Interdisciplinary Studies Major - Teacher Education Option

Print Degree Planner (opens a new window) |

The Interdisciplinary Studies Major (ISM) Teacher Education option offers high quality preparation for students who plan to earn a Colorado teaching license in Early Childhood Education (birth-3rd grade) and/or Elementary Education (K-6). ISM majors choosing this option must apply for and be admitted into the Teacher Education Licensure Program. To complete this program in four years, ISM students ideally should be admitted to the Teacher Education Licensure Program at the end of their Freshman year but no later than the end of their first term of their sophomore year. Students may read the admission steps and requirements in the 2010-2011 catalog under Teacher Education Licensure Program .

This ISM Elementary Education (El Ed)/Early Childhood Education (ECE) curriculum is designed so that the final three terms are sequentially structured immersion terms (1, 2 and 3) that combine education coursework with field-based experiences in preschool and elementary classrooms. Careful planning and advising is essential to completing the program in four years and ISM students should completely understand how this structure will work.
Students may complete one non-education course during immersion term 1. Only required education coursework may be taken during immersion terms 2 and 3.
Students will need to complete their final one non-education course during immersion term 1, as only required immersion coursework may be taken during immersion terms 2 and 3.
Students who enter the three-term immersion sequence needing more than one other course may enroll in courses during the Summer Sessions if the needed coursework is offered.
Students must successfully complete all coursework included in one immersion term as a prerequisite for advancing to the subsequent term.

ISM students may seek either or both ECE and EL ED licensure. The same curriculum applies to both programs as methods courses are structured to cover birth through sixth grade. ISM Students should follow one of the paths below as they choose their licensure.

Students seeking early childhood licensure must pass the state required early childhood education content test prior to being placed into the third immersion term (student teaching). They must student teach in a grade level from kindergarten to third grade to be eligible for early childhood licensure. They also will be recommended for elementary education licensure if they choose to take and pass the required test for elementary education within two years of completing the program.
ISM students seeking elementary education licensure must pass the state required elementary education content test prior to being placed into the third immersion term (student teaching). They may student teach in a grade level from kindergarten to sixth grade.

> ISM students seeking elementary education licensure who choose to student teach in a grade level from Kindergarten to third grade also will be recommended for early childhood licensure if they choose to take and pass the required test for early childhood education within two years of completing their program.

> As teaching in a kindergarten through third grade level is mandatory for early childhood licensure, elementary education licensure students who choose to student teach in a grade level from fourth to sixth grade are not initially eligible for early childhood education licensure. However, they also will be recommended for early childhood licensure if they meet the following conditions within three years of completing their program 1) passing the required test for early childhood education and, 2) returning to Fort Lewis College to student teach in a K-3 placement, or verifying (by a school district principal or designated representative) that they have had at least one year of satisfactory teaching experience in a K-3 grade level.

REQUIREMENTS FOR A BACHELOR OF ARTS DEGREE WITH A MAJOR IN INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES - TEACHER EDUCATION OPTION

Liberal Arts Core - Credits: 39

See Liberal Arts Core .

Content Course Requirements:

Note: 20-24 content credits may double count in other areas of the curriculum.

Mathematics - Complete the following for a minimum of 10 credits:

MATH 215 - Math for Elem School Teacher I Credits: 3
MATH 318 - Math for Elem Sch Teacher II Credits: 3

Math electives (3-4 credits):

Choose one course from among the following:

BA 253 - Business Statistics Credits: 4
MATH 105 - College Mathematics Credits: 3
MATH 110 - College Algebra Credits: 4
MATH 121 - Pre-Calculus Credits: 4
MATH 201 - Elementary Statistics Credits: 4
MATH 221 - Calculus I Credits: 4

Language Arts - Complete the following for a minimum of 12 credits:

ED 327 - Children’s Literature Credits: 3
ED 335 - Linguistics for Educators Credits: 3

Language Arts electives (6-8 credits):

Elective courses in language arts must be chosen from among the following:

ED 333 - SW Lang Immersion for Teachers Credits: 1-3
SOC 376 - Language & Social Behavior Credits: 4
THEA 323 - Children’s Theatre Credits: 4
any modern or foreign language course, any course with an ENGL prefix, OR any course from AH2 or AH4.

