additional work may be required to complete the program with a teaching license.
Academic Advising
With the assistance of their major advisor in Arts and Sciences, students intending to seek a teaching license in an area of secondary education (grades 9-12) apply to the Teacher Education Program through the Office of Teacher Education Advising and Licensure (TEAL) in the Cato College of Education. Interested students are encouraged to visit TEAL at any time before applying to teacher education. Upon admission to the Teacher Education Program, which typically occurs at the end of the Freshman year or middle of the Sophomore year, students are assigned a secondary education advisor in the Advising Center of the Department of Middle, Secondary, and K-12 Education. This advisor has particular responsibility for guidance about professional education coursework. Assignment of the student’s Minor in Secondary Education advisor is the responsibility of the Chair of the Department of Middle, Secondary, and K-12 Education (MDSK).
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