College of Education

NSU’s The College of Education is proud to prepare educators, psychologists, and fitness/health professionals to serve Oklahoma and the entire nation. Whether an individual’s career goals center around teaching in public schools, working with those seeking healthier physical and mental lifestyles, or attending graduate college for advanced preparation, the College of Education wants to help students reach their dreams.

The mission of the College of Education is to prepare educators, professional school personnel, and other allied professionals to have a positive impact on the lives of all students, families, and communities with whom they come in contact. The College of Education is committed to continual program improvement by providing and maintaining high quality faculty, program content, and utilization of resources, thus creating the context for effectively facilitating the transformation of candidate to professional. Our heritage of service and excellence dates back to the Cherokee National Female Seminary founded in 1846. As Oklahoma’s largest educator preparation program, our faculty focus on preparing professionals who are teaching scholars, educational leaders, and developers of human potential. Our teacher candidates and other graduates are committed to excellence in their fields and making a difference in their communities.

The College of Education includes five academic departments (Curriculum and Instruction, Educational Leadership, Health and Kinesiology, Psychology and Counseling, and Teacher Education ) providing instruction in courses which contribute to the general education, specialized education and professional education of students pursuing degrees and/or certificate programs.

The College of Education offers programs at the Tahlequah, Muskogee, and Broken Arrow campuses. Ten undergraduate degrees and 10 graduate degrees are available. All education programs are accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP / formally NCATE) and the Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation (OCTP). All other professional programs are aligned with national standards.

Professional Education for Educators

Northeastern State University offers several professional degrees in the field of teacher education: Bachelor of Arts in Education, Bachelor of Science in Education, Bachelor of Arts in Science Education, Master of Education, and Master of Science.

Curriculum for the degrees of Bachelor of Arts in Education, Bachelor of Arts in Music Education, and Bachelor of Science in Education consists of three parts. Part I includes a general education program that is prescribed for all students attending this University. Part II consists of a field of specialization/major in which the student expects to teach, e.g., art, elementary education, mathematics; and Part III consists of courses in professional education providing both theory and practice in materials, methods and teaching techniques. Part I and Part III are common to the requirements for all bachelor degrees. It is Part II in the field of specialization where differences occur in the requirements for Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees.

The Northeastern State University Teacher Education Program is guided by the philosophy that learning is a social transaction and an active, constructive process. The COE believes that in order for social transaction and active learning to occur, professional educators must:

be well grounded in their content subject area;
have knowledge of learning and pedagogical theories and be able to put them into practice;
be able to put their knowledge of best practice to use;
be knowledgeable, caring, and thoughtful educators who inspire others to be advocates for an educational system that benefits all students;
be reflective practitioners; and
continue to refine their pedagogical skills through continued professional development.

The philosophical approach to teaching and learning provides the foundation for the Conceptual Framework that is threaded throughout the NSU Teacher Education Program. NSU prepares professional educators to be teaching scholars, educational leaders and developers of human potential.

The Master of Education degree is designed to enable experienced teachers to increase their proficiencies by extending their studies in specialized education and professional education beyond that attained in the baccalaureate program. Refer to the Graduate Catalog for more information on master’s level programs.

Admission to Professional Education

I. Admission to Teacher Education

Applicants for initial admission to Teacher Education at NSU must meet the following criteria:

Establish and maintain a 2.75 overall GPA and have a minimum of 45 semester hours.
Complete and submit an application and statement of understanding.
Achieve a passing score on the Oklahoma General Education Test (OGET).
Successful completion of Portfolio Checkpoint #1.
Professional Habits Inventory (PHI) evaluation.
Be recommended by the Professional Education Interview Committee
Successful completion of EDUC 3313, Clinical Teaching Pre-Internship I.

Note: All full-time students enroll concurrently in the following for pre-admission:

EDUC 3313 Clinical Teaching/Pre-Internship I
EDUC 3113 Educational Psychology

All entering teacher education majors are required to fulfill competency in a language other than English. Please check with your advisor regarding this requirement.

