Online Bachelor's Degree in Liberal Studies: Elementary Education Licensure

This course provides students with background and context for thinking critically about the challenges facing elementary school educators and the cognitive, social-emotional, and linguistic needs of learners in the classroom. Students will develop an understanding of the characteristics and instructional implications of moderately and severely disabling conditions. With exposure to the major socio-cultural factors that continue to shape education within a complex, students will reflect on their role as future professionals in an ever-changing digitally-dependent society. Observation/fieldwork is required.

This course deals with the implications of disabling conditions on optimal learning potential and daily well-being of children. Emphasis is on identification of disabling conditions and techniques used to promote successful integration of children with and without special needs in education settings. Topics covered include familiarity with individualized education plans, intervention and instructional strategies for diverse learners, including cognitive, social and emotional strategies, and collaborative partnerships with families and community resources. Observations are required.

Students examine current research-based theories and instructional practices for developing proficient readers (phonics and word recognition, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension, and the reading-writing connection) in grades PK-2. Topics include theories, research, and instructional practices for supporting readers with diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, strengths, and challenges. Assessment, corresponding interventions, and differentiating literacy instruction to meet the needs of emerging readers will also be addressed. Observation/fieldwork is required.

Prerequisite: PSY 205 or one course in education and Junior status

Students examine current research-based theories and instructional practices for developing proficient readers (phonics and word recognition, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension, and the reading-writing connection) in grades 3-6th. Topics include theories, research, and instructional practices for supporting readers with diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, strengths, and challenges. Assessment, corresponding interventions, and differentiating literacy instruction to meet the needs of developing readers will also be addressed. Observation/fieldwork is required.

Prerequisite: PSY 205 or one course in education and Junior status

This course explores curriculum design and classroom management strategies for teachers using cognitive, social, and emotional guidelines presented in the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks. Topics include instructional design and delivery methods, technology as a curriculum resource, formal and informal assessment techniques and their connection to instructional planning, effective communication with children and adults, and strategies for engaged and effective learning. Observations/fieldwork are required.

Prerequisite: Completion of all 100 and 200 level courses in education and Junior status. This course must be taken at Bay Path University

This course is designed to introduce the developing teacher to reading instruction and the development of a reading/writing community in English for English language learners (ELLs). This course is designed to promote continuous improvement in educator practice, and to build confidence and familiarity with research-proven practices for working with ELLs. This course is framed around two module areas: A) ELLs: Their World and Second Language Acquisition Process in the SEI Classroom, and B) Academic Language and Literacy Development in the SEI Classroom. Students are only endorsed for SEI if they complete an initial licensure program at Bay Path University.

Students plan, implement, and assess curriculum and instruction using the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks. Emphasis is on explorations in mathematics and problem solving, science and the process of inquiry, social studies and American civic culture, and integration of technology into the curriculum. Special attention will be given to a variety of methods of assessment. Observations/fieldwork are required.

Prerequisite: EDU 330 and Junior status. This course must be taken at Bay Path University

Supervised pre-practicum in grades 1-6. Pre-Practicum begins the student’s senior year experience and gives the student a consistent, supervised experience in a public school setting. Students integrate and apply what has been learned in earlier education courses, including planning, preparing and teaching through use of the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks. Students must provide their own transportation to school and will follow the public school calendar. Students must complete a CORI (Criminal Offense Records Investigation) check and any other requirements as mandated by a school district. Pre-Practicum hours are earned normally in 11 weeks, during one full day and two half days each of those weeks. A minimum of 80 hours are required over the 11-week period. This course must be taken at Bay Path University.

Prerequisite: EDU 350, gpa of 3.0 or better, senior status, passing scores on the Communication and Literacy Exam, Foundations of Reading Exam, and subject exam of the MTEL, and the approval of the department chair | Corequisite: EDU 490

Facilitated by a college program supervisor, students discuss curriculum, pedagogy and critical issues in support of their success as future teachers.

