Bachelor of Arts
This major is available on the Aurora and Woodstock Center campuses.
The career of a teacher requires intellectual competence, dedication to service, and a commitment to student learning. For those willing and able to meet the rigorous standards for teacher licensure, the joys of helping students grow and learn are lifelong rewards.
Aurora University has designed its licensure programs around the concept of achieving excellence in teaching and learning through “professional education communities.” To achieve the unit’s overarching goal of a collaborative community of learners, AU has developed the elementary education major around three main organizing concepts: the collaborative educator, curriculum, and community and society. These concepts, taken together, are the foundation of experiences designed to transform the candidates who study at Aurora University; ultimately, these educators will also have the disposition to be lifelong learners. Moreover, they will bring to the classrooms the power to transform the lives of their students. All of this is in keeping with the mission of Aurora University: “An inclusive community dedicated to the transformative power of learning.”
The elementary education major leads to a Professional Educator License (PEL). An Elementary Education major must satisfy requirements for both the state and the university in both Elementary Education and General Education. It is therefore essential that the entering freshman and transfer students work closely with an academic advisor from the Center for Student Success in order to ensure that all course requirements will be met and for all candidates to understand that some courses will only be offered in the fall and some courses offered only in the spring semester.
Admission to the School of Education
Admission to the university does not guarantee admission to a major in the School of Education.
Admission Criteria
To be accepted into the School of Education, teacher candidates are required to have completed a Criminal Background Check (CBC), TB Test, Statement of Understanding for Initial Licensure Requirements, School of Education Application, and have established their ELIS (Educator Licensure Information System for Illinois).
Please note that a cumulative major GPA of 3.0 is required one semester prior to student teaching (EDU-4750 Student Teaching and EDU-4760 Student Teaching Seminar).
Program Requirements
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Elementary Education Courses | ||
| EDU-2100 | Foundations of Teaching and Learning 1 | 4 |
| EDU-2260 | Learning Theories and Applications K-12 1 | 4 |
| EDU-2300 | Technology for Teachers 1 | 4 |
| EDU-3120 | Methods and Materials for Teaching ESL 1 | 4 |
| EDU-3330 | Science Inquiry Methods 1 | 4 |
| EDU-3350 | Democracy, Diversity, and Social Justice For Teachers 1 | 4 |
| EDU-3355 | Assessment 1 | 4 |
| EDU-3360 | Mathematics Methods 1 | 4 |
| EDU-3365 | Methods of Reading and Language Arts in Primary Grades 1 | 4 |
| EDU-3380 | Methods of Reading/Language Arts in Grades 3-6 1 | 4 |
| EDU-3420 | Fine Arts Methods 1 | 2 |
| EDU-3500 | Physical Education Methods 1 | 2 |
| EDU-4750 | Student Teaching | 13 |
| EDU-4760 | Student Teaching Seminar | 2 |
| SPED-2120 | Characteristics and Identification of Disabilities and the Law 1 | 4 |
| Total Credits | 63 | |
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A 3.0 major GPA is required one semester prior to student teaching (EDU-4750 Student Teaching and EDU-4760 Student Teaching Seminar).
Courses Required for Professional Educator License:
The requirements of the State of Illinois for licensure in elementary education are outcomes based. Our program consists of a series of courses that enable candidates to meet the required outcomes. The outcomes of these courses are aligned with the Illinois Professional Teaching Standards (IPTS), the Association of Childhood Education International (ACEI) standards, the Illinois State Board of Education Content and Social Emotional standards, In TASC standards, Aurora University School of Education standards, and the Aurora University Conceptual Framework. These outcomes are met not only in Aurora University’s education courses, but also in many of the courses required to meet Aurora University’s General Education requirements. In meeting the requirements of licensure, candidates also meet the requirements of General Education.
