730:  Middle Grades Mathematics Certifiable for Teaching

1.  A minimum of 32.5 hours of mathematics is required. A minimum of 120 unduplicated undergraduate semester hours is required. Graduate credit may not be used to satisfy undergraduate academic program requirements.

2.   No minor is required.  A second major in Science and Mathematics Education (Ref: 774) must be completed.  At least one-third of the course requirements in each major (and minor) must be earned at WKU.

3.  At least one-half of the semester hours required for each major and minor must be earned in undergraduate courses numbered 300 and above.  (See the Undergraduate Catalog for exceptions for minors in business administration and computer information systems, and majors in social studies, art education, middle grades education, and middle grades science).

4.  A minimum of 42 undergraduate semester hours must be completed in courses numbered 300 and above.

5.  University Requirements:  You must have a GPA of at least 2.0 (i) in all credits presented for graduation whether earned at WKU or elsewhere, (ii) in all credits completed at WKU, (iii) overall in the major subjects and in the minor subjects, and (iv) in the major subjects and in the minor subjects completed at WKU. 

6.  728 Major/SMED/Certification Requirements:  Students must attain a grade of “C” or better in each required mathematics course and in each required professional education course.  Students must have an overall GPA of at least 2.5 in all coursework, in all required mathematics courses, and in all required professional education courses.


Mathematics Requirements – 32.5 to 34 hours

MATH 117 and 126   OR  MATH 126 and 227;    (7.5 or 9 hrs)

MATH 203 or STAT 301  (3 hrs);       MATH 205, 206, 304, 308, 413;    (15 hrs)

MATH 403 or 323 (3 hrs);     MATH 411 or 421  (3 hrs);      MATH 490  (1 hr).


University General Education Requirements

Cat. A:   I.  ENG 100 and 300 (6 hrs)     II.  Foreign Lang.  (3 hrs)    III.  COMM 145 or 161  (3 hrs)
Cat. B:   I.  Literature (3 hrs)       II.  Electives (6 hrs)     (Three areas are required in Cat. B)
Cat. C:   HIST 119 or 120, and two other areas are required.     (9 hrs)
Cat. D:   I.  Science  (6 hrs;  two fields must be represented, at least one must have a lab)       II.  MATH  (3 hrs)
Cat. E:   3 hours            Cat. F:  2 hours  (May be two 1-hour PE courses, or a 3-hr class)


1.  See the Undergraduate Catalog for further details about CLEP examination credit and for a complete listing of General Education courses.

2.  Science Labs are usually an additional 1 hour on top of a three-hour course; so you most likely will have 7 hours in General Education Category D. I.

3. MATH 117/126 satisfy Gen. Ed. Cat. D. II  and also count toward the middle grades math major; but do not count these hours twice in your degree program.



Requirements for Science and Mathematics Education Major (Ref.  774)
SKyTeach Homepage

Required Courses  (34 hours)
SMED 101 (1 hr)     SMED 102 (2 hrs)     SMED 210 (3 hrs)     SMED 320 (3 hrs)     SMED 340 (3 hrs)     SMED 360 (3 hrs)  

EXED 330 (3 hrs)         SMED 470 (3 hrs)        SMED 489  (3 hrs)         MGE 490 (10 hrs)

The courses SMED 489 and MGE 490 (student teaching) are taken concurrently.


Sample Four-Year Degree Program


Admission

Personnel in the Office of Teacher Admissions will provide the necessary information for admission into Teacher Education and assist students with the steps in the process. Education majors, as well as transfer students who are education majors, are required to attend an orientation meeting in the semester of their first education class. The information provided at the orientation includes a checklist of requirements and the Professional Code of Ethics that must be met, and dates for completion of the admission process and for applying to student teach. In addition, personnel in this office will maintain records of the necessary components. The Office of Admissions will process the application file and recommend students to the Professional Education Council for admission into Teacher Education. A letter of notification will be sent to the students once they are approved. Students will be encouraged to visit this office at least twice a year to evaluate their files and to check the dates for orientation meetings on the web.

Certification

In order to be recommended for initial certification as a mathematics teacher in Kentucky, a candidate must document the following:

1.  Completion of the mathematics teacher preparation program.
2.  A Passing score on the PRAXIS II specialty exam.
3.  Achievement of at least a 2.5 GPA overall, in each major and minor, and in all professional education courses.
4.  Attainment of at least a C in all professional education courses, including SMED 489 and student teaching.


Residency Requirement

The minimum residence requirement for the bachelor’s degree is 25% of the minimum number of semester hours required in the student’s degree program. At least 16 of the hours counted in meeting the residence requirement must be completed after the semester in which the student has earned a cumulative total of at least 90 semester hours. Exceptions to these regulations may be made for WKU students who have been given permission to transfer credits earned at accredited professional schools to apply as electives toward the degree.


Application for Graduation

All candidates for a baccalaureate degree are expected to make formal application immediately after attaining senior status (90 hours earned). The Application for Graduation is available in the Office of the Registrar. 

All forms must be completed, all incompletes must be removed, all transfers of credit received and all correspondence courses completed by the end of any semester or term in which the degree is to be awarded.  Failure to comply could result in postponement of the graduation date. Students with outstanding obligations to the University will not be awarded a diploma until the Registrar has been notified by the appropriate office that the obligation has been settled. The student must, in all cases, be primarily responsible for meeting the requirements for graduation.


Repeating Courses

An undergraduate student is permitted to repeat a maximum of six courses. Only two courses in which a grade of “C” or above has been earned may be repeated. 

Credit for a course in which a grade of “F” has been received can be earned only by repeating the course in residence unless prior approval is given by the head of the department in which the course was taken.  A course in which a grade of “D” has been received may be repeated at another accredited institution. 

If a course is repeated, only the second grade will be counted in computing the grade point average; if the course is repeated a second time both the second and the third grades will be used in computing the grade point average.  The grade received for each attempt will continue to appear on the student’s academic record.  A student may attempt a single course no more than three times.

A course which has been failed cannot be repeated by independent learning without special permission from the department head.  A student may not repeat by proficiency testing a course which has been previously taken or failed at WKU or another accredited institution.



Last updated:  August 5, 2009