Liberal Studies
The major for future elementary school teachers.
Pathways to Teaching: How Liberal Studies Helps you Reach your Goal
Steps to becoming a teacher
Choosing the right level and type of teaching
Features of the Liberal Studies program
New Liberal Studies major with a Content Focus
Congratulations on choosing to pursue a career in teaching. You are on your way to a challenging, fulfilling career that will never be boring. To begin your journey, you should familiarize yourself with the process of teacher preparation in the state of California. Please note that the pathways described below apply to students who enter SDSU in Fall 2011 or later. As you will discover below, the SDSU Liberal Studies faculty have redesigned the program to better prepare students for the challenging job market that has existed in California since the budget downturn that began in about 2009.
Steps to Becoming a Teacher in California
Becoming a teacher in California requires three steps:
1) Earning a bachelor’s degree.
2) Satisfying subject matter competency; i.e. proving you know the content that you will ultimately need to teach, either by passing the California Subject Examinations for Teachers (CSET) appropriate for your subject area or by satisfying the requirements for a Commission on Teacher Credentialing approved program (the latter is not an option for candidates interested in a multiple subjects - elementary ed - credential).
3) Earning a teaching credential, specifically a multiple subject credential in order to teach in elementary school or a single subject credential to teaching in high school. Which credential to choose for middle school teaching will be discussed below.
Choosing the Right Level and Type of Teaching
Having chosen teaching as a career, you need to consider exactly how you’ll go about reaching your goal. While you don’t need to make a firm decision right away, by the end of your freshman year you need to decide whether you are primarily interested in teaching all subjects or definitely only one subject.
1) If you know you want to teach more multiple subjects at the elementary school level, Liberal Studies is the major for you. The Liberal Studies major is designed to provide all the subject matter and field experiences plus advising needed to prepare you for admission to a multiple subjects credential program.
2) If you think you might also be interested in teaching at the middle school level, the 2011 Liberal Studies major provides a new, exciting route to teaching English, mathematics, or science. Many Liberal Studies students discover during their ED 200 and LIB S 300 field experiences that middle school is an interesting option!
3) If you are unsure and want to retain the possibility of teaching only one subject at the high school level, you are welcome to enter the Liberal Studies major; however, you should make a decision by the beginning of your sophomore year as to which pathway you want to follow. If you decide to teach only one subject, you will need to change to appropriate single subject preparation major. See the sections in the SDSU General Catalog that describe the requirements for the English, Mathematics, Music, Physical Education, Social Science, Science (Biology, Chemistry, or Physical Science), etc. or