Corequisite: EDU 441P, EDU 441Q, EDU 441R, or EDU 441S

Practicum Seminar Students discuss curriculum, pedagogy, the professional standards for teachers, and critical issues in support of their success as future teachers. Additional Seminar topics include: the Candidate Assessment of Performance, creation of a professional teaching portfolio, and licensure.

Corequisite: EDU 497 or EDU 499

Students will complete a full-time, supervised practicum with seminar in a public school, grades 1-6, and will assume direct instructional and professional responsibilities as teachers. Practicum hours are earned over a 12-week period. A minimum of 300 hours are required. Requirements for Practicum are the same for students enrolled in the traditional or TAWC program. Practicum (student teaching) allows the student to refine pedagogical, methodological, and management skills necessary for exemplary teaching, using the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks. Practicum students are supervised jointly by the school supervising practitioner and program supervisor. Students will have three observations and participate in a minimum of three conferences during the semester. Students must demonstrate competence on the Preservice Performance Assessment, based on subject and pedagogical knowledge and skills as defined by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Students must provide their own transportation and will follow the public school calendar. Students must complete a CORI (Criminal Offense Records Investigation) check and any other requirements as mandated by a school district. This course must be taken at Bay Path University.

Prerequisite: EDU 441Q, Senior status, gpa of 3.0 or better, passing scores on the Communication and Literacy Exam, Foundations of Reading Exam, and subject exam of the Massachusetts Tests of Educator Licensure (MTEL), and the approval of the department chair | Corequisite: EDU 491

This course provides the opportunity to study literary concepts and purposes in writings designed primarily for, but not confined to, young minds. The heritage of children’s literature is considered in relation to selected representative works, both traditional and recent. Also considered are the uses, presentation, and critical evaluation of children’s literature from a multi-cultural, nonsexist and international perspective. This course addresses English standards for teachers in early childhood and elementary education: children’s and young adult literature, genres, literary elements, and literary techniques.

Prerequisite or corequisite: ENG 134

This course is designed to acquaint students with major American writers and literary movements. The course helps students deepen their understanding of American literary works by relating them to their historical backgrounds. The course offers students practice identifying, analyzing, and applying knowledge of literary elements, structures, and themes in American myths, fiction, literary nonfiction, and poetry.

Prerequisite: ENG 134

This course introduces students to masterpieces of world literature in translation, with particular attention to the cultural traditions reflected in the literature. The course uses specific works of literature to show the evolution of the human experience from ancient times to the present day. Overall, the course aims to teach students more about what it has meant, and continues to mean, to be a human being in cultures around the world.

Prerequisite: ENG 134

This course introduces students to basic geographic concepts, familiarizing them with broad, world-scale patterns. The course provides an understanding of geography as a comprehensive discipline that draws knowledge from various other subject areas that focus on patterns of physical distribution (i.e. mountains, forests, deserts, bodies of water, etc.) on the earth’s surface and the interrelationships between peoples and their environments. Students are taught to use geography as an investigative set of tools to answer analytical questions of Where? and Why there? as they look at the intertwining of human and environmental patterns of development and change over time.

This course provides an understanding of the function of the American national government. The development of the Constitution and the American political system are considered in the light of contemporary economic, social, and technological conditions.

A topical and chronological survey of American history from the end of Reconstruction to the present. Heavy emphasis will be placed on the discipline of history, and in developing interpretive, oral, and written skills. Topics to be covered include the emergence of Jim Crow, the expansion of America, the Gilded Age, reform movements, America at War, Depression and New Deal, the Cold War, the turbulent 1960’s, social movements, recent political developments, and the role of the United States in a multinational/multi-ethnic world.

This course surveys the origins, development, and cross-fertilization of major civilizations in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas from pre-history to 1500 A.D. Attention is given to important themes and human achievements in this early time period, including the agricultural revolution, the rise of cities, kingdoms, and empires, the development of writing, the systematization of religious belief systems, and the development of complex forms of government among various societies. The course encourages students to critically analyze developments in human history, such as advances in technology for making war, treatment of women, notions of superior and inferior societies and civilizations, differing political and philosophical systems, and various ways in which societies have historically distributed, used, and abused power.

