BS in English Education

Effective fall 2022, undergraduate students interested in applying to Wheelock College will be admitted to its BS in Education & Human Development and will no longer be admitted to the BS in English Education program. Continuing students will continue to complete the degree program that they entered.

The English & Language Arts program prepares teachers, curriculum specialists, teacher educators, and researchers for careers in 5–12 English/language arts. This program focuses on research findings in the teaching of literature and language; the improvement of instructional methodology, materials and curriculum; and service to schools and children. Students develop competency in lesson design, classroom management, instructional delivery, and research-based methods for teaching writing, prose, poetry, grammar, and vocabulary.

All BU undergraduate students, including both entering first-year and transfer students, will pursue coursework in the BU Hub, the University’s general education program that is integrated into the entire undergraduate experience. BU Hub requirements can be satisfied in a number of ways, including coursework in and beyond the major as well as through cocurricular activities. Students majoring in English Education will ordinarily, through coursework taken in the Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development, satisfy BU Hub requirements in Diversity, Civic Engagement, and Global Citizenship; Communication; and some elements of the Intellectual Toolkit, essential for educators working with other professionals. Additional requirements may be satisfied through required Arts & Sciences coursework, and it is important that students keep Hub requirements in mind when selecting these courses. Remaining BU Hub requirements will be satisfied by selecting from a wide range of available courses outside the major or, in some cases, cocurricular experiences.

Boston University students specializing in English Education engage in a comprehensive course of study that includes a strong base in the arts and sciences, with coursework in the humanities, social sciences, and math and science, as well as in education, in general, and in English. Fieldwork in area schools with students is threaded all throughout the students’ course study.

The program of study for each student is carefully designed to enable the student to meet both the BU Hub capacities and the requirements that enable BU to recommend students to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for teaching licenses at the Initial Level in English Education, Grades 5–12. Fulfillment of licensure requirements in the program can lead to licensure in states with which the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has reciprocity.

Careful planning allows students to seek an additional license as a Teacher of Students with Moderate Disabilities, PreK–8 or as an English as a Second Language, PreK–6 (see additional course requirements below). This may require credits beyond the minimum undergraduate degree requirements for Elementary Education alone.

Learning Outcomes

• Curriculum, Planning, and Assessment: Promotes the learning and growth of all students by providing high-quality and coherent instruction, designing and administering authentic and meaningful student assessments, analyzing student performance and growth data, using this data to improve instruction, providing students with constructive feedback on an ongoing basis, and continuously refining learning objectives.
• Teaching All Students: Promotes the learning and growth of all students through instructional practices that establish high expectations, create a safe and effective classroom environment, and demonstrate cultural proficiency.
• Family and Community Engagement: Promotes the learning and growth of all students through effective partnerships with families, caregivers, community members, and organizations.
• Professional Culture: Promotes the learning and growth of all students through ethical, culturally proficient, skilled, and collaborative practice.
• Demonstrates Subject Matter Knowledge: Shows depth and breadth of knowledge needed to teach the subject matter to students as evidenced by lesson planning and implementation.

English Education Program (total credits: 128)

BU Hub Requirements or Electives Outside the Major (51 cr)

• CAS EN 220 Seminar in Literature (satisfies BU Hub Writing, Research & Inquiry requirement) (4 cr)
• Additional BU Hub requirements or electives outside the major (47 cr)

Subject Matter Requirements (36 cr)

• CAS EN 1xx–5xx Diverse Lit (4 cr)
• CAS EN 221 Major Authors (4 cr)
• CAS EN 322 British Literature I (4 cr)
• CAS EN 323 British Literature II (4 cr)
• CAS EN 3xx–5xx English or American Lit < 1900 (4 cr)
• CAS EN 3xx–5xx English or American Lit > 1900 (4 cr)
• CAS EN 3xx–5xx Diverse Lit (4 cr)
• CAS EN 4xx Lit Theory (4 cr)
• CAS EN 515/518 Language (4 cr)

Professional Studies Requirements (41 cr)

• SED CT 375 Pre-Practicum (2 cr)
• SED CT 534 Classroom Management (2 cr)
• SED DS 502 Introduction to Adolescent Development (2 cr)
• SED ED 110 Introduction to Education (4 cr)
• SED ED 111 Educational Technology (1 cr)
• SED ED 410 Social Context of Education (2 cr)
• SED ED 412 Civic Context of Education (2 cr)
• SED EN 501 Teaching Classic and Contemporary Texts (4 cr)
• SED EN 503 Lesson Design and Instruction in the Humanities (2 cr)
• SED EN 507/508 Practicum (5–8 or 8–12) (8 cr)
• SED EN 512 Methods of Teaching Writing (4 cr)
• SED EN 630 Educating for Literacy and Equity in the Humanities (2 cr)
• SED SE 251 Special Education and Adolescents (2 cr)
• SED TL 525 Teaching English Language Learners Middle/High Schools (4 cr)

Add-On Licensures

Special Education (Moderate Disabilities) 5–12 (28–30 cr)

• SED LR 501 Teaching of Reading (4 cr)
• SED LR 503 Reading and Writing Assessment (2 cr)
• SED SE 250 Disability, Education, and Public Policy (4 cr) or SED SE 251 Special Education and Adolescents (2 cr)
• SED SE 315 Pre-Practicum (2 cr)
• SED SE 401 Cognition and Learning (4 cr)
• SED SE 515 Assessment in Special Education (2 cr)
• SED SE 584 Methods and Materials in Special Ed: Sec (4 cr)
• SED SE 594 Practicum: Mild/Moderate Disabilities (8 cr)

English Language Learners 5–12 (20 cr)

• SED BI 504 Student-Teaching Seminar (2 cr)
• SED BI 535 Literacy Development for Bilingual Students (4 cr)
• SED LS 560 Language Acquisition (4 cr)
• SED TL 508 Methods in Teaching English as a Second Language (4 cr)
• SED TL 582/583 Student Teaching Practicum I & II: English as a Second Language 5–12 (6 cr)