Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education

SWU School of Education

The Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education with Teacher Certification degree program includes a curriculum that supports the attainment of the South Carolina Initial Teaching Certificate by the teacher candidate. The elementary education major is designed in accordance with guidelines established by the South Carolina State Department of Education. The theme statement of the School of Education emphasizes the preparation of “educators who demonstrate scholarship within a Christian ethic of care.”

 The program consists of a professional education strand and methods courses in science and social studies, mathematics, language arts and reading, fine arts, physical education and literature. A teacher candidate learns strategies for teaching and assessing students in second- through sixth-grade classrooms. Included in the program are a series of three-field related courses that are part of a continuous model that prepare the teacher candidate for the Clinical Experiences. These courses are designed to give the teacher candidate ever-increasing time, observation and experience in the classroom and to provide the future educator with invaluable experience that leads to a greater understanding of the diverse classroom population.

The primary purpose of the Clinical Experiences is to provide the student with a planned and carefully supervised learning experience that facilitates the presentation of content area subject matter while practicing appropriate techniques in an actual school. The teacher candidate is also afforded the invaluable opportunity to acquire practical knowledge on the basis of the experience and expertise of an assigned mentoring cooperating teacher.