Adolescence Education (BA)


Department Chair: Marya Grande, PhD

Introduction

Professional sequences in Adolescence Education give teacher candidates a thorough foundation in the many facets of modern American secondary education and a gradually increasing exposure to the realities of the classroom. A broad range of field experiences, from observation and tutoring to a full semester of student teaching, is an essential part of the curriculum. Each program also includes an integrated sequence of subject-area courses offered by one or more of the academic departments at the college. The Adolescence Education program offers nine certification programs at the Adolescence Level — grades 7 through 12.

Licensure Disclosure

Canisius University cannot determine whether completion of this program would be sufficient to meet licensure requirements outside of New York State for the intended occupation. We advise you to contact your state licensing board or appropriate licensing entity to determine whether the program meets requirements for Professional Licensure in the state where you are located or the state in which you intend to pursue licensure. Please contact the associate dean of your school if you have further questions.

Qualifications

Academic criteria for endorsement and completion of the program are as follows: Students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.7 or higher and a grade of C or higher in content and pedagogical courses. They must achieve satisfactory performance in field placements. All candidates must complete a minimum of 120 credit hours to graduate.

Advisement

All students should have an advisor in the major and should contact the department directly to have an advisor assigned if they do not already have one.  Meetings with academic advisors are required prior to students receiving their PIN for course registration each semester. All majors should work closely with their advisor in discussing career expectations, choosing their major electives, developing their entire academic program and planning their co-curricular or supplemental academic experiences.

 In addition, candidates will be assigned an advisor in their respective concentration area.

Double Majors

Students who wish to expand their educational opportunities may decide to declare a double major. This decision may be based on career goals, planned graduate studies, and/or other student interests. Before a student declares a double major, it is important to meet with the appropriate academic departments for advisement.  In order to declare a double major, the student must complete the Major/Minor Declaration form. This form will be submitted electronically and reviewed and approved by each department chairperson as well as the appropriate associate dean. 

Per university policy, each additional major requires a minimum of 15 credits that do not apply to the student's first or subsequent major.  Some double major combinations can be completed within the minimum 120 credit hour degree requirement, but in other cases additional course work may be required. Please note that students will receive only one degree unless completing the dual degree requirement including at least 150 undergraduate credit hours, regardless of the number of majors they complete. Both (all) majors appear on a student’s transcript.

Minors in Other Disciplines

Minors provide students the opportunity to pursue additional interests but generally do not require as many courses as a major.  Minors generally range from five to eight required courses. To receive a minor, the student must complete at least 9 credit hours of coursework distinct from their other credentials (i.e., majors, other minors). The complete list of minors is available on the Canisius website and in the catalog and provides links to each minor. Some majors and minors can be completed within the minimum 120 credit hour degree requirement, but in some cases additional coursework may be required. Students must complete the appropriate minor request form.

Curriculum

An Ignatian Foundation

All undergraduate students must complete either the Canisius Core Curriculum or the All-College Honors Curriculum. Many schools refer to their college-wide undergraduate requirements as "general education" requirements. We believe that the core curriculum and the honors curriculum are more than a series of required classes; they provide the basis for a Jesuit education both with content and with required knowledge and skills attributes that are central to our mission.

Free Electives

Students may graduate with a bachelor's degree with more but not less than 120 credit hours. Free electives are courses in addition to the Canisius Core Curriculum or All-College Honors Curriculum and major requirements sufficient to reach the minimum number of credits required for graduation. The number of credits required to complete a bachelor's degree may vary depending on the student's major(s) and minor(s).

Major Requirements

The Adolescence Education Major includes the following required courses and an academic concentration. Each of these courses require a grade of C or higher.

EDS 101Human Growth and Social Development: Adolescence3
EDS 223Foundations of Adolescent Literacy3
EDS 360Evaluation and Teaching Strategies3
EDS 390Cognition, Learning and Assessment of Adolescence3
Choose the appropriate course:3
Methods of Teaching English: Adolescence
Methods of Teaching Mathematics: Adolescence
Methods of Teaching Modern Languages: Adolescence
Methods of Teaching Science: Adolescence
Methods of Teaching Social Studies: Adolescence
Choose the appropriate course:3
Applied Methods of Teaching English: Adolescence
Applied Methods of Teaching Mathematics: Adolescence
Applied Methods of Teaching Modern Languages: Adolescence
Applied Methods of Teaching Science: Adolescence
Applied Methods of Teaching Social Studies
EDS 493Supervised Student Teaching12
EDU 100Exploring the Teaching Profession3
EDU 123Technology in Education 1 11
EDU 223Technology in Education 2 11
EDU 323Technology in Education 3 11
EDU 250Foundations of Education3
EDU 494Capstone Seminar for Teacher Candidates3
EDU 495Child Abuse Workshop0
EDU 496Prevention of School Violence Workshop0
EDU 497Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) Workshop0
EDU 498Student Teaching Seminar3
SPE 341Inclusive Strategies3
Total Credits48
1

Candidates who are pursuing a concentration in Biology, Chemistry, or Physics are not required to take this class, although it is highly recommended.

