Professional Education Requirements for Secondary Licensure
Students interested in teaching in the secondary schools of Utah (grades 6-12) can complete course work leading to a Secondary Teaching License in the State of Utah. The teaching licensure emphasis must be a composite of Communication Studies and Journalism and students must complete COMM 4900 and COMM 4901 Teaching Communication and Lab through Independent Study. In addition, a minimum of 30 semester hours of professional education course work must be completed in the department of teacher education. A Utah teaching license (elementary or secondary) is recognized by almost all other states and territories in the United States.
Secondary Block courses and Student Teaching will be offered in separate semesters. Students will not be admitted to the Secondary Educational Professional Blocks unless 95 percent of their academic major and minor are completed.
A dual track of Block/Student Teaching will be offered to students currently admitted to the program. Please see the Department of Teacher Education for further clarification.
Required Core Classes
All majors must complete COMM 1010 in the Humanities area of General Education. In addition, all majors must complete two major core classes:
COMM 3020 Communication Research
COMM 4050 Mass Media Theory and Effects
Sequence
In addition to the required emphasis classes, students must complete 33 credits minimum in Education. The required education courses are:
- EDUC 2000 Exploring Education in Society*
- EDUC 3170 Instructional Technology for Educators
- SCED 3200 Secondary Educational Psychology
- SPED 3030 Foundations of Special Education
- COMM 4900 (methods of teaching course in the area(s) seeking licensure 2-3 Secondary Block as noted below
- SCED 3570 Motivation and the Management of Diverse Instructional Environments for Secondary Teachers
- SCED 3590 Instructional Planning, Delivery, and Assessment for Secondary Teachers
- SCED 3720 Content Literacy
- SCED 4520 Secondary Practicum/Seminar Clinical Practice (student teaching) is taken the semester prior to secondary block as noted below
- SCED 4980 Clinical Practice
- COMM 4980 Clinical Practice (student teaching in the content area(s) of licensure is taken the semester following the secondary block
Comments: A teaching methods course (4900, usually 3 credit hours) in a major area and student teaching (4980, 2 credit hours) in the major area are required courses, and will not count toward the credits necessary in professional education. Please refer to the College of Education for more information.