BS in Elementary Education

Effective fall 2022, undergraduate students interested in applying to Wheelock College will be admitted to its BS in Education & Human Development and will no longer be admitted to the BS in Elementary Education program. Continuing students will continue to complete the degree program that they entered.

The Elementary Education program prepares teachers to work with children in grades 1–6. Boston University students specializing in Elementary Education engage in a comprehensive course of study that includes a strong base in the arts and sciences, with coursework in the humanities, social sciences, and math and science, as well as in education, in general, and in Elementary Education. Fieldwork in area schools with students is threaded all throughout the students’ course of study.

All BU undergraduate students, including both entering first-year and transfer students, will pursue coursework in the BU Hub, the University’s general education program that is integrated into the entire undergraduate experience. BU Hub requirements can be satisfied in a number of ways, including coursework in and beyond the major as well as through cocurricular activities. Students majoring in Elementary Education will ordinarily, through coursework taken in the Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development, satisfy BU Hub requirements in Diversity, Civic Engagement, and Global Citizenship; Communication; and some elements of the Intellectual Toolkit, essential for educators working with other professionals and families. Additional requirements may be satisfied through required Arts & Sciences coursework, and it is important that students keep Hub requirements in mind when selecting these courses. Remaining BU Hub requirements will be satisfied by selecting from a wide range of available courses outside the major or, in some cases, cocurricular experiences.

The program of study for each student is carefully designed to enable the student to meet both the BU Hub capacities and the requirements that enable Boston University to recommend students to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for teaching licenses at the Initial Level in Elementary Education Grades 1–6. Fulfillment of licensure requirements in the program can lead to licensure in states with which the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has reciprocity.

Mentored field experiences, which begin with one-day-a-week placements in freshman year and culminate in full-time practicum in a classroom in greater Boston, London, or Sydney in senior year, afford preservice teachers the opportunity to design and implement engaging, content-rich units of study and to assess children’s learning.

Careful planning allows students to seek an additional license as a Teacher of Students with Moderate Disabilities, PreK–8 or as in English as a Second Language, PreK–6. See additional course requirements below. This may require credits beyond the minimum undergraduate degree requirements for Elementary Education alone.

Learning Outcomes

  • Curriculum, Planning, and Assessment: Promotes the learning and growth of all students by providing high-quality and coherent instruction, designing and administering authentic and meaningful student assessments, analyzing student performance and growth data, using this data to improve instruction, providing students with constructive feedback on an ongoing basis, and continuously refining learning objectives. (Well-Structured Lessons; Adjustments to Practice; Reflective Practice)
  • Teaching All Students: Promotes the learning and growth of all students through instructional practices that establish high expectations, create a safe and effective classroom environment, and demonstrate cultural proficiency. (High Expectations; Meeting Diverse Needs; Safe Learning Environment)
  • Family and Community Engagement: Promotes the learning and growth of all students through effective partnerships with families, caregivers, community members, and organizations.
  • Professional Culture: Promotes the learning and growth of all students through ethical, culturally proficient, skilled, and collaborative practice. (Meeting Diverse Needs)
  • Demonstrates Subject Matter Knowledge: Demonstrates depth and breadth of knowledge needed to teach the subject matter to students as evidenced by lesson planning and implementation.

Elementary Education Program (total credits: 131)

BU Hub Requirements or Electives Outside the Major (20 cr)

Twelve of these credits (no more than four at the 100 level) must be taken within one of these disciplines: economics, English, history, math, political science, or science; or across three different disciplines from the list; or as part of a minor in one of the disciplines.

Electives should be selected carefully, with an academic advisor, to meet Hub requirements not fulfilled though other required Subject Matter and Professional Studies requirements.

Subject Matter Requirements (46 cr)

  • CAS EE 201 World Regional Geography (4 cr)
  • CAS HI 151 The Emerging US to 1865 (4 cr)
  • CAS HI 152 The United States Since 1865 (4 cr)
  • CAS HI 175 or 176 World History (4 cr)
  • CAS MA 107 Mathematical Reasoning: Number Systems (4 cr)
  • CAS MA 108 Mathematical Reasoning: Algebra, Geometry, Statistics (4 cr)
  • CAS NS 101 Integrated Science I (4 cr)
  • CAS NS 102 Integrated Science II (4 cr)
  • CAS PS 101 General Psychology (4 cr)
  • CAS SO 210 Confronting Persistent Social Inequalities in American Schools (2 cr)
  • CAS SO 211 Confronting Racial, Cultural, Gender, and Social Identities in Urban Classrooms (2 cr)
  • CAS WR 202 Children’s Literature (2 cr)
  • CFA AR 261 Introduction to Art Education (2 cr)
  • CFA MH 105 or 106 Music Appreciation (2 cr)

Professional Studies Requirements (65 cr)

  • SED CH 300 Methods of Instruction/Elementary (10 cr)
  • SED CH 555 Student Teaching Practicum (10 cr)
  • SED EC 315 Child Development and Early Childhood (4 cr)
  • SED ED 110 Introduction to Education (4 cr)
  • SED ED 111 Educational Technology (1 cr)
  • SED ED 225 Project Citizen (2 cr)
  • SED ED 412 Civic Context of Education (2 cr)
  • SED HE 221 Foundations of Health Education (2 cr)
  • SED LR 501 Teaching of Reading (4 cr)
  • SED LR 503 Reading and Writing Assessment (2 cr)
  • SED LS 560 Introduction to Language and Language Acquisition (4 cr)
  • SED ME 545 Methods of Teaching Mathematics: Elementary (4 cr)
  • SED PE 211 Movement Education (2 cr)
  • SED SE 250 Disability, Education, and Public Policy (4 cr)
  • SED SE 480 Teaching Students with Special Needs (4 cr)
  • SED SE 515 Assessment in Special Education (2 cr)
  • SED TL 520 Teaching English Language Learners (4 cr)

Add-On Licensures: Additional Requirements

English as a Second Language PreK–6 (12 cr)

  • SED BI 504 Seminar: Student Teaching: ESL (4 cr)
  • SED BI 515 Methods in Bilingual Education and ESL (4 cr)
  • SED BI 535 Literacy Development for Bilingual Students: Instruction and Assessment (4 cr)
  • SED TL 580 Student Teaching Practicum: ELL PreK–6 (4 cr) in place of TL 520 required of Elementary Education alone

Teacher of Students with Moderate Disabilities, PreK–8 (12 cr)

  • SED SE 401 Cognition and Learning (4 cr)
  • SED SE 593 Student-Teaching Practicum (8 cr)