College of Education Undergraduate Advising Guide

The College of Education faculty and staff work diligently to provide students all the information that is necessary to complete its undergraduate programs in a successful and timely manner. However, it is the student’s responsibility to thoroughly read and understand information available both in advising meetings and provided on the College’s website or in the USC Undergraduate Academic Bulletin.

Placement Tests

Incoming students at USC are required to take placement tests in math. The results of those tests determine specific placement in courses. Completion of prerequisite math courses with a C or better or an appropriate math placement test score is required before taking MATH 221 (Early Childhood and Elementary majors) or MATH 122 or 141 (Middle Level majors with Math as one of their specialization areas). Physical Education majors are not required to take the Math placement test unless they plan to take CHEM 111 or PHYS 201 to satisfy the Physical Science requirement.

Visit the College of Arts and Sciences for more information on Math Placement Tests.

Students scoring two (2) or higher on the foreign language placement test are not required to complete further foreign language study. If foreign language is required (score below 2 on placement test), up to 3 hours can meet a required elective.

Visit the College of Arts and Sciences for more information on Foreign Language Placement Tests.

The College of Education follows policies outlined in the USC Undergraduate Academic Bulletin regarding:

Earning credits in transient status
Receiving course overload authorizations (taking more than 17 hours in a semester)
Declaring a minor
Satisfactory progress toward degree (meeting progression requirements)

Satisfactory Progress

Students majoring in Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, or Middle Level Education in the Department of Teacher Education will be allowed to repeat one time only, one course offered through a department in the College of Education for which an unsatisfactory grade was earned. If after the first unsatisfactory grade, a student makes an unsatisfactory grade in the repeated course or any other College of Education course, the student will no longer be eligible to progress in the program.

Regardless of individual course grades, an overall GPA of 2.75 and a 3.0 GPA in all education courses must be achieved. A student who fails to make satisfactory progress (as defined in the Department of Teacher Education section of the USC Undergraduate Studies Bulletin) may be placed on academic probation or be removed from the college.

Students majoring in Physical Education must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.75. If a student majoring in Physical Education has two consecutive semesters of grade point averages below 2.75 and a cumulative grade point average below 2.75, the student will be suspended from academic programs in the Department of Educational and Developmental Science.

Clinical Experiences

All initial teacher licensure programs in the College of Education require extensive clinical experiences within P-12 schools. All students must read and understand the clinical expectations outlined in any course associated with a clinical experience. Students should note that in order to complete education courses that require a P-12 clinical experience, they will be required to submit to a clear SLED criminal background check, as well as provide a negative TB test signed by a physician. Both of these documents must be on file with Gamecock EdQuarters within the College of Education prior to the start of any school-based experience. Students with criminal convictions or pending charges may not be eligible for clinical experiences, including any courses taught on-site in P-12 settings. At any time while a student at USC, those who are arrested by any law enforcement agency are required to inform the Office of Student Judicial Programs of such matters within 72 hours of the arrest. Any student arrested while enrolled in any clinical experience (including courses taught on-site in a P-12 setting) must also notify Gamecock EdQuarters within the College of Education within 72 hours of the arrest.

Professional Program Admission

Admission to the Professional Program signifies a milestone in the transition to becoming a teacher. Students prepare for admission to the Professional Program in the semesters leading up to their Junior Spring courses. After completion of at least 60 hours of course work, including courses specified by the program, the candidate may apply for admission to the Professional Program when directed. (Note: Admission to the Professional Program is granted by the Dean of the College of Education and constitutes the first “Midpoint” review in the Early Childhood, Elementary, and Middle Level Program Assessment Systems.)

All students must:

Successfully complete all three sections (reading, writing, and mathematics) of the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators. Information about this exam, including the “Study Companion” with practice questions, is available at http://www.ets.org/praxis. Students may exempt all or parts of the Praxis Core exam with qualifying ACT or SAT scores.
Achieve a passing score of 80 or higher on the EEDA (Education & Economic Development Act) assessment accessible in Chalk and Wire.

Submit official passing Praxis Core scores electronically to the Gamecock EdQuarters office by selecting Praxis code 5818 when registering for the Praxis Core. Also, select Praxis code 8108 to send your scores to the South Carolina Department of Education.

