Nov 21, 2024  
2024-2025 Catalog 
    
2024-2025 Catalog

Secondary Education and K-12 Education, BS


  

The Secondary Education major is not a stand-alone major. It must be taken in combination with a major in a subject that leads to licensure in the state of Montana.

Teacher education candidates in Secondary Education or K-12 Education must complete at least one Major or Broadfield Major in a subject that leads to licensure in Montana. Graduates with a Secondary Education major are prepared to teach grades 5-12. Graduates with a K-12 education major are prepared to teach grades K-12. For almost all majors and minors, student must obtain passing scores on the state-approved licensure exam (in Montana, the exams are part of the PRAXIS II series).

It is advantageous to the candidate to have multiple teaching areas (majors or minors), or a broadfield or interdisciplinary major that prepares them to teach multiple subjects, or a K-12 licensure area, especially for those who plan to teach in a rural state such as Montana. In Montana, teachers are licensed to teach in their Minor subject area if they have taken the appropriate methods course, carry out a student teaching experience in the specified area, and receive acceptable scores on the applicable PRAXIS II exams.

Additional Requirements for the Degree

  • A grade of C- or higher is required in all General Education courses and required courses in the content Major or Minor.
  • A grade of B- or higher is required in all required Professional Education courses.
  • Candidates must maintain at least a 2.70 GPA overall, and a 2.70 GPA for the content courses for each Major and Minor.
  • Technology Requirement: prior to enrolling in EDU 372  each student must demonstrate basic technology skills either by obtaining a passing score (600 out of 1000) on the Information & Technology Literacy Exam, or by obtaining at least a B- on a computer skills course. The UMW courses designed to meet this need are either COMS 115   Computer Basics for Educators (4 credits) or CAPP 131   Basic Microsoft Office (4 credits).
  • All candidates must pass a recent federal and state Criminal Background Check prior to admission to the Teacher Education Program. This must be updated every two years.
  • Prior to student teaching, candidates must provide evidence of current certification in First Aid, CPR, and AED for adults, children, and infants. Certification must be attained through a course that includes a faceto-face skill assessment. Successful completion of ECP 100  fulfills this requirement.

Preferred Sequence of Education Courses and TEP Interviews


The following list is the recommended course sequence for Education courses

Senior Year


Fall Semester


Spring Semester


Credit Requirements


The Secondary Education major is not a stand-alone major. It must be taken in combination with a major in a subject that leads to licensure in the state of Montana.

Any of the following Majors offered at the University of Montana Western may be combined with the Secondary Education major:

[Note: Earth Science is not a stand-alone major. It must be taken in conjunction with the Secondary Education major. Students completing the Earth Science program may also wish to consider completing the BS: EnvironmentalScience, Geology Option]

[Note: General Science Broadfield is not a stand-alone major. It must be taken in conjunction with the Secondary Education major]

In addition, the following education majors also lead to licensure. These majors include the required Secondary Education or K-12 Education course sequence within the extended major:

Secondary Education Total Credits: 48-52