Elementary Education B.A.
Some programs, including the middle grades certification program, will total more than 120 credits and may take longer than four years to complete.
Retention Requirements
- A minimum overall grade point average of 2.50 each semester.
- A minimum grade of B- in ELED 300, and recommendation to continue from the instructor.
- A minimum grade of B- in all other professional courses, and a recommendation to continue from each instructor. Courses in the department may be repeated once with a recommendation to retake from the previous instructor.
- A minimum grade of C in all prerequisite courses offered in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
Records of students who do not maintain good standing or who receive a Recommendation to Continue with Concerns are reviewed by the departmental retention committee. Students may be dismissed from the program. Appeal of a decision to dismiss a student is made to the dean of the Feinstein School of Education and Human Development.
Other Requirements
In addition to completing courses in elementary education, students must also complete the following requirements. See FSEHD website for additional information.
- A Preparing to Teach Portfolio
- Community Service Requirement
- Elementary Physical Education Requirement
Course Requirements
Professional Courses
| CEP 315 | Educational Psychology | 3 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
| ELED 300 | Concepts of Teaching Diverse Learners | 3 | Offered fall and spring. |
| ELED 400 | Curriculum and Assessment with Instructional Technology | 3 | Offered fall and spring. |
| ELED 420 | Children's Literature and the Integrated Arts | 3 | Offered fall and spring. |
| ELED 422 | Developmental Reading | 3 | Offered fall and spring. |
| ELED 435 | Language Arts and ELL Instruction | 3 | Offered fall and spring. |
| ELED 436 | Teaching Social Studies to Diverse Learners | 3 | Offered fall and spring. |
| ELED 437 | Elementary School Science and Health Education | 3 | Offered fall and spring. |
| ELED 438 | Teaching Elementary School Mathematics | 3 | Offered fall and spring. |
| ELED 439 | Student Teaching in the Elementary School | 9 | Offered spring only for candidates in early childhood education. |
| ELED 469 | Best Practices: Instruction, Assessment, Classroom Management | 3 | Offered spring only for candidates in early childhood education. |
| FNED 346 | Schooling in a Democratic Society | 4 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
| SPED 433 | Adaptation of Instruction for Inclusive Education | 3 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
| Total Credit Hours: | 46 | |
Content Major Course Requirements
- Content majors include: (A) Multidisciplinary Studies, (B) English, (C) General Science, (D) Math, and (E) Social Studies.
- Students who would like to be eligible to pursue a middle grades certificate (5-8) must choose a content major in English, general science, social studies, or math. See Middle Grades Certification coursework for further information.
- Students who do not want to pursue a middle grades certificate may choose any content major, but multi-disciplinary studies is strongly recommended.
A. Content Major in Multidisciplinary Studies
In addition to completing required courses in elementary education, students electing a content major in multi-disciplinary studies must complete the following courses, with a minimum grade point average of 2.50 in the major. Students may not proceed to student teaching without the required GPA. NOTE: This content major does not fulfill requirements for middle grades certification.
Cognates
| ART 210 | Nurturing Artistic and Musical Development | 4 | Offered fall and spring. |
| BIOL 100 | Fundamental Concepts of Biology | 4 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
| MATH 143 | Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers I | 4 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
| MATH 144 | Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers II | 4 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
| POL 201 | Development of American Democracy | 4 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
| PSCI 103 | Physical Science | 4 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
ONE COURSE from
| ENGL 120 | Studies in Literature and Identity | 4 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
| ENGL 121 | Studies in Literature and Nation | 4 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
| ENGL 122 | Studies in Literature and the Canon | 4 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
| ENGL 123 | Studies in Literature and Genre | 4 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
ONE COURSE from
| HIST 103 | Multiple Voices: Europe in the World to 1600 | 4 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
| HIST 104 | Multiple Voices: Europe in the World Since 1600 | 4 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
HIST 103, HIST 104: These courses may also apply to General Education requirement.