Major Experiences

New York State requires the successful completion of at least 100 hours of field experience before student teaching. This requirement is divided up among three courses in the major program. EDU 250 has a 15 hour community-based experience, EDS 223 has a 20 hour field experience, EDS 360 has a 30 hour field experience, EDS 402-EDS 406 (choose the appropriate course) has a 30 hour field experience and EDS 432-EDS 436 (choose the appropriate course) hosts 50 hours. The field experience builds from participatory observation to tutoring or working with small groups to teaching a lesson and then teaching lessons from a learning segment designed by the candidate in the EDS 432-EDS 436 course.

Academic Concentration

Candidates choose from the following areas of certification: Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, English, Social Studies, or Spanish. Required courses in these content areas are listed below:

Adolescence Biology Concentration

BIO 111
111L
Introductory Biology I
and Introductory Biology Laboratory I
4
BIO 112
112L
Introductory Biology II
and Introductory Biology Laboratory II
4
BIO 211
211L
Biochemistry and Cell Biology I
and Biochemistry and Cell Biology Lab I
4
BIO 212
212L
Biochemistry and Cell Biology II
and Biochemistry and Cell Biology Lab II
4
BIO 404Genetics 13
BIO 450Molecular Biology 13-4
Choose one of the following ecology courses 13-4
Field Ecology
Community Ecology
Freshwater Biology
Choose one of the following microbiology or physiology courses4
Medical Microbiology and its Ecological Basis
and Medical Microbiology and its Ecological Basis Lab
Microbiology
and Microbiology Laboratory
Physiology
and Physiology Laboratory
In addition to the required biology classes, students also must complete the following courses:
MAT 111Calculus I4
MAT 131Statistics for Social Sciences3
or MAT 141 Inferential Statistics and Computers for Science
CHM 111
111L
General Chemistry I
and General Chemistry I Laboratory
4
PHY 201
201L
College Physics I
and College Physics I Laboratory
4
Total Credits44-46
1

Students must complete a total of 30 biology credits.  To reach that total, students must complete one laboratory associated with one of the following classes: BIO 320, BIO 375, BIO 377, BIO 404, or BIO 450.

For students interested in adding a chemistry certification in addition to biology, the following courses must also be completed.

CHM 111
111L
General Chemistry I
and General Chemistry I Laboratory
4
CHM 227
227L
Organic Chemistry I
and Organic Chemistry I Laboratory
4
CHM 301Fundamental Physical Chemistry3
BCH 301
301L
Introduction to Biochemistry
and Introduction to Biochemistry Laboratory
4
CHM 301Fundamental Physical Chemistry3
CHM 381Scientific Literature and Communication1
Total Credits19

Adolescence Chemistry Concentration

CHM 104Energy, Environment, and Society3
CHM 111
111L
General Chemistry I
and General Chemistry I Laboratory
4
CHM 112
112L
General Chemistry II
and General Chemistry II Laboratory
4
CHM 227
227L
Organic Chemistry I
and Organic Chemistry I Laboratory
4
CHM 228
228L
Organic Chemistry II
and Organic Chemistry II Laboratory
4
CHM 244Inorganic Chemistry3
CHM 301Fundamental Physical Chemistry3
BCH 301
301L
Introduction to Biochemistry
and Introduction to Biochemistry Laboratory
4
Must take one of the following:1
Fundamental Physical Chemistry Laboratory
Scientific Literature and Communication
In addition to the chemistry courses for the concentration, students also must complete the following related courses:
BIO 111
111L
Introductory Biology I
and Introductory Biology Laboratory I
4
GEO 325Introduction to Physical Geography3
MAT 111Calculus I 14
One statistics class. Choose one of the following:3-4
Statistics for Social Sciences
Inferential Statistics and Computers for Science
PHY 201
201L
College Physics I
and College Physics I Laboratory
4
PHY 202
202L
College Physics II
and College Physics II Laboratory
4
Total Credits52-53
1

 Students placed in MAT 109 must also complete MAT 110.  This sequence will replace MAT 111.

