Secondary Education (6-12)

Program Description

A teacher’s influence can last a lifetime. Positively shape the lives of young people with a career in the classroom. Students in grades 6 through 12 need committed educators dedicated to enriching their lives and helping them master the secondary school curriculum. You’ll get a dual degree: one in your content area of expertise — English, math, history/social science, or science— and one in Secondary Education. An internship will give you practical experience in the classroom.

You’ll concentrate your studies in one of four areas:

English Language Arts
Mathematics
History/Social Sciences
General Science

Points of Pride

You’ll have 150 hours of practical teaching experience before graduation. Hands-on field experience is included with each methods course (such as methods of teaching math, etc.). Students go to area schools and work with experienced teachers to practice what they have learned.
AUMazing Educators society for all Education majors builds a community of support, friendship and camaraderie while you pursue your degree.
Internationally recognized faculty who have won numerous awards, including an Excellence in Teaching Award from Sigma Alpha Pi (national society of leadership and success), Primary School Teacher of the Year Award (Montgomery Public Schools), WSFA Class Act Award, and Delta Pi Epsilon Outstanding Doctoral Research Award, and College of Education Excellence in Teaching Award.
All faculty in this program have experience teaching in high schools or junior high schools, which gives students unique access to their experience and expertise.
Small classes
Night, online, and hybrid classes that are suitable for non-traditional students.

Put Your Degree to Work

Note: While salaries vary depending on several factors including your level of experience, education and training, and geography and industry, here is a sampling of the future job growth and salaries nationally.

Employment of education, training, and library occupations is projected to grow 5 percent from 2018 to 2028. Nationally, the median annual wage for middle school teachers was $58,600 in May 2018. For high school teachers, it was $60,320. In Alabama, the annual mean wage of all secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education, was $51,180.

U.S Bureau of Labor statistic sample
Jobs	Median Pay	Job Growth through 2024
High school teacher	$56,310 per year	6% (55,900 more jobs)

For More Information

Department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Technology
Auburn University at Montgomery
Education Building 309
334-244-3537

Soaring Warhawks

Kirby Johnston Farr teaches eighth-grade Social Studies at Auburn Junior High School.
Rebecca Maushard teaches eighth-grade Language Arts at R.B. Hudson Middle School.

Program Overview

The course listings below are a representation of what this academic program requires. For a full review of this program in detail, please see our official online catalog AND consult with an academic advisor. This listing does not include the core curriculum courses required for all majors and may not include some program-specific information, such as admissions, retention and termination standards.

Course sampling specific to the Secondary Education major includes:

Course #	Course Name	Course Description
FNDS 2010	Societal Foundations of education (lab)	Required for all students in teacher education; provides introduction to education, including historical and philosophical foundations; the role of the school in American culture; and ethical, legal and professional issues. This class will be taught as writing intensive. Field experiences are required.
FNDS 2120	Child and Adolescent Growth and Development	Provides an analysis of the function of the teacher and the school in directing, measuring, and evaluating individual growth and development from birth to adolescence.
FNDS 2140	Psychological Foundations of Education (lab)	Required for completion in teacher education program. Examines the psychological dimensions of the education process, conditions under which learning occurs, evaluation of learning and related teaching methods. Field experiences are required.
ESPE 3760	Survey of Exceptionalities (lab)	A survey of the various exceptionalities, including the etiology, incidence, laws, and strategies related to teaching students with exceptionalities. Field experience is included.
FNDS 4703	Educational Technology
PHED 2203	Wellness	Designed to develop wellness concepts in a variety of health topics. Fitness labs are included.
SCED 4000	Principles of Teaching	An introduction to basic principles of teaching, including planning, classroom environments and relationship skills; teaching strategies for diverse student abilities; multicultural education; professionalism; and classroom management. Field experiences required.
SCED 4050	Class Management and Teaching in Secondary School	Instructional methods, the learning process, and management in middle and secondary schools; application of curriculum development in various disciplines. Special needs of adolescents are addressed. Field experiences required.
ESPE 4400	Methods-Student Significant Needs	Study of curriculum, methods, and materials for learners with autism, other health impairments, and moderate and severe disabilities. Emphasis on specialized procedures and educational and vocational skills to facilitate normalization and independent living.
	Professional Internship	With advisor approval, candidates must submit an application for internship to the School of Education Director of Field and Critical Experiences. After the application is approved, candidates are placed in accredited public schools for one semester of supervised teaching experiences.
	Bachelor’s Comprehensive Exam	Comprehensive examination of knowledge and skills from professional courses.

