- Approximately 95 percent of PC educators remain in the teaching profession after three years, compared to the national average of 50 percent.
- The PC Teacher Education Program is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education/Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation, and approved by the South Carolina State Department of Education.
- In 2017, Emily Grigg ’03 taught English and theatre studies in Bangalore, India, as a Fulbright Scholar.
- More state Professors of the Year – including two English professors – teach at PC than at any other institution in South Carolina.
What You’ll Study When You Major in English with a Minor in Secondary Education
As an English education student, you develop valuable skills such as analysis, research, and critical reading and thinking. You hone the ability to communicate in speech and writing. And you learn how to prepare and present lessons appropriate for high school English classrooms.
Your degree program, a rigorous combination of English and education courses, totals 73 hours. English curriculum requirements are mostly the same as the basic major, with courses like Studies in Linguistics and three survey courses in American, British or world literature. Instead of three pre-1900 Literature courses, you’ll choose one, such as Chaucer or Austenmania. You’ll also choose a post-1900 Literature course like Southern Women’s Writing or Holocaust Literature. Other required English courses include Adolescent Literature and The Teaching of Composition. You’ll then conduct original research on a topic of your choice for your Senior Capstone in English.
Most of your coursework, 40 hours of it, comes from the secondary education curriculum. Lower-level courses include Introduction to Education as well as Meeting the Needs of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students. After your acceptance into the teacher education program, you’ll take upper-level courses like Content Area Literacy and Introduction to Special Education. After a series of practicum experiences in local schools, you’ll conclude the program with student teaching during your final semester. By then, you should be little more than a Praxis test away from applying for your teaching credential.
MORE INFORMATION
CO = Co-requisite
POI = Permissions of Instructor
PR = Pre-requisite
RE = Recommended
XL = Cross-listed
CAREER OUTCOMES
The program’s emphasis on secondary education enables graduates to teach high school English. Those who pursue an advanced degree also have the opportunity to teach at the college or university level.
According to PayScale, those with a bachelor’s degree in secondary English education earn an average salary of $55,000, as of February 2020.
Eighty-two percent of PC education majors begin their teaching careers right after they graduate. They are well-prepared for the national licensure examinations and experience a high pass rate. Alumni work in rural, urban, and suburban areas across the United States, and internationally in places like Thailand and Hong Kong. They teach in both K-12 and higher education. Many go on to become principals, district office administrators, and school board members.
No matter your career goal, PC’s liberal arts education prepares you with problem-solving, communication, and other soft skills employers look for.