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.
The Secondary Licensure in Earth-Space Science Emphasis requires a minimum of 64 credits. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Geology Requirements | ||
| GEOL 101 | Physical Geology (GT-SC2) | 3 |
| or GEOL 103 | Earth and Energy Systems | |
| GEOL 105 | Physical Geology Laboratory (GT-SC1) | 1 |
| GEOL 201 | Historical Geology (with laboratory) | 4 |
| GEOL 302 | Geoscience Writing | 2 |
| GEOL 310 | Stratigraphy and Sedimentation (with laboratory) | 4 |
| GEOL 315 | Earth Materials (with laboratory) | 4 |
| GEOL 320 | Geomorphology (with laboratory) | 4 |
| GEOL 345 | Structural Geology (with laboratory) | 4 |
| GEOL 450 | Field Geology | 4 |
| Required Supporting Courses | ||
| BIOL 150 | Biological Principles (with laboratory) (GT-SC1) | 4 |
| 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 |
| CHEM 113 | General Chemistry II | 3 |
| CHEM 114 | General Chemistry Laboratory II | 1 |
| MATH 141 | Precalculus (GT-MA1) | 4 |
| or MATH 151 | Calculus I (GT-MA1) | |
| PHYS 110 | Introductory Astronomy (GT-SC2) | 3 |
| PHYS 120 | Meteorology (GT-SC2) | 3 |
| Select one of the following pairs of courses: | 8 | |
| Principles of Physics I (GT-SC2) and Laboratory Physics I (GT-SC1) | ||
AND | ||
| Principles of Physics II (GT-SC2) and Laboratory Physics II (GT-SC1) | ||
| OR | ||
| General Physics I (GT-SC2) and Laboratory Physics I (GT-SC1) | ||
AND | ||
| General Physics II (GT-SC2) and Laboratory Physics II (GT-SC1) | ||
| Total Credits | 64 | |
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.
Sample Plan
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.
| Year One | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | |
| EDUC 000 | Education Gateway Course | 0 |
| ENG 102 | Writing and Rhetoric I (GT-CO1) | 3 |
| GEOL 101 | Physical Geology (GT-SC2) | 3 |
| GEOL 105 | Physical Geology Laboratory (GT-SC1) | 1 |
| MATH 141 or MATH 151 |
Precalculus (GT-MA1) or Calculus I (GT-MA1) |
4 |
| WWGE 101/102/103/104 | Headwaters (select one) | 2 |
| Credits | 13 | |
| Spring | ||
| GEOL 201 | Historical Geology (with laboratory) | 4 |
| BIOL 150 | Biological Principles (with laboratory) (GT-SC1) | 4 |
| WWGE Humanistic Inquiry | 3 | |
| ENG 103 | Writing and Rhetoric II (GT-CO2) | 3 |
| Credits | 14 | |
| Year Two | ||
| Fall | ||
| GEOL 310 | Stratigraphy and Sedimentation (with laboratory) | 4 |
| 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 |
| WWGE Life Skills | 3 | |
| PHYS 110 | Introductory Astronomy (GT-SC2) | 3 |
| Credits | 18 | |
| Spring | ||
| GEOL 315 | Earth Materials (with laboratory) | 4 |
| GEOL 302 | Geoscience Writing | 2 |
| CHEM 113 | General Chemistry II | 3 |
| CHEM 114 | General Chemistry Laboratory II | 1 |
| WWGE Historical Inquiry | 3 | |
| PHYS 120 | Meteorology (GT-SC2) | 3 |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Year Three | ||
| Fall | ||
| GEOL 345 | Structural Geology (with laboratory) | 4 |
| GEOL 320 | Geomorphology (with laboratory) | 4 |
| PHYS 170 & PHYS 185 |
Principles of Physics I (GT-SC2) or General Physics I (GT-SC2) and Laboratory Physics I (GT-SC1) |
4 |
| WWGE Social Inquiry | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| PHYS 171 & PHYS 186 |
Principles of Physics II (GT-SC2) or General Physics II (GT-SC2) and Laboratory Physics II (GT-SC1) |
4 |
| EDUC 340 | Application of Pedagogy and Practice | 3 |
| WWGE Further Inquiry, Creative Expression | 6 | |
| WWGE 301/302/303/304 | Delta course (select one) | 1 |
| Credits | 14 | |
| Summer | ||
| GEOL 450 | Field Geology | 4 |
| Credits | 4 | |
| Year Four | ||
| Fall | ||
| EDUC 603 | Content Area Learning | 3 |
| EDUC 604 | Learning Environments | 3 |
| EDUC 605 | Curriculum Development and Assessment | 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 | 121 | |
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Geology requires completion of mathematics through Calculus II. Additional mathematics courses may be required and would fill Elective courses as needed.
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.