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.
English majors and minors must complete the required course ENG 250 Critical Approaches to Literature (GT-AH2) with a minimum grade of “C” before registering for upper-division courses in English.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| COM 241 | Media Writing | 3 |
| ENG 161 | Introduction to Creative Writing (GT-AH1) | 3 |
| ENG 220 | Grammar and the English Language | 3 |
| ENG 250 | Critical Approaches to Literature (GT-AH2) | 3 |
| ENG 358 | Global Literatures: Studies in: The Underworld | 3 |
| ENG 370 | Myth and Culture | 3 |
| ENG 371 | Literary Theory and Criticism | 3 |
| ENG 493 | Senior Seminar I: Studies in: Criminal Justice | 3 |
| THTR 200 | Dramatic Literature and Script Analysis | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Creative Writing: Fiction | ||
| Creative Writing: Poetry | ||
| Creative Writing | ||
| Creative Writing: Creative Nonfiction | ||
| Scriptwriting | ||
| Select two of the following: | 6 | |
| Borderlands: Representing Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality | ||
| Literary Culture of the American West | ||
| Environmental Literature (GT-AH2) | ||
| Ancient World Literature (GT-AH2) | ||
| Women Writers | ||
| Select two of the following: | 6 | |
| British Literature: Medieval and Renaissance Texts | ||
| British Literature: Milton through the Romantics | ||
| British Literature: The Victorians to the Present Day | ||
| Major British Authors: | ||
| Select two of the following: | 6 | |
| American Literature Early to Civil War | ||
| American Literature-Civil War to Present | ||
| Major American Authors: | ||
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 | |
| WWGE 101 | Headwaters Studies in Sustainability | 2 |
| ENG 102 | Writing and Rhetoric I (GT-CO1) | 3 |
| Western Watershed Courses | 9 | |
| Credits | 14 | |
| Spring | ||
| ENG 103 | Writing and Rhetoric II (GT-CO2) | 3 |
| ENG 161 | Introduction to Creative Writing (GT-AH1) | 3 |
| ENG 250 | Critical Approaches to Literature (GT-AH2) | 3 |
| Western Watershed Courses | 6 | |
| EDUC 000 | Education Gateway Course | 0 |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Year Two | ||
| Fall | ||
| ENG 220 | Grammar and the English Language | 3 |
| ENG | English Elective | 3 |
| COM 241 | Media Writing | 3 |
| Western Watershed Courses | 7 | |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| ENG 358 | Global Literatures: Studies in: The Underworld | 3 |
| ENG 384 or ENG 385 |
American Literature Early to Civil War or American Literature-Civil War to Present |
3 |
| ENG 371 | Literary Theory and Criticism | 3 |
| ENG 230 |
Environmental Literature (GT-AH2) or Borderlands: Representing Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality or Literary Culture of the American West or Ancient World Literature (GT-AH2) or Women Writers |
3 |
| THTR 200 | Dramatic Literature and Script Analysis | 3 |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Year Three | ||
| Fall | ||
| ENG 370 | Myth and Culture | 3 |
| ENG 372 |
British Literature: Medieval and Renaissance Texts or British Literature: Milton through the Romantics or British Literature: The Victorians to the Present Day |
3 |
| ENG 493 | Senior Seminar I: Studies in: Criminal Justice | 3 |
| ENG 384 or ENG 385 |
American Literature Early to Civil War or American Literature-Civil War to Present |
3 |
| ENG 230 |
Environmental Literature (GT-AH2) or Borderlands: Representing Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality or Literary Culture of the American West or Ancient World Literature (GT-AH2) or Women Writers |
3 |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| ENG 384 or ENG 385 |
American Literature Early to Civil War or American Literature-Civil War to Present |
3 |
| EDUC 340 | Application of Pedagogy and Practice | 3 |
| ENG 300 |
Creative Writing: Fiction or Creative Writing: Poetry or Creative Writing: Creative Nonfiction |
3 |
| WWGE 302 | Delta: Studies in Global Knowledge | 1 |
| ENG 372 |
British Literature: Medieval and Renaissance Texts or British Literature: Milton through the Romantics or British Literature: The Victorians to the Present Day |
3 |
| Credits | 13 | |
| Year Four | ||
| Fall | ||
| EDUC 403 | Instruction & Assessment in Content Area | 3 |
| EDUC 405 | Data-driven Instructional Practices | 3 |
| EDUC 604 | Learning Environments | 3 |
| EDUC 606 | Reading and Writing Across the Content Areas | 3 |
| EDUC 609 | Secondary Student Teaching | 3 |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| EDUC 607 | Rethinking Learning in the 21st Century | 3 |
| EDUC 609 | Secondary Student Teaching | 3 |
| EDUC 629 | Inclusion and English Learners | 3 |
| ENG | English electives | 6 |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Total Credits | 118 | |
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.