The following courses are required to meet these outcomes:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| English | ||
| ENG-1000 | Introduction to Academic Writing | 4 |
| ENG-3185 | Multicultural Literature for Children and Young Adults | 4 |
| Mathematics | ||
| MTH-1210 | Mathematics for Elementary Teachers I | 4 |
| MTH-1220 | Mathematics for Elementary Teachers II | 4 |
| NSM-2500 | Integrated Mathematics and Science for Teachers | 4 |
| Social Sciences | ||
| HIS-1200 | American History I (to 1877) | 4 |
| or HIS-1210 | American History II (since 1877) | |
| PSY-3350 | Child and Adolescent Development | 4 |
| Science | ||
| BIO-1150 | Life Science for Educators | 3 |
| NSM-1400 | Earth and Space Science | 4 |
| Total Credits | 35 | |
Elective Courses: Candidates will have 15 hours of electives. They are encouraged to use these electives towards a STEM or Special Education Minor, or an ESL/Bilingual Endorsement.
Areas of Endorsement/Minor
The following are acceptable areas of endorsement/minor: Biology, Bilingual/ESL, health education, mathematics, music, Spanish, and Special Education.
It is strongly advised candidates take the required coursework necessary for an ESL/Bilingual and/or special education endorsement to make them more marketable and more highly qualified. The Crouse Center for Academic Advising can provide advisement about specific requirements for endorsements.
Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) Program Changes
The School of Education is continuously redesigning its programs based on current research, ISBE mandates, state law, and the university’s conceptual framework. All teacher candidates must be cognizant of the possibility that a redesign may alter requirements listed in the catalog and the program of study could be subjected to new required program changes.
Undergraduate Degree Requirements
A student who graduates from Aurora University with a baccalaureate degree will have met the following requirements:
- Completion of all requirements for an approved major (with no grades lower than “C”).
- Overall completion of at least 120 semester hours of coursework with a GPA of at least 2.0 on a 4.0 scale (a course may be utilized only once in application toward a degree requirement, unless otherwise noted in the academic regulations). The 120 semester hours of coursework must include:
- At least 52 semester hours completed at a senior college.
- Residency Requirement - At least 30 semester hours completed at Aurora University, including the last 24 semester hours in the degree, and including at least 18 semester hours in the major. (Portfolio assessment credit, life and vocational experience credit, off-campus experience credit, examination credit, participation credit, and block credit, shall not count toward the residency requirement).
- Upper-Division Requirement - A minimum of 30 semester hours numbered 3000 or above. Of these 30 semester hours, 15 semester hours must lie within the major and 15 semester hours must be completed at Aurora University.
- Completion of all General Education requirements (with no grades lower than “C”), as follows:
- Quantitative and Formal Reasoning competency requirement
- ENG-1000 Introduction to Academic Writing
- IDS-1200 Discover What Matters or IDS-3040 Global Justice
- IDS-1150 First Year Experience - Not required for Transfer or AU Online students)
- Satisfactory participation in the junior-year mentoring and assessment process designed to guide students to successful completion of their degree and to encourage planning for next steps beyond graduation. (IDS-3500 Junior Mentoring Program I and IDS-3550 Junior Mentoring Program II - Not required for ADC or AU Online students but may be designated electives for AU Online students admitted with fewer than 15 hours of transfer credit.)
- Distribution Requirements
Students will complete one approved course1 from each of the following categories:- Artistic Literacy
- Cultural Literacy
- Human Inquiry
- Scientific Inquiry
In addition to the above, ADC and Online students will also complete one approved course1 from the following category:
- Discovery and Reflection
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Only courses that are approved to meet the distribution requirement can be used toward this requirement. See the list of approved courses for available options. Courses taken to meet distribution requirements are 4 semester hours apiece, with the following exceptions:
- An approved transfer course of at least 2.50 semester hours can be used to satisfy a distribution requirement.
- Courses with co-requisite laboratory components may be used to satisfy a distribution requirement, provided that the student successfully complete both the three-credit-hour course and the single-credit-hour lab component.
Retention Criteria
In order to enroll in student teaching, a teacher candidate must be fully admitted to the School of Education, have a cumulative major GPA of 3.0, pass the Illinois State Board of Education Content Area Test, and have no outstanding dispositions.
Exit Criteria
Candidates must demonstrate satisfactory progress through completion of all required coursework and credit hours, including student teaching, and successful completion of the edTPA in order to be recommended for teacher licensure.