English

Secondary Education Concentration

LSU English majors concentrate their studies in one of four areas: Literature, Writing and Culture, Creative Writing, or the newest concentration Secondary English Education. All four areas meet the same requirements for the College of Arts and Sciences and General Education and require 128 credit hours for graduation. All concentrations will prepare you for a range of careers that require excellent communication skills and the ability to read and interpret a wide variety of text. The also prepare you for professional studies( graduate school, law school, or medical school for example). However, the only undergraduate route to certification in teaching secondary English is through the newly designed Secondary English Education Concentration.

What's Special about the new concentration in Secondary English Education?

• Students choose from a wide variety of courses in literature and literary criticism, writing, and writing pedagogy.
• In addition to English courses, students take a series of paired Education/English courses with specially designed field experiences to prepare them for work in the classroom.
• Three one credit hour English classes (ENGL 3201, ENGL 3202, ENGL 4203) combine with three three-credit hour EDCI classes and focus on student development and diversity, classroom culture, and curriculum and pedagogy, with filed experiences in middle and high schools.
• The curriculum also includes capstone courses in English (ENGL 4204) and Education (EDCI 4004) which are taken concurrently with student teaching.

What do I do to get started? How do I stay on track?

Once you have met the requirements for the College of Arts and Sciences, you will move from University College to your senior College, Arts & Sciences, declaring English as your major and Secondary Education as your concentration. You will need cumulative and LSU GPA of 2.5 to enter this program, to graduate with this concentration, and to be certified to teach upon graduation.

• Take EDCI 2001 during your sophomore year.
• Complete the Praxis I: Academic Skills Assessment requirements (national standardized tests for teachers) by the end of your sophomore year. PRAXIS information specific to LSU programs and State of Louisiana certification requirements are available in the College of Arts and Sciences. See also http://www.ets.org/praxis/ .
• To graduate in four years, follow the recommended course sequence. Beginning the first semester of your junior year, you will take a series of four semesters of course work with specific prerequisites.
• During the semester prior to student teaching and the capstone courses, take the Praxis II Series, Principles of Learning and Teaching 7-12 AND the content specialty exams. You must present passing scores on the Praxis II Series to graduate with this concentration.

How can I learn more about the Secondary English Education Concentration?

For additional information contact

Nikki Bray Clark, Ph.D.

124C Prescott Hall

225-578-7496

nclark4@lsu.edu