Course Information Suite

Programs of Study: Undergrad

Curriculum and Instruction

http://education.illinois.edu/ci
Head of Department: Fouad Abd El Khalick
311 Education Building, 1310 South Sixth, Champaign, (217) 244-8286

Curriculum Preparatory to Elementary School Teaching

For the Degree of Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education

This program prepares teachers for grades kindergarten through nine. A minimum of 125 semester hours, excluding basic military science, is necessary for graduation. There are seven prerequisite courses that must be completed prior to admission into the Elementary Education program. See information on prerequisites. Students applying to the major must also provide evidence of having 50 hours of formal experience working with children or youth comparable to the age-level of students served in the program for which application is made. 

Illinois law and Council on Teacher Education policy require that all candidates for admission to a teacher preparation program pass the Illinois Licensure Testing System Test of Academic Proficiency (TAP) prior to admission.  Effective July 2012, the Illinois State Board of Education determined the ACT Plus Writing/SAT scores can be used in lieu of a passing score on the Test of Academic Proficiency (formerly known as the Illinois Test of Basic Skills). See information on the details.

Students who are admitted to Elementary Education for the fall of their junior year may be able to complete the requirements for the bachelor's degree in four years, depending on the number of general education and area of concentration courses left to complete. Students are advised that additional course work must be completed to teach departmentalized subjects in middle grades 5 through 9. Consult the Elementary Education adviser or the certification officer for additional information.

In order to be recommended for certification, candidates are required to maintain University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, cumulative, content area, and professional education grade point averages of 2.5 (A=4.0). Grades in courses of C- or lower may not be used for State of Illinois certification, endorsements, or approvals. Candidates should consult their adviser or the Council on Teacher Education for the list of courses used to compute these grade point averages. For teacher education certification requirements applicable to all curricula, see the Council on Teacher Education.

Certification requirements are subject to change without notice as a result of new mandates from the Illinois State Board of Education or the Illinois General Assembly.

Degree Requirements

Hours Orientation Seminar
1 EDUC 101, Education Orientation Seminar

The following degree requirements also meet general education course requirements and must be selected from the campus general education course list. (A list of courses approved for the laboratory and literature requirements may be obtained from the college office.)

Hours Communication Skills
4 Composition I
3-4 Advanced Composition
7-8 Total

Hours Mathematics and Science1
6-8 Life science
6-8 Physical science (mathematics not acceptable)
3-5 Quantitative Reasoning I elective
4 MATH 103 - Theory of Arithmetic
19-25 Total

Hours Humanities/Arts2
6 Literature3 (including 3 hours of English or American literature & 3 hours of non-western literature2 suggested)
3 SPED 117
9 Total

Hours Language Other Than English
0-12 Three years of one language other than English in high school or completion of the third semester of college level language.

Hours American History4
3-4 Choose from:
 
HIST 170 - US Hist to 1877-ACP
 
HIST 171 - US Hist to 1877
 
HIST 172 - US Hist Since 1877
 
HIST 173 - US Hist Since 1877-ACP
 
HIST 270 - United States History to 1815
 
HIST 271 - Nineteenth Century America
 
HIST 272 - Twentieth Century America
3-4 Total

Hours Social/Behavioral Sciences
4 Choose from PSYC 100, PSYC 103, or PSYC 105
3 PS 101 - Intro to US Gov & Pol
3-4 Cultural geography. Choose from: GEOG 104, 110, or 210
10-11 Total

Hours Health and Physical Development
3 KIN 268 - Children’s Movement
3 Total

Hours Electives
9 Elective Courses (if needed to complete the 125 hour graduation requirement.)

Hours Area of Concentration2
12 Additional study in one academic discipline selected from the categories of mathematics, science, social sciences, or humanities. No more than six of the required twelve hours may be taken at the 100 level. (Consult an adviser for the list of approved disciplines.)

Hours Professional Education
3-4 EPS 201/202 - Foundations of Education
3 EPSY 236 or PSYC 216 - Child Dev For Elemen Teachers or Child Psych
2 MUS 241 - Music for Elementary Teachers
2 ART 202 - Art in the Elementary Grades
8 EDPR 432 - Ed Prac in EC & ElEd
3 SPED 405 - Gen Educator's Role in SPED
3 CI415 - Language Varieties, Cultures and Learning
2 CI405 - Intro Tchg Elem Age Children
4 CI406 - Thry Prac in Elem Schl Tch, I
2 CI407 - Thry Prac in Elem Schl Tch, II
4 CI430 - Tchg Children Mathematics
3 CI432 - Invest Approach Elem Math Inst
1 CI447 - Iss Prac in Address Diversity
3 CI448 - Tchg Elem Social Studies
2 CI450 - Tchg Elem Science, I
2 CI451 - Tchg Elem Science, II
3 CI467 - Prin Tchg Lit to Child Youth
3 CI475 - Teach Elem Rdg & Lang Arts, I
3 CI476 - Teach Elem Rdg & Lang Arts, II
55-56 Total
125 Total minimum hours for degree5

1. At least one science course must be a laboratory course and selected from the approved College of Education course list. The remaining life science and physical science courses are degree requirements which must be selected from the campus approved general education list.
2. At least one 3-semester-hour course in humanities, electives, or the area of concentration must be taken in non-Western or US Minority culture.
3. Courses must be selected from approved College of Education course list See https://education.illinois.edu/saao/documents/Labs_and_Lits.pdf
4.  American History courses satisfy the Cultural Studies: Western/Comparative Cultures requirement.
5. The total hours required for the degree may be higher for students who do not complete the language other than English requirement in high school.