Elementary Teaching Major

Students must also complete the Undergraduate Registration Requirement and the degree requirements of their home school.

Distribution requirements (10 units)

  • 2 natural sciences courses 
  • 2 formal studies courses2
  • 2 historical studies courses
  • 2 ethics and values courses
  • 2 literature and fine arts courses 

Selected courses from Weinberg College and professional schools across the University fulfill distribution requirements. A meeting with the student’s academic advisor is required prior to registering for distribution requirement courses.  

1

Please speak to academic advisor before choosing Natural Sciences courses distribution requirement courses to make sure elementary teaching licensure requirement is met. Please visit the Elementary Teaching  Extension Courses guide for more information.

2

Please speak to your academic advisor before choosing Formal Studies distribution requirement courses to make sure elementary teaching licensure requirement is met. Please visit the Elementary Teaching Extension Courses guide for more information.

 
 

SESP Core (8 units)

Course Title
Understanding Knowledge
Human Development: Childhood and Adolescence 3
Introduction to Statistics and Research Methodology
Field Research Methods
Student Teaching: Elementary
Content Area Reading and Writing (Elementary)
3

SESP 201 has a few alternatives. SESP 351-0 Special Topics (Child and Adolescent Development) and PSYCH 244-0 Developmental Psychology are both substitutions, however please note that PSYCH 110-0 Introduction to Psychology is a prerequisite for PSYCH 244-0.

Foundations Courses (6 units)  

Course Title
Social Contexts of Education
Foundations of Learning in a New Language
Educating Exceptional Children
Schooling in America
Theory and Practice of Teaching: Elementary Teaching

Concentration Cluster Courses 

Please visit the Elementary Teaching Extension Courses guide for more information. Students will be notified by their advisor if there are any changes to this list. 

All Elementary Teaching students take the following as a part of their cluster requirements: 

Sciences (3 units)

One from the Physical Science cluster, one from the Life Science cluster, and one from the Earth and Space Science cluster.

Some courses will fulfill more than one cluster, but credit will only be applied once to one cluster. Students still need to complete 3 units, one in each cluster.

Please note that up to two science classes can be fulfilled by the Natural Science distribution requirements if they fall into the following categories: 

Course Title
Physical Science
General Chemistry 1
General Chemistry 2
Chemistry of Nature and Culture
Earth Science for the 21st Century
The Ocean, the Atmosphere & Our Climate
Fantasy Worlds – How to Build Your Own Planet
Earth Systems Revealed
Earth System History
Ideas of Physics
Any level Physics course; please speak with your advisor.
Life Science
Diversity of Life
The Nature of Plants
Human Genetics
Earth Science for the 21st Century
The Ocean, the Atmosphere & Our Climate
Earth System History
Earth: A Habitable Planet
The Health of the Biosphere
Science Content for Teachers
Any level Biological Sciences course; please speak with your advisor.
Earth and Planetary Science
Modern Cosmology
Milky Way Galaxy
Solar System
Highlights of Astronomy
Earth Science for the 21st Century
The Ocean, the Atmosphere & Our Climate
Fantasy Worlds – How to Build Your Own Planet
Earth Systems Revealed
Earth System History
Science Content for Teachers

Math and Statistics (1 unit) 

Please note that this unit can be fulfilled by one of the Formal Studies distribution requirements if the formal studies class is included in the following list:

Course Title
MATH 100-0Quantitative Reasoning
MATH 202-0Finite Mathematics
Any level Math course; please speak with your advisor.
STAT 210-0Introduction to Probability and Statistics
TEACH_ED 314-0Math for Elementary Teachers
TEACH_ED 318-0Teaching Math: Geometry
TEACH_ED 319-0Teaching Math: Statistics and Probability
TEACH_ED 373-0Topics in High School Math

Social Sciences (2 units) 

Course Title
TEACH_ED 334-0Social Science Content for Teachers

 The other unit can be fulfilled with any of the following: 

Course Title
POLI_SCI 220-CNAmerican Government and Politics
POLI_SCI 230-CNLaw in the Political Arena
ECON 201-0Introduction to Macroeconomics
ECON 202-0Introduction to Microeconomics

Methods (4 units) 

Course Title
Elementary Science Methods
Elementary Social Studies Methods
Elementary Literacy Methods & Content
Elementary Math: Methods and Content

Equity and Education (3 Units) 

Course Title
Speech & Communication in the School Environment
Culture and Cognition
Culture and Cognition: SESP Leadership Institute
Special Topics (Community Research Methods: Educational Justice)
Critical Issues in Literacy
Dynamics of Middle School Curriculum
Race and Education
Race, Adolescence, and School Discipline
Cognition and Culture in Teaching and Learning (CHANGE NAME)
Design of Learning Environments
Identity and Motivation
Pedagogies for History and Injustice: Holocaust Education Design

Electives (8 units) 

Additional units of elective coursework must be taken to complete the 42-unit degree requirement. Students are encouraged to discuss their elective plans with the teacher certification manager. 

Additional Licensure Requirements (included in the degree's 42 units) 

  • History courses 
  • Literature and fine arts courses
  • Physical Science, life science and earth/space science courses
    • Please note that up to two science classes can be fulfilled by the Natural Science distribution requirements if they fall into the following categories: 
Course Title
Physical Science
General Chemistry 1
General Chemistry 2
Chemistry of Nature and Culture
Earth Science for the 21st Century
The Ocean, the Atmosphere & Our Climate
Fantasy Worlds – How to Build Your Own Planet
Earth Systems Revealed
Earth System History
Ideas of Physics
Any level Physics course; please speak with your advisor.
Life Science
Diversity of Life
The Nature of Plants
Human Genetics
Earth Science for the 21st Century
The Ocean, the Atmosphere, and our Climate
Earth System History
Earth: A Habitable Planet
The Health of the Biosphere
Science Content for Teachers
Earth and Planetary Science
Modern Cosmology
Milky Way Galaxy
Solar System
Earth Science for the 21st Century
The Ocean, the Atmosphere & Our Climate
Fantasy Worlds – How to Build Your Own Planet
Earth Systems Revealed
Earth System History
Science Content for Teachers
  • Math and statistics courses
    • Please note that one of these classes can fulfilled by the Formal Studies distribution requirements if they fall into the following categories: 
Course Title
MATH 100-0Quantitative Reasoning
MATH 202-0Finite Mathematics
Any level Math course; please speak with your advisor.
STAT 210-0Introduction to Probability and Statistics
TEACH_ED 314-0Math for Elementary Teachers
TEACH_ED 318-0Teaching Math: Geometry
TEACH_ED 319-0Teaching Math: Statistics and Probability
TEACH_ED 373-0Topics in High School Math

Middle Grade Endorsement (optional) 

  • 7 courses in competency areas: 
    • Science 
    • English 
    • Spanish 
    • Math 
    • Social Science 
  • 1 Middle Grades Methods and Techniques course: 
Course Title
TEACH_ED 366-0Middle Grades Methods & Techniques of Teaching: English
TEACH_ED 367-0Middle Grades Methods & Techniques of Teaching: Mathematics
TEACH_ED 368-0Middle Grades Methods & Techniques of Teaching: Science
TEACH_ED 369-0Middle Grades Methods & Techniques of Teaching: Social Sciences