The 3+2 Secondary and K-12 Licensure Program allows students to complete a B.A. in their academic major with an emphasis in Secondary and K-12 Licensure and a Master of Arts in Education in five years. Students apply to the program by December of their junior year. MUS majors interested in the program need to set up an individualized plan with their MUS and EDUC advisors. To be accepted into the 3+2 Program, each student must:
- Provide letters of recommendation from at least one Education Department faculty member and one faculty member from the student's major
- Prove content, as defined by the Colorado Department of Education
- Be accepted into Western's Teacher Licensure Program
- Successfully complete EDUC 340 (by Spring of junior year)
- Be on track to complete all coursework required within the academic major
Upon satisfactory completion of these requirements, students will be designated as "MAED candidates with provisional acceptance." Upon completion of the final undergraduate credits for the Western B.A., students will be designated as "MAED degree-seeking students." Students who have completed all other requirements of the 3+2 Secondary and K-12 Licensure Degree Program and all Western undergraduate requirements, yet choose to leave the MAED program before Year Five, will still have completed the BA in Secondary and K-12 Licensure, have earned 120 credits necessary for a Western undergraduate degree, and be eligible to apply for initial teacher licensure .
Program Requirements
Students interested in pursuing this comprehensive program should consult with the Teacher Education Program advisor in addition to the advisor in their major as soon as possible.
All Biology majors require the 26-credit Biology Nucleus.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Biology Nucleus | ||
| BIOL 150 | Biological Principles (with laboratory) (GT-SC1) | 4 |
| BIOL 151 | Diversity and Patterns of Life (with laboratory) | 4 |
| BIOL 301 | General Ecology | 3 |
| BIOL 310 | Cell Biology | 3 |
| BIOL 312 | Genetics (with recitation) | 4 |
| CHEM 111 | General Chemistry I (GT-SC2) | 3 |
| CHEM 112 | General Chemistry Laboratory I (GT-SC1) | 1 |
| CHEM 113 | General Chemistry II | 3 |
| CHEM 114 | General Chemistry Laboratory II | 1 |
| Total Credits | 26 | |
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Biology and/or ESS courses | ||
| BIOL 201 | Introduction to Microbiology (with laboratory) | 4 |
| or BIOL 342 | Microbiology (with laboratory) | |
| Select one of the following: | 4-8 | |
| Essentials of Human Anatomy and Physiology (with Lab) | ||
| Human Anatomy and Physiology I (with laboratory) and Human Anatomy and Physiology II (with laboratory) | ||
In addition, the student must fulfill the requirements of the Secondary Licensure 3+2 Program (see description under Education), and the following:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Supporting Courses | ||
| CHEM 231 | Introduction to Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 234 | Introductory Organic and Biochemistry Laboratory | 1 |
| GEOL 101 | Physical Geology (GT-SC2) | 3 |
| GEOL 105 | Physical Geology Laboratory (GT-SC1) | 1 |
| GEOL 201 | Historical Geology (with laboratory) | 4 |
| MATH 213 | Probability and Statistics (GT-MA1) | 3 |
| PHYS 110 | Introductory Astronomy (GT-SC2) | 3 |
| PHYS 120 | Meteorology (GT-SC2) | 3 |
| PHYS 140 | Introductory Physics (with laboratory) (GT-SC1) | 4 |
Western Watershed General Education Requirements
Students must complete all Western Watershed General Education requirements to graduate.
Graduation Requirements
Undergraduate programs require a minimum of 120 semester credits for graduation. Of those 120 credits, 40 credits must be in upper-division courses (those marked 300 and above). Fifteen of these 40 upper-division credits must be earned in courses that are part of the standard or comprehensive major program being pursued.
Students are expected to review all graduation requirements, which can be found in the Western Undergraduate Catalog: Graduation Requirements.
Degree Plans are for planning purposes. They reflect a suggested plan to complete the degree in a projected timeframe per program of study.
"Western Watershed Course(s)” refers to a course from the Tributaries area of the Western Watershed program. These courses should be chosen in consultation with the student’s advisor.
Sample Plan
| Year One | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | |
| BIOL 151 | Diversity and Patterns of Life (with laboratory) | 4 |
| CHEM 111 | General Chemistry I (GT-SC2) | 3 |
| CHEM 112 | General Chemistry Laboratory I (GT-SC1) | 1 |
| ENG 102 | Writing and Rhetoric I (GT-CO1) | 3 |
| MATH 140 | College Algebra (GT-MA1) | 3 |
| EDUC 000 | Education Gateway Course | 0 |
| WWGE 101/102/103/104 | Headwaters | 2 |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| BIOL 150 | Biological Principles (with laboratory) (GT-SC1) | 4 |
| CHEM 113 | General Chemistry II | 3 |
| CHEM 114 | General Chemistry Laboratory II | 1 |
| ENG 103 | Writing and Rhetoric II (GT-CO2) | 3 |
| Non-specific Western Watershed Course(s) | 6 | |
| Credits | 17 | |
| Year Two | ||
| Fall | ||
| ESS 201 or BIOL 372 |
Essentials of Human Anatomy and Physiology (with Lab) or Human Anatomy and Physiology I (with laboratory) |
4 |
| CHEM 231 | Introduction to Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 234 | Introductory Organic and Biochemistry Laboratory | 1 |
| BIOL 301 | General Ecology | 3 |
| MATH 141 | Precalculus (GT-MA1) | 4 |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| BIOL 310 | Cell Biology | 3 |
| MATH 213 | Probability and Statistics (GT-MA1) | 3 |
| PHYS 120 | Meteorology (GT-SC2) | 3 |
| Non-Specific Western Watershed Course(s) | 6 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Year Three | ||
| Fall | ||
| BIOL 312 | Genetics (with recitation) | 4 |
| PHYS 110 | Introductory Astronomy (GT-SC2) | 3 |
| GEOL 101 | Physical Geology (GT-SC2) | 3 |
| GEOL 105 | Physical Geology Laboratory (GT-SC1) | 1 |
| Non-Specific Western Watershed Course(s) | 3 | |
| Credits | 14 | |
| Spring | ||
| PHYS 140 | Introductory Physics (with laboratory) (GT-SC1) | 4 |
| GEOL 201 | Historical Geology (with laboratory) | 4 |
| BIOL 201 | Introduction to Microbiology (with laboratory) | 4 |
| EDUC 340 | Application of Pedagogy and Practice | 3 |
| WWGE 301/302/303/304 | Delta | 1 |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Year Four | ||
| Fall | ||
| EDUC 403 | Instruction & Assessment in Content Area | 3 |
| EDUC 405 | Data-driven Instructional Practices | 3 |
| EDUC 604 | Learning Environments | 3 |
| EDUC 609 | Secondary Student Teaching | 3 |
| EDUC 624 | Managing to Differentiate | 3 |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| EDUC 606 | Reading and Writing Across the Content Areas | 3 |
| EDUC 607 | Rethinking Learning in the 21st Century | 3 |
| EDUC 609 | Secondary Student Teaching | 3 |
| EDUC 629 | Inclusion and English Learners | 3 |
| Credits | 12 | |
| Total Credits | 120 | |
Western is committed to doing our part to provide each student a clear path to graduation. This four‐year degree plan is a sample map for fulfilling requirements in the major and General Education. The pathway that you take to your degree may differ somewhat from this illustration, depending on where you start and the detours and side trips you may take along the way. You are responsible for ensuring your overall, upper division, and major‐specific credits as well as GPA requirements are fulfilled for graduation.