ONE COURSE from
| HSCI 232 | Human Genetics | 4 | Offered annually. |
| PSCI 208 | Forensic Science | 4 | Offered fall and spring. |
| PSCI 214 | Introduction to Meteorology | 3 | Offered spring. |
| Total Credit Hours: | 36 | |
Content major courses in Multidisciplinary Studies
| ENGL 210 | Children's Literature | 4 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
| ENGL 212 | Adolescent Literature | 4 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
ONE geography course from
| GEOG 101 | Introduction to Geography | 4 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
| GEOG 200 | World Regional Geography | 4 | Offered fall, spring. |
ONE ELED social studies content major course from
| ANTH 101 | Introduction to Cultural Anthropology | 4 | Offered fall and spring. |
| ANTH 102 | Introduction to Archaeology | 4 | Offered fall and spring. |
| ANTH 215 | The Archaeology of Ancient Civilizations | 4 | Offered as needed. |
| ECON 200 | Introduction to Economics | 4 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
| ECON 214 | Principles of Microeconomics | 3 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
| SOC 200 | Society and Social Behavior | 4 | Offered fall and spring. |
| SOC 202 | The Family | 4 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
| SOC 204 | Urban Sociology | 4 | Offered as needed. |
| SOC 208 | Minority Group Relations | 4 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
| POL 203 | Global Politics | 4 | Offered fall and spring. |
| POL 204 | Introduction to Political Thought | 4 | Offered fall and spring. |
ONE ADDITIONAL science course from
| HSCI 232 | Human Genetics | 4 | Offered annually. |
| PSCI 208 | Forensic Science | 4 | Offered fall and spring. |
| PSCI 210 | Introduction to Astronomy | 4 | Offered fall and spring. |
| PSCI 212 | Introduction to Geology | 4 | Offered fall and summer. |
| PSCI 214 | Introduction to Meteorology | 3 | Offered spring. |
| PSCI 217 | Introduction to Oceanography | 4 | Offered spring. |
TWO ELED math content courses from
| MATH 200 | Finite Mathematics for Computer Science | 4 | Offered fall and spring. |
| MATH 209 | Precalculus Mathematics | 4 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
| MATH 210 | College Trigonometry | 3 | Offered spring. |
| | | | |
| MATH 212 | Calculus I | 4 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
| | Or | | |
| MATH 247 | Calculus: A Short Course | 3 | Offered spring. |
| | | | |
| MATH 240 | Statistical Methods I | 4 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
| MATH 324 | College Geometry | 4 | Offered fall and spring. |
| MATH 409 | Mathematical Problem Analysis | 4 | Offered fall. |
| MATH 431 | Number Theory | 3 | Offered fall and spring. |
| Total Credit Hours: | 25-28 | |
MATH 324: This course may also apply to General Education requirement.
B. Content Major in English
In addition to completing required courses in elementary education, students electing a content major in English must complete the following courses, with a minimum grade point average of 2.75 in the major. Students may not proceed to student teaching without the required GPA.
Cognates
| ART 210 | Nurturing Artistic and Musical Development | 4 | Offered fall and spring. |
| BIOL 100 | Fundamental Concepts of Biology | 4 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
| MATH 143 | Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers I | 4 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
| MATH 144 | Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers II | 4 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
| POL 201 | Development of American Democracy | 4 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
| PSCI 103 | Physical Science | 4 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
| Total Credit Hours: | 24 | |
Content major courses in English
| ENGL 201 | Introduction to Literary Study I | 4 | Offered fall and spring. |
| ENGL 202 | Introduction to Literary Study II | 4 | Offered fall and spring. |
| ENGL 205 | Backgrounds in British Literature to 1800 | 4 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
| ENGL 206 | Backgrounds in British Literature 1800 to Present | 4 | Offered fall and spring. |
| ENGL 207 | Backgrounds in American Literature | 4 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
| ENGL 210 | Children's Literature | 4 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
| ENGL 212 | Adolescent Literature | 4 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
| Total Credit Hours: | 28 | |
Students pursuing middle grades certification must also take:
| SED 445 | The Teaching of Writing in Secondary Schools | 3 | Offered fall and spring. |
C. Content Major in General Science
In addition to completing required courses in elementary education, students electing a content major in general science must complete the following courses, with a minimum grade point average of 2.50 in the major. Students may not proceed to student teaching without the required GPA.
Cognates
| ART 210 | Nurturing Artistic and Musical Development | 4 | Offered fall and spring. |
| BIOL 111 | Introductory Biology I | 4 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
| MATH 143 | Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers I | 4 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
| MATH 144 | Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers II | 4 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
| POL 201 | Development of American Democracy | 4 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
| PHYS 102 | General Physics II | 4 | Offered spring and summer. |
| Total Credit Hours: | 24 | |
Content major courses in General Science
| BIOL 112 | Introductory Biology II | 4 | Offered spring and summer. |
| PHYS 101 | General Physics I | 4 | Offered fall and summer. |
ONE chemistry sequence from
| CHEM 103 | General Chemistry I | 4 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
| | And | | |
| CHEM 104 | General Chemistry II | 4 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
| | | | |
| | Or | | |
| | | | |
| CHEM 105 | General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry I | 4 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
| | And | | |
| CHEM 106 | General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry II | 4 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
ONE COURSE from
| PSCI 212 | Introduction to Geology | 4 | Offered fall and summer. |
| PSCI 217 | Introduction to Oceanography | 4 | Offered spring. |
| | TWO 200 level or above courses from BIOL, CHEM, HSCI, PHYS or PSCI | 8 | |
| Total Credit Hours: | 28 | |
D. Content Major in Mathematics
In addition to completing required courses in elementary education, students electing a content major in mathematics must complete the following courses, with a minimum grade point average of 2.50 in the major.