HIS 203 builds upon knowledge, themes, ideas and issues introduced in HIS 202, carrying the study of human history forward into the modern world. The course treats the growth and development of nations and of relationships between nations as global regions and worldwide organizations emerge in contemporary times. At the core of the course is a broad treatment of major social, political, economic, religious, and philosophical movements and themes as these have shaped various peoples and groups of people around the world in the past 500 years. Students are constantly asked not only to learn and understand important facts about the past, but to analyze, apply, synthesize, and evaluate what these facts have meant for the different peoples involved and for the world as it has become today.

This course is designed for students who plan to teach. It involves a study of Number and Operations and Functions and Algebra with the depth required for successful mathematics instruction. Topics include, but are not limited to, proportional reasoning; number systems, signed numbers, and the real number line; variables, algebraic expressions and functions; solving equations; exploring graphs of equations; and connecting algebra and geometry.

Prerequisite: MAT 161

This course is designed for students who plan to teach. It involves a study of Geometry and Measurement and Statistics and Probability with the depth required for successful mathematics instruction. Topics include, but are not limited to, basic geometry concepts; measurement and unit conversions; using descriptive statistics and graphs to summarize data; measures of central tendency (mean, median, and mode) and dispersion (range, standard deviation, etc.); permutations, combinations, and their applications in computing probability; sample space, simple /compound events, independent/dependent events, and conditional probability.

Prerequisite: MAT 104 or appropriate placement test score

The BA in Liberal Studies: Elementary Education Licensure requires 11 credits of general electives. Learn more about which courses apply to these credits by speaking with an enrollment counselor.

In this course students will apply the practices for effective reading and writing introduced in ENG 114 to the distinctive language and forms of various disciplines. This course lays the foundation for academic and professional research and stresses the use of appropriate and effective information sources. Readings for a variety of academic audiences will provide students with strategies to communicate in the sciences, business and technology, psychology, liberal studies, and the social sciences. Research and documentation skills appropriate to the disciplines are stressed. In addition to leading students through the research process from start to finish, this course will examine the many ramifications of academic honesty.

Prerequisite: ENG 114

Selected readings in fiction, poetry, and drama introduce the student to literary types and techniques. These readings provide a basis for collegiate-level discussion, analysis, and the development of critical judgment. Building on the communications and research skills from earlier courses in the sequence, this course emphasizes continued practice in writing, and students complete a documented research paper using primary and secondary sources as one of the course writing assignments. Discussions and oral presentations based on assigned literature support the overall goal of the sequence: to enhance the advancement of the students, first academically and then professionally.

Prerequisite: ENG 114

After briefly working as the director of career services for a proprietary school, she was given the opportunity to work as the first educator coach for the One Day students at Bay Path University in January 2014. She is currently the associate academic director of education & justice studies programs at TAWC, collaborating with the School of Education on the main campus. She shares that she is truly inspired and commends all of the students for taking this step to continue their educational and career goals.

Choosing a major for your degree allows you to gain career-ready skills in a specific area of expertise. These specialty skills will allow you to stand out among other professionals in your field and better compete for the position you want.

You’ll complete 120 total credits to earn the online BA in Liberal Studies: Elementary Education Licensure major. You can review courses now.

No, a major is not required for the online BA in Liberal Studies program. You may choose the standard Liberal Studies degree or one of four major options, which include:

1. Early Childhood Education Licensure
2. Early Childhood Leadership
3. Education Studies, Non-Licensure
4. Elementary Education Licensure

You can learn more about coursework for this program on our courses page.

The requirements for the online BA in Liberal Studies program include:

• Submit your application.
• Submit official high school transcripts and college transcripts if applicable.
• Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0.

You can learn more about our admission requirements on our admission page.

Students who choose an education major in the Liberal Studies program may move from one education major to another. However, these students may not move to a non-education major within the degree program without losing credits.

Those who hold an online BA in Liberal Studies: Elementary Education Licensure degree can pursue careers as elementary school teachers. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of elementary school teachers is expected to grow by 4% and create around 60,200 new positions through 2031. Learn more about your career options by visiting our careers page.