Course sampling specific to English Language Arts includes:

Course #	Course Name	Course Description
ENGL 2500	English as a Field of Study	Introduces students majoring in English to the possibilities and approaches of the discipline, demonstrates the methods of computerized research and library research, and provides guest lectures by members of the English faculty. Prerequisite ENGL 1010 and ENGL 1020.
ENGL 4080	Literary Criticism	A study of the history and fundamental principles of literary criticism from Aristotle to the present.
ENGL 4270	Studies in Shakespeare	A study of the plays written by William Shakespeare after 1600. The topic will vary from semester to semester at the discretion of the professor. Prerequisite Education majors seeking certification in English/Language Arts must first complete ENGL 2530 and ENGL 2540.
SCED 4100	Teaching Secondary Lang. Arts	Required course for all students teaching secondary language arts. Provides specific instructional strategies and techniques for teaching language arts. Curriculum standards and assessment strategies reviewed. Field experiences required.

Course sampling specific to Mathematics includes:

Course #	Course Name	Course Description
MATH 1610	Calculus I	Basic principles of differential and integral calculus, including the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus. Includes applications in the management, natural and social sciences, including rates and optimization. Duplicate credit not allowed for MATH 1510 and MATH 1610.
MATH 2660	Linear Algebra	Algebra of Matrices, systems of linear equations, vector spaces, subspaces, bases, coordinization, linear transformations and their matrix representations, determinants, eigenvalues, and diagonalization.
MATH 4470	Foundations of Plane Geometry	Axiomatic development of plane geometry. Emphasis on the development of proofs by students.
SCED 4110	Teaching Secondary Mathematics	Required for all students teaching secondary mathematics. Provides specific instructional strategies and techniques for teaching mathematics. Curriculum standards and assessment strategies reviewed. Field experiences required.

Course sampling specific to General Science includes:

Course #	Course Name	Course Description
BIOL1010	Cells, Molecules, Life	Integrated principles of biology, beginning with the structure and function of the cell following reproduction, heredity and evolution. This course, along with BIOL 1011, satisfies a 4-hour core Area III laboratory requirement. Intended for majors or to fulfill a required prerequisite need.
CHEM 1200	General Chemistry II	A detailed study of kinetics, equilibria and thermodynamics. Introductions to organic chemistry and nuclear chemistry included. Prerequisite CHEM 1100, CHEM 1101. Corequisite CHEM 1201.
PSCI 1300	Introduction to Earth Science	An interview of the geology and meteorology of the earth. Topics include the earth’s interior, the sea floor, mountain building, geologic structures and time scales, rocks and minerals and atmospheric phenomena. Students electing the optional laboratory for the course, PSCI 1301, may use PSCI 1300 and PSCI 1301 to satisfy a laboratory science requirement under the state core. Students not electing PSCI 1301 to satisfy a laboratory science requirement under the state core.
SCED 4130	Teaching Secondary Science	Required for all students teaching secondary science. Provides specific instructional strategies and techniques for teaching science. Curriculum standards and assessment strategies reviewed. Field experiences required.

Course sampling specific to History/Social Sciences includes:

Course #	Course Name	Course Description
HIST 2010	U.S. History to 1865	A survey of the political, economic, social and intellectual movements and institutions of the United States from colonial times to 1865.
HIST 2020	U.S. History Since 1865	A survey of the political, economic, social and intellectual movements and institutions of the United States from 1865 to the present.
HIST 4190	American Historiography (WI)	A study of the development of historical writing in the United States, with emphasis on how particular scholars and schools of thought have had an impact on the intellectual life of the nation. Concurrent with HIST 6190.
SCED 4140	Teaching Secondary Soc. Sci.	Required for all students teaching secondary social science. Provides specific instructional strategies and techniques for teaching social science. Curriculum standards and assessment strategies reviewed. Field experiences required.

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Secondary Education (6-12)