Child, Youth, and Family Studies Major

503-725-4712, Child, Youth, and Family Studies Program, School of Social Work, Academic and Student Recreation Center, Suite 600

Advisers: K. Constable and C. Campbell (for Pre-Education undergraduates majoring in Child and Family Studies)

Early childhood and elementary education

Students who want to be elementary teachers choose from a wide range of majors to complete their undergraduate degrees. Pre-Education advisers have traditionally recommend interdisciplinary majors – such as Arts and Letters, Social Science, General Science, and Liberal studies – because they can include multiple subjects that are highly relevant to the elementary curriculum. However, specific disciplinary majors can also be fitting for the goal of progressing into GTEP. Such disciplines include (but are not limited to) English or History (especially those wishing to teach at the upper elementary level), Psychology, and Child, Youth, and Family Studies. Prospective elementary teachers should consult with a Pre-Education Adviser in the advising office, located in Smith Memorial Student Union, mezzanine level, room M305 (503-725-3822).

Secondary (Middle/High School) Education

Prospective middle and high school teachers may receive general introductory pre-professional advising with a Pre-Education Adviser; however, subsequent advising for pre-secondary education should be with the academic adviser for the secondary education content area they wish to teach. These specialized advisers are familiar with all GTEP admission requirements for their respective content areas, and the Graduate School of Education relies on their recommendations to determine whether an applicant has sufficient understanding of the subject matter they wish to teach. 

Academic majors and their respective secondary endorsements are as follows: biology (biology and general science); physical education (physical education); history, anthropology, sociology, philosophy, political science, geography, and economics (social studies); health (health); mathematics (mathematics); English (English language arts); art (art); world languages and literatures (foreign language); music (music); chemistry (chemistry); physics (physics); business and economics (business); drama (drama); speech (speech). 

Additional information is available online, or by contacting GTEP admissions at (503) 725-4753.

Special education

All prospective special educators, whether they wish to teach special education at the elementary or secondary level, should consult with a pre-education adviser in Smith Memorial Student Union, mezzanine level, room M305 (503-725-3822). Students who are interested in teaching special education at the secondary level as well as teaching a specific subject in their middle or high school should also meet with the content area adviser for that subject (see above).

Graduate Teacher Education Program

Any current or prospective PSU Students who are considering application to GTEP at PSU should attend one of the College of Education’s regularly held information sessions for prospective applicants. A current schedule of upcoming information sessions is available online, along with an online form to register to attend a specific session. For additional information, please contact the College of Education (askcoe@pdx.edu; 503-725-4619), or stop by their information desk on the second floor of the Fourth Avenue Building (1900 SW 4th Ave).

Preparatory coursework

Early childhood and elementary educators:

Required:

Recommended:

Middle, junior, and high school educators:

In addition to a strong liberal arts education, all students should complete the requirements for their major in the endorsement area of their choice.

Required:

Recommended:

Integrated Science

Advisers: Dr. Nancy Price, Geology

The integrated science endorsement is valid for teaching middle school, intermediate school, high school integrated science, or high school earth science. See the other secondary endorsements for a high school biology, chemistry, or physics content focus. Coursework highlighted here is beneficial preparation for those intending to teach in states that have adopted the Next Generation Science Standards (Oregon included). Students who wish to obtain the integrated science endorsement under an interdisciplinary general science major should be aware that the integrated science endorsement requires additional science courses beyond the coursework required for a major in general science. Courses pertaining to all of the Earth/Space, Life, and Physical Science Content Standards are required. Guidelines for a course of study for the integrated science endorsement include the following.

Science Requirements

Earth/Space Content Area: (20 credits)

Life Science Content Area: (15 credits)

Physical Science Content Area: (15 credits)

Upper Division Science Electives (20 credits)

Mathematics and Statistics Content Area: (12 credits)

Eight credits from:

Total Credit Hours: 82

Basic Social Studies

Advisers: J. Rousseau

Students who major in social science (or in anthropology, economics, geography, history, political science, psychology, or sociology) and wish to teach social studies in secondary schools are recommended to include the following courses in their undergraduate program:

Student must complete a minimum of 12 credits each in History and Geography and 8 credits each in Economics and Political Science to receive a departmental recommendation to the GTEP. For further guidance please contact the adviser listed above.

Courses are to be taken for differentiated grades. Students must have at least a 3.00 GPA in the recommended courses and must earn at least a B- in each course.

Equivalent courses sometimes are accepted in substitution for certain of those specified, upon prior approval of the social studies secondary adviser.