Deadlines for passing Praxis Core and EEDA assessment:

Early Childhood and Middle Level: December 1^st prior to Junior Spring courses
Elementary Education: November 1^st prior to Junior Spring courses
Physical Education: December 1^st prior to Junior Spring courses

Internship Admission

Students must continue meeting progression requirements throughout each semester of their program. Progression into Internship occurs after admission to the Professional Program and is a process managed by the student’s advisor.

Early Childhood (B.A. Degree Leading to SC Certification in Pre-K through grade 3)

Students must achieve a grade of C or better in all Education courses (those with department codes EDEC, EDFI, EDPY, EDRM, EDEX, and EDTE). A grade of C or better must also be achieved in the following: ENGL 101; ENGL 102; ISCI 325 or ENGL 431; MATH 221; MATH 222; PEDU 575; one from ARTE 260, ARTE 520, ARTE 530, MUED 454, or THEA 522; BIOL 110 or BIOL 120; and one of the required courses from GHS or GSS.

For more information, please view the Early Childhood Education Progression Chart [pdf]

In addition to meeting the Praxis Core requirement and passing the EEDA assessment for Professional Program admission, the student must:

Achieve required Overall GPA of 2.75 or higher.
Achieve a GPA of 3.0 or higher in Education courses and field experiences.
Have successfully completed one of the required ARP courses.
Have completed with a grade of C or better ENGL 101; ENGL 102; EDTE 201; EDPY 401; EDEC 250; EDEC 340; EDEC 340P; EDEC 335; EDEC 336; EDEC 510 or EDEX 692; ISCI 325 or ENGL 431A or ENGL 431B; MATH 221; BIOL 110 or BIOL 120; and one of the required courses from GHS or GSS.
All course requirements must be met prior to beginning the junior spring block of courses (EDRD 345, EDEC 342, EDEC 342, EDEC 347/EDEX 643, EDEC 344, and EDRM 423). Praxis Core and EEDA requirements must be met by December 1^st prior to entry into the junior spring block of courses.

For progression into Internship I (EDEC 441, 442, 443, 444, EDEC 445) a student must:

Be admitted to the Professional Program
Achieve a continuing Overall GPA of a 2.75 or higher
Achieve a GPA of 3.0 or higher in all education course work with no grade lower than C.
Have successfully completed the second required ARP course, the required course from Physical or Earth Science, and the second required course from GHS or GSS.
Complete with a grade of C or higher: MATH 222, PEDU 575, EDEX 523 or 530, EDFI 300, EDRD 345, EDEC 344, EDEC 342, EDEC 342, EDEC 347 or EDEX 643, EDRM 423, and one course from ARTE 260, ARTE 520, ARTE 530, MUED 454, THEA 522

For progression into Internship II (EDEC 492) a student must:

Complete with a grade of C or better EDEC 441, EDEC 442, EDEC 443, EDEC 444, EDEC 445
Pass the dispositions assessment defined by the Early Childhood program faculty by earning a grade of B or better in either EDEC 342 or EDEC 443. Students who make below a B in both EDEC 342 and EDEC 443 are not eligible to progress. An action plan for the following semester is required for students who make a grade of C or C+ in either EDEC 342 or EDEC 443.
Successfully complete criminal background check as required by the S.C. Department of Education by program deadline

Elementary Education (B.A. Degree Leading to SC Certification in grades 2 through 6)

Students must achieve a grade of C or better in all Education courses (those with department codes EDEL, EDTE, EDFI, EDPY, EDRM, EDEX, and EDRD). A grade of C or better must also be achieved in the following: ENGL101, ENGL 102, MATH 221, MATH 222, ENGL 431 or ISCI 325, PEDU 575, ARTE 520 or 530 or MUED 555; 2 out of the 3 required science courses; and 3 out of the 4 required social studies/history courses.