Adolescence Mathematics Concentration

MAT 111Calculus I4
MAT 112Calculus II4
MAT 211Calculus III4
MAT 219Linear Algebra4
MAT 222Differential Equations3
MAT 230Logic, Set Theory, and Proofs4
MAT 301History of Mathematics3
MAT 311Abstract Algebra4
MAT 331Geometry3
MAT 351Probability & Statistics I3
One Math (MAT) elective at the 200-level or higher 13
One Computer Science (CSC) course3
Total Credits42
1

Students may also use MAT 150 or MAT 191 to fulfill this requirement.

Please note that students pursuing the Mathematics Concentration are strongly encouraged to complete a dual major with Adolescence Education and Mathematics and Statistics. To complete the dual major, students must add MAT 321; the series of MAT 380, MAT 381, and MAT 480; and one of the following: MAT 312 or MAT 352.

Adolescence English Concentration

ENG 299Introduction to English Studies3
ENG 322Shakespeare I3
One course in Women's Literature (ENG 223, ENG 373, or ENG 382)3
One course in Multicultural Literature (ENG 213, ENG 368, or ENG 382)3
One course in Global Literature (ENG 224 or ENG 381)3
One course in Writing (ENG 294, ENG 383, ENG 385, ENG 388, ENG 389, ENG 391, ENG 392, ENG 393, ENG 411, or ENG 490)3
One Pre-1800 British Literature course (ENG 233, ENG 305, ENG 306, ENG 347, or ENG 373)3
One Pre-1900 American Literature course (ENG 315 or ENG 319)3
One Post-1900 American Literature course (ENG 316 or ENG 369)3
EDS 370Young Adolescent Literature3
EDU 410Writing in the Schools3
or ENG 390 Tutoring Writing
Total Credits33

Adolescence Social Studies Concentration

HIS 107History of Modern Europe to 1815 (European History)3
or HIS 108 History of Modern Europe since 1815
History at 200 Level3
History at 200 Level3
HIS 209History of Asia to 18003
or HIS 394 Modern Middle East
HIS 260Canada and the World3
or HIS 264 Latin American History to 1830
History at the 300 level 3
ECO 101Principles of Macroeconomics (Economics)3
or ECO 102 Principles of Microeconomics
PSC 103The American Constitution (Political Science)3
or PSC 104 American Political Process
PSC 140International Relations (Political Science)3
or PSC 150 Comparative Government and Politics
One Culture Class (see department for current list of courses that fulfill this requirement)3
GEO 325Introduction to Physical Geography3
or HIS 300 Historical Geography
Total Credits33

Please note that students pursuing the Social Studies Concentration are strongly encouraged to complete a dual major with Adolescence Education and History. 

Adolescence Spanish Concentration

SPA 215Communicating in Spanish 13
SPA 217Intro Comp Panorama SocioCultural Latinoamericano 13
SPA 323Topics in Conversation I Peninsular Culture and Civilization3
SPA 324Topics in Conversation II Latin American Culture and Civilization3
SPA 332Advanced Spanish Composition3
Five Spanish electives15
Total Credits30
1

Students who begin study at the 300-level will have the 200-level courses waived, but still need 10 courses for the concentration.

Middle School Extension

Candidates wishing to obtain an extension to teach grades 5-6 in their area of concentration must take EMC 352 and EMC 391 in addition to the courses listed above.

Roadmap

Recommended Semester Schedule for Major Courses

Freshman
FallSpring
EDU 100 (Fall only)EDU 250
EDS 101 (Fall only)EDU 495 (Co-requisite with 250)
 EDU 496 (Co-requisite with 250)
 EDU 122
Sophomore
FallSpring
SPE 341EDS 360 (Spring only) (30 hour field experience)
EDS 223 (Fall only) (20 hour field experience)EDS 390 (Spring only)
Junior
FallSpring
EMC 391 (Optional - needed for Middle Childhood Extension) (Fall Only)EDS 402, 403, 404, 405, or 406 (Methods Class) (Spring Only) (30 hours field experience)1
 EMC 352 (Optional- needed for Middle Childhood Extension) (Spring only)
Senior
FallSpring
EDS 432, 433, 434, 435, or 436 (Fall Only) (50 hour field experience)EDS 493
EDU 494 (Fall only)EDU 493 (Co-requisite with EDU 497)
 EDU 497
 EDU 498
1

 Choose course based on appropriate concentration.

2.

Note: EDU 122, EDU 250 and SPE 341 are offered every semester.  This is just a sample of when you can take things.