All Professional Education majors must complete PSYC 1003 or PSYC 1113. Advisors recommend those courses be completed as part of the General Education course sequence.

II. Professional Education Courses

SPED 4433 Introduction to Education of Children with Exceptionalities. It is recommended candidates take SPED 4433 after they have completed EDUC 3313 and EDUC 3113 and before they enroll in EDUC 4032, Pre-Internship II.

Only students who have been fully admitted to Teacher Education are to enroll in the following Professional Education and/or methodology courses:

EDUC 4823 Emerging Technologies
EDUC 4032 Pre-Internship
EDUC 4353 Teaching Methods and Practices (secondary education majors only)
ELED 4563 Management of the Elementary Classroom and Curriculum (elementary & special education majors only)
ECED 4513 Organization and Implementation of Early Childhood Programs (early childhood education majors only)
Full Internship Program - EDUC 4044, 4054, 4064, 4074, 4172 and 4252

III. Admission to Full Internship Program

The Full Internship experience will be done in the final, full-time semester prior to graduation. Three (3) hours may be taken concurrent with intern teaching pending departmental approval. Requests for taking up to six (6) hours must have approval of the College of Education Review and Retention committee as well as the Department. Coursework taken may not interfere with the Full Internship experience. The following requirements must be completed before the student will be eligible to enroll and participate in the Full Internship Program:

Fully admitted to Teacher Education.
Completion of Major and Professional Education courses (“C” or better). Secondary majors and K-12 content majors (art, music, foreign language, physical education) must have 2.5 GPA in each area. Early Childhood, Elementary, and Special Education majors must have a 2.75 GPA in each area.
Minimum overall graduation/retention grade-point average of 2.50 for secondary and K-12 content majors and 2.75 for early childhood, elementary, and special education majors.
Application must be on file in the Clinical Education Office by Full Internship application deadline. See College of Education website for more information.
Approval for internship by the major academic college/department.
Successful completion of checkpoint #2 for the professional portfolio and passing grade in EDUC 4032.
Achieve a passing score on the appropriate Oklahoma Subject Area Test (OSAT).

Action on Applicants for Admission to Full Internship Program

Full internship sites are carefully selected so that teacher candidates are provided experiences consistent with the goals for NSU’s Teacher Education Program, the State Department of Education, Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation, and the CAEP standards and criteria.

When the prerequisites for full internship have been met and approval granted by the Clinical Education Director, the prospective teacher candidate will be assigned to a university field coordinator. The approval of a teaching site is the responsibility of the Clinical Education Director in the College of Education.

Any academic division may establish admission criteria in addition to or more stringent than the above listed criteria with the approval of the Teacher Education Council and the university-level Council on Education Policy and Curriculum (CEPC). An outline of the specialized education required for the undergraduate degree programs administered through the College of Education is listed on the program pages. Students are referred to the graduate catalog for graduate degree and/or certificate programs.

Felony / Background Check

It should be noted that according to Article I, Section 34 of the School Code of Oklahoma (1980):

“No person shall receive a certificate for instructional, supervisory or administrative position in an accredited school of this state who has been convicted of a felony, any crime involving moral turpitude or a violation of the narcotic laws of the United States or the State of Oklahoma, provided the conviction was entered within the preceding ten-year period. Oklahoma law requires applicants for initial teacher licensure to have on file with the Oklahoma State Board of Education a current Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation criminal history record and Federal Bureau of Investigation fingerprint-based criminal history record.”

Teacher candidates should note that background checks are required at certain checkpoints throughout the program. Any concerns are discussed with the Director of Clinical Education and other appropriate administrators. There is an additional cost associated with these background check.

Programs in Secondary Education

Teacher candidates seeking certification to teach in secondary schools will receive their advisement and degree from the colleges that offer that specialization and/or major. Major fields offered are: Art, Biology, Chemistry, Earth/Space Science, English, Health and Physical Education, Mathematics, Music, Social Studies, Cherokee and Spanish. However, all teacher candidates must receive admission to teacher education, enroll in professional education courses, and internships through the College of Education. See content major for specific courses.