For more information, please view the Elementary Education Progression Chart [pdf]

In addition to meeting the Praxis Core requirement and passing the EEDA assessment for Professional Program admission, the student must:

Achieve required Overall GPA of 2.75 or higher
Achieve required GPA of 3.0 in education courses and field experiences
Earn a grade of C or better in ENGL 101, ENGL 102, MATH 221, EDTE 201, EDFI 300, EDPY 401, EDEL 305, EDEL 306, EDRM 423, two out of the three required science courses, and three out of the four required social studies/history courses.
Each student must be admitted to the Professional Program before progressing to the junior spring block of courses (EDEL 441, EDEL 440 or 450 or 460, and EDRD 430)

For progression into Internship I (EDEL 471, EDEL 440, 450, 460, and EDRD 431) a student must:

Be admitted to the Professional Program
Complete with a grade of C or higher: EDEL 441, EDRD 430, MATH 222, and one course from EDEL 440, 450, or 460
Achieve a continuing Overall GPA of 2.75 or higher
Achieve a GPA of 3.0 or higher in all education course work with no grade lower than C
Achieve a grade of C or higher in all major course work as specified by the program area

For progression into Internship II (EDEL 490 & 491), a student must:

Earn a grade of C or better in EDEL 471, 440, 450, 460 and EDRD 431
Successfully complete criminal background check as required by the S.C. Department of Education by program deadline

Middle Level (B.A. or B.S. Degree Leading to SC Certification in grades 5 through 8)

Students select two areas of specialization. Science and Math specializations require a B.S. degree; English and Social Studies require a B.A. degree. For other specialization combinations, students can choose either a B.A. or B.S. degree.

English Middle Level English Specialization Guide [pdf]
Math Middle Level Math Specialization Guide [pdf]
Science Middle Level Science Specialization Guide [pdf]
Social Studies Middle Level Social Studies Specialization Guide [pdf]

Students must also achieve a grade of C or better in all Education courses (those with department codes EDTE, EDFI, EDPY, EDEX, EDML and EDRM) and all courses in the two content specialization areas.

For more information, please consult the Middle Level Education Progression Chart [pdf]

In addition to meeting the Praxis Core requirement and passing the EEDA assessment for Professional Program admission, the student must:

Achieve required Overall GPA of 2.75 or higher
Achieve required a GPA of 3.0 in education courses and field experiences
Complete ENGL 101, ENGL 102, EDTE 201, EDFI 300, and EDPY 401 with a grade of C or higher
Each student must be admitted to the Professional Program before progressing into the junior spring courses EDML 321 and EDML 471

For progression into Internship A (EDML 598) a student must:

Be admitted to the Professional Program
Complete EDML 321 and EDML 471 with a grade of C or better.
Achieve a continuing Overall GPA of 2.75 or higher
Achieve a GPA of 3.0 or higher in all education course work with no grade lower than C
Achieve a grade of C or higher in course work as specified by the program area

For progression into Internship B (EDML 599) a student must:

Complete with a grade of C or better EDTE 522, EDML 598, EDRM 423 and the two methods courses corresponding with areas of specialization
Earn a grade of C or better in specific course work as required by the program area
Complete four of the six courses in each of the two content areas with a grade of C or better. (All six courses must be completed with a C or better before graduation.)
Successfully complete criminal background check as required by the S.C. Department of Education by program deadline.

Physical Education (B.S.P.E. Degree Leading to SC Certification in Pre-K through grade 12)

A student in physical education must earn a C or better in specified course work, including major courses (those with department code of PEDU and ATEP), education courses (those with department codes EDPY and EDRD), public health and exercise science courses (those with department codes HPEB and EXSC), required sciences courses, courses in the analytical reasoning option, ENGL 101, and ENGL 102. Students may attempt to earn a satisfactory grade in a major course no more than two times. Only if a valid case for taking the course a third time is established will such be allowed. Validity of a case will be determined by departmental review of a formal petition.

For more information, please consult the Physical Education Progression Chart [pdf]

In addition to meeting the Praxis Core requirement and passing the EEDA assessment for Professional Program admission, the student must:

Achieve required Overall GPA of 2.75 or higher prior to taking PEDU 341 & 361

The GPA listed above is required for Professional Program admission. Additionally, students must have at least a 2.5 GPA prior to taking PEDU 340 & 360 in Junior Fall.

Complete with a grade of C or higher ENGL 101, ENGL 102, EDPY 401, PEDU 570
Each student must be admitted to the Professional Program one semester prior to directed (student) teaching (PEDU 479)

For progression into Directed Teaching (PEDU 479) a student must:

Be admitted to the Professional Program
Achieve a continuing Overall GPA of 2.75 or higher
Have a signed directed teaching recommendation from Physical Education faculty
Have completed all other Physical Education major course work required for the degree program (A student who wants to complete PEDU 479 without completion of all other major coursework first must petition the faculty for permission.)
Successfully complete criminal background check as required by the S.C. Department of Education by program deadline