Elementary Education
Available Options
Bachelor of Science in Education (B.S.E.) with a major in Elementary Education
B.S.E. web site (School of Education)
Program Overview
The Bachelor of Science in Education: Elementary Education prepares students for initial teacher certification at the elementary level. Graduates of the program will be learning leaders, student advocates, and reflective practitioners.
Program Requirements
To earn a bachelor's degree from Drake, students majoring in elementary education need to fulfill the following requirements:
- 124 credit hours
- Drake Curriculum requirements
- Professional education requirements
- Teaching endorsement(s) requirements (at least one endorsement)
- Subject area minimum requirements for elementary endorsements (24 credits)
- In accordance with new requirements from the Iowa Department of Education, students beginning this program in or after Fall 2011 will be required to meet additional general education requirements listed below under additional requirements.
Approved endorsement programs currently are available in
- Art
- Early childhood education
- Unified early childhood education (early childhood education with an emphasis in special education)
- English/language arts
- History
- Mathematics
- Reading
- Rhetoric and communication studies/theatre
- Science
- Special education
- Social studies
- STEM (K-8)
- World languages (Spanish, French, Japanese, and German).
Approved second endorsement areas are available in English as a Second Language (K-12), coaching (K-12), Gifted & Talented (K-12), middle school (5-8).
Specific requirements and program descriptions are available in the Teaching and Learning Department. Other endorsement programs may become available.
To earn endorsement by Drake University for licensure in an endorsement, students must earn at least a "C" in all of the courses below.
| Course | Credit Hours |
| EDUC 001 - Introduction to Education (Optional) | 1 |
| EDUC 103 - Foundations of Education | 3 |
| EDUC 105 - Human Development (Elementary and Early Childhood) | 3 |
| SPED 120 - Introduction to Special Education | 3 |
| EDUC 107 - Learning and Assessment | 3 |
| EDUC 164 - Perspectives on Race, Ethnicity, and Gender | 3 |
| EDUC 109 - Educational Technology | 2 |
| EDUC 122 - Curriculum and Pedagogy | 3 |
| EDUC 123 - Physical Education and Health in the Elementary School | 2 |
| EDUC 124 - Children's Literature | 3 |
| EDUC 125 - Methods of Teaching Elementary Science | 3 |
| EDUC 126 - Methods of Teaching Elementary Math | 3 |
| EDUC 137 - Literacy Methods for the Primary Grades (K-3) | 3 |
| EDUC 128 - Methods of Teaching Elementary Social Studies | 3 |
| EDUC 139 - Literacy Methods for Intermediate Grades | 3 |
| EDUC 165 - Instruction and Management Seminar | 1 |
| EDUC 166 - Student Teaching | 11 |
| EDUC 169 - Electronic Portfolio Seminar | 1 |
Teacher Education Program
Students must meet the following criteria to enroll in professional courses for Elementary Education:
- A minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.5
- Acceptable Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators scores
- Reading - minimum 156
- Writing - minimum 162
- Math - minimum 150
- All InTASC Standards met at the beginning level
- A completed application and two checklist forms of recommendation, at least one from a School of Education teacher education faculty member
- Successful background check
Additional Requirements (State of Iowa, effective fall 2011):
| Course | Credit Hours |
| 1. | |
| MUS 015 - General Music in the Elementary School AND EDUC 083 - Art Methods, OR | 6 |
| EDUC 113 - Art Integration in Education | 3 |
| 2. Content Area Requirements | |
|
a. At least six hours in mathematics to include two of the following (higher-level courses may be substituted): |
|
| MATH 020 - College Algebra | 4 |
| MATH 024 - Structure of Math for Elementary Education I | 3 |
| MATH 025 - Structure of Math for Elementary Education II | 3 |
| STAT 071 - Statistics I | 3 |
| b. At least nine additional hours in social studies to include | |
| (i). two history courses from the following: | |
| HIST 001 - Passages to 1750 | 3 |
| HIST 002 - Passages Since 1750 | 3 |
| HIST 075 - U.S. History to 1877 | 3 |
| HIST 076 - U.S. History Since 1877 | 3 |
| (ii). one additional behavior science course from the following: | |
| PSY 001 - Introduction to Psychology (with lab) | 4 |
| SCSS 001 - Survey of Sociology | 3 |
| c. At least seven additional hours in science | |
| (i). Physical science | |
| ASTR 001 - Descriptive Astronomy | 3 |
| ENSP 022 - Meteorology: Science/Weather | 4 |
| ENSP 041 - Principles of Geology | 4 |
| PHSC 001 - Physical Science | 3 |
| (ii). Earth/space science | |
| ASTR 001 - Descriptive Astronomy | 3 |
| ENSP 022 - Meteorology: Science/Weather | 4 |
| ENSP 035 - One Earth: Global Environmental Science | 3 |
| ENSP 036 - One Earth Lab | 1 |
| ENSP 041 - Principles of Geology | 4 |
| (iii). Life science | |
| BIO 012 - General and Pre-professional Biology I | 3 |
| BIO 018 - Introduction to Anatomy & Physiology | 3 |
Specialization Options
Students have several options available for areas of specialization. A few of these options include the following:
- The School of Education supports an interdisciplinary concentration in Behavioral Analysis of Developmental Disabilities
- An interdisciplinary concentration in leadership education and development (LEAD) is open to students in any academic major. Visit the Leadership Education and Development Concentration website for more information.
- The School of Education offers an Urban Education concentration. Visit the Social Justice in Urban Education (SJUE) website for details.
Endorsement Options
An endorsement is a licensed area of specialization. There are many endorsements available at the elementary level. While only one endorsement is required to get a teaching license, two or more endorsements are recommended for maximizing students' flexibility and variety in their professional careers.
Endorsements (K-12)
Endorsements (K-8)
- Early Childhood
- Elementary Reading
- English/Language Arts
- French
- German
- History
- Mathematics
- Science
- Social Studies
- Spanish
- Special Education
- Speech Communication/Theater
- STEM
- Theater and Communication Studies
Endorsements (5-8)
