Program Requirements
The Teacher Education Program at Wofford College has three interrelated components. First, there are the studies required of all students to ensure a broad exposure to our intellectual heritage. For this purpose, students are required to take courses in English, fine arts, foreign language, humanities, science, history, philosophy, diverse cultures, religion, mathematics, and physical education. These are commonly referred to as the "general education" component of the Teacher Education Program. The requirements in general education for the graduation established by Wofford and the requirements in general education mandated for certification to teach are similar. Students should consult the Chair of the Department of Education and become familiar with the specific general education requirements listed in the Catalogue for graduation and in the Teacher Education Handbook for certification.
The second component of the Teacher Education Program is concentrated study in one or more academic fields. The college requires each student to complete a major in one of several fields. In order to obtain solid grounding in their subject of teaching specialization, students in Teacher Education complete a major in the field they will teach. To graduate, students in Teacher Education must complete the Wofford College requirements for a major; to become licensed to teach, they must complete the South Carolina Department of Education approved program requirements provided at Wofford in the teaching specialization. The latter are referred to as "teaching major" requirements. Students should become familiar with both the college's requirements and the state's approved program requirements offered in the teaching major at Wofford College. A statement of the Wofford requirements for a major can be found in the Catalogue. The state-approved program requirements are listed in the Teacher Education Handbook.
The third part of the Teacher Education Program is made up of courses in education and of applied or practical experiences in the public schools. This is referred to as the "professional education" component of the program. These offerings include depth of study for those who wish to become professional teachers, but several may be taken by any student seeking a broader understanding of education.
The required professional education courses and the year in which they are recommended are:
Sophomore Year
|
Education 200 |
Foundations of Education |
|
Education 220 |
Teaching Diverse Student Populations |
Junior Year
|
Education 320 |
Human Growth and Development |
|
Education 330 |
Educational Psychology |
|
Education 340 |
The Teaching of Reading |
Senior Year
|
Education 420 |
Instructional Methods |
|
Education 430 |
Senior Seminar and Practicum |
|
Education 440 |
Clinical Practice |
|
|
|
Periodically, selected special topics courses (e.g., teaching special needs students in the regular classroom) will be offered as electives to enhance the prospective teacher's skills.
Explanations of the professional education requirements are included in the Teacher Education Handbook, the Field Experiences Handbook, and the Clinical Practice Handbook, available in the Department of Education and through consultation with the Chair.
Admission to the Teacher Education Program
Students who plan to pursue a program of studies leading to initial licensure must submit a formal application to the Education Department. Students are encouraged to apply for admission in their sophomore year.
Prerequisites for formal admission to the Teacher Education Program (TEP) are:
Complete a minimum of 45 semester hours which will meet degree requirements.
Complete and submit the TEP application forms.
Achieve at least a cumulative GPA of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale or a cumulative 2.25 on a 4.0 scale with a recommendation of an institutional review committee which documents the reasons for the exception.
Successful completion of the Pre-Professional Skills Test (PPST).
Receive two professional recommendations on character and academic promise from both a general education and a teacher education faculty member.
Acceptance of the required admissions essay.
Receive information on the likelihood of the applicant’s eligibility for full licensure based on the required FBI background check as a prerequisite for clinical practice.
All students may enroll for six hours of elective credit in a number of courses offered by the Department of Education. Students may take six hours of professional education coursework after which they must apply for admission to the program. However, no student may enroll in Education 440 until he or she has formally applied and received admission to the program. Admission to the program should be sought during the junior year but must be obtained no later than during the semester prior to student teaching.
Transfer students interested in teacher education should discuss their status with the Chair of the Department of Education upon their arrival on campus.
Students who have already earned bachelor degrees and who desire to earn licensure through Wofford's program must follow the established procedure for admission to the program. They must present transcripts of all college work and a letter of character recommendation. They must fulfill all the requirements of the program in which they enroll. The Chair of the Department can advise what requirements are met by the work previously completed at Wofford or other institutions.
Retention in the Teacher Education Program
Evaluation of students enrolled in the Teacher Education Program is a continuous process. Both attitude and performance are important. If a student's attitude toward teaching indicates a probable lack of interest as a teacher, or if performance in course work and clinical experiences indicates academic deficiency, the student may be advised to withdraw from the program.
Specifically, to be retained in the program the student must:
- Maintain a 2.0 GPA overall and in the content major.
- Successfully complete all coursework in the professional education sequence (EDU
200,220,320,330,340, 420,430) with a grade of C or higher and the prescribed field
experiences (EDU 340, 420, and 430) with a rating of 3 (Target) or 2 (Acceptable), prior to
enrolling in EDU 440:Clinical Practice.
Recommendation for Licensure
The college advises students about requirements of the Teacher Education Program and helps with scheduling the appropriate sequences of courses. Responsibility for starting the program and pursuing if to completion, however, rest upon the individual student. Deficiencies in preparation at the time the candidate seeks recommendation for licensure are not the responsibility of the college. Wofford College recommends for licensure only those candidates who have completed satisfactorily all requirements in the three Teacher Education Program components and passed the state-required national examinations.