Social Studies - Complete the following for a minimum of 9 credits:

PSYC 254 - Life Span Human Development Credits: 4
Or, transferred 3 credit equivalent

American History course - Credits: 3-4

American History course must be chosen from the following list:

HIST 181 - US/SW Environmental History Credits: 3
OR
SW 181 - US/SW Environmental History Credits: 3
HIST 280 - Surv of US History, 1600-1877 Credits: 4
HIST 281 - Surv US History, 1877-Present Credits: 4
HIST 311 - Colonial & Revl Amer 1492-1789 Credits: 4
HIST 314 - Inventing America 1789-1850 Credits: 4
HIST 318 - Emergence/Modn Amer 1893-1939 Credits: 4
HIST 331 - Poverty in the United States Credits: 4
HIST 332 - Women in American History Credits: 4
OR
GWS 332 - Women in American History Credits: 4
HIST 333 - America Since 1945 Credits: 4
HIST 335 - Work and Workers in the U.S. Credits: 4
SW 125 - Hist of Hispanos in Southwest Credits: 3

Social Studies electives (3-4 credits):

Choose one course from among the following:

Courses with ANTH, ECON, GEOG, HIST, PS, SOC, or SW prefixes.

Science - Complete the following for a minimum of 9 credits:

Choose three courses from the following list of at least two disciplines and at least one course including a lab:

Any FLC courses with BIO, CHEM, GEOL, PHSC or PHYS prefixes; or any courses from SC1 or SC2.

Subtotal Content Course Requirements - Credits: 40

Auxiliary Department Requirements:

PSYC 157 - Introduction to Psychology Credits: 3
OR
any Intro Psyc course from the SS3 category in the Liberal Arts Core - Credits: 3

Subtotal Auxiliary Requirements - Credits: 3

Specific Departmental Requirements, 200-level (3 credits):

ED 222 - Education: Global Perspectives Credits: 3

Specific Departmental Requirements, 300-level (12 credits):

ED 322 - Foundations of Teaching Credits: 4
ED 328 - Children’s Lit Field Practicum Credits: 1
ED 329 - Family and Community Relations Credits: 2
ED 334 - Meth of Teach Engl as Sec Lang Credits: 3
ED 377 - Technology in Education Credits: 2

Specific Departmental Requirements, 400-level (43 credits):

NOTE: Admission to Teacher Education Licensure Program required for all 400- level education courses.

First Immersion Term Courses

ED 427 - Teaching Language Arts P-6 Credits: 4
ED 428 - P-6 School Immersion I Credits: 2
ED 437 - Teach Art/Music/Movement P-6 Credits: 3
ED 447 - Instructional Equality Credits: 3

Second Immersion Term Courses

ED 425 - Teaching Science P-6 Credits: 4
ED 435 - Teaching Mathematics P-6 Credits: 3
ED 438 - P-6 School Immersion II Credits: 3
ED 445 - Teaching Social Studies P-6 Credits: 3
ED 465 - Managing Diverse Classrooms I Credits: 3

Third Immersion Term (student teaching) Courses

Note: Admission to student teaching and passing of required content test by beginning of second immersion term is required for this term.

ED 475 - Managing Diverse Classrooms II Credits: 3
ED 496 - Senior Seminar in Education Credits: 2
ED 498 - P-6 School Immersion III Credits: 10

Subtotal Specific Departmental Requirements - Credits: 58

Free Electives (variable)

TOTAL REQUIRED FOR GRADUATION - CREDITS: 120-126**

** Students may complete this degree within the 126-credit maximum, but to do so they must use courses from the major to complete certain General Education requirements (e.g., ED 222, Math 105, Geol 180, and Psyc 157). Using these courses to meet both major and Gen Ed requirements enables the student to complete within the 126-credit limit.