Cognates
| ART 210 | Nurturing Artistic and Musical Development | 4 | Offered fall and spring. |
| BIOL 100 | Fundamental Concepts of Biology | 4 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
| MATH 143 | Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers I | 4 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
| MATH 144 | Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers II | 4 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
| MATH 324 | College Geometry | 4 | Offered fall and spring. |
| POL 201 | Development of American Democracy | 4 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
| PSCI 103 | Physical Science | 4 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
| Total Credit Hours: | 28 | |
Content major courses in Mathematics
| MATH 200 | Finite Mathematics for Computer Science | 4 | Offered fall and spring. |
| MATH 209 | Precalculus Mathematics | 4 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
| MATH 210 | College Trigonometry | 3 | Offered spring. |
| MATH 240 | Statistical Methods I | 4 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
| MATH 409 | Mathematical Problem Analysis | 4 | Offered fall. |
| MATH 431 | Number Theory | 3 | Offered fall and spring. |
ONE COURSE from
| MATH 212 | Calculus I | 4 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
| MATH 247 | Calculus: A Short Course | 3 | Offered spring. |
ONE COURSE from
| MATH 418 | Introduction to Operations Research | 3 | Offered spring (even years). |
| MATH 436 | Discrete Mathematics | 3 | Offered spring. |
| MATH 445 | Statistical Methods II | 3 | Offered spring. |
| Total Credit Hours: | 28-29 | |
E. Content Major in Social Studies
In addition to completing the required courses in elementary education, students electing a content major in social studies must complete the following courses with a minimum grade point average of 2.75 in the major.
Cognates
| ART 210 | Nurturing Artistic and Musical Development | 4 | Offered fall and spring. |
| BIOL 100 | Fundamental Concepts of Biology | 4 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
| MATH 143 | Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers I | 4 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
| MATH 144 | Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers II | 4 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
| POL 201 | Development of American Democracy | 4 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
| PSCI 103 | Physical Science | 4 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
ONE COURSE from
| HIST 103 | Multiple Voices: Europe in the World to 1600 | 4 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
| HIST 104 | Multiple Voices: Europe in the World Since 1600 | 4 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
| Total Credit Hours: | 28 | |
HIST 103, HIST 104: These courses may also apply to General Education requirement.
Content major courses in Social Studies
| HIST 331 | Rhode Island History | 4 | Offered spring. |
| HIST 381 | Workshop: History and the Elementary Education Teacher | 1 | Offered fall. |
ONE COURSE from
| HIST 340 | The Muslim World from the Age of Muhammad to 1800 | 4 | Offered alternate years. |
| HIST 341 | The Muslim World in Modern Times, 1800 to the Present | 4 | Offered alternate years. |
| HIST 342 | Islam and Politics in Modern History | 4 | Offered alternate years. |
| HIST 344 | History of East Asia to 1600 | 4 | Offered as needed. |
| HIST 345 | History of China in Modern Times | 4 | Offered as needed. |
| HIST 346 | History of Japan in Modern Times | 4 | Offered as needed. |
| HIST 347 | Foreign Relations of East Asia in Modern Times | 4 | Offered as needed. |
| HIST 348 | Africa under Colonial Rule | 4 | Offered annually. |
| HIST 349 | History of Contemporary Africa | 4 | Offered annually. |
ONE COURSE from
| ANTH 101 | Introduction to Cultural Anthropology | 4 | Offered fall and spring. |
| ANTH 102 | Introduction to Archaeology | 4 | Offered fall and spring. |
| ANTH 215 | The Archaeology of Ancient Civilizations | 4 | Offered as needed. |
ONE COURSE from
| ECON 200 | Introduction to Economics | 4 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
| ECON 214 | Principles of Microeconomics | 3 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
ONE COURSE from
| GEOG 101 | Introduction to Geography | 4 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
| GEOG 200 | World Regional Geography | 4 | Offered fall, spring. |
ONE COURSE from
| POL 203 | Global Politics | 4 | Offered fall and spring. |
| POL 204 | Introduction to Political Thought | 4 | Offered fall and spring. |
ONE COURSE from
| SOC 200 | Society and Social Behavior | 4 | Offered fall and spring. |
| SOC 202 | The Family | 4 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
| SOC 204 | Urban Sociology | 4 | Offered as needed. |
| SOC 208 | Minority Group Relations | 4 | Offered fall, spring, summer. |
| Total Credit Hours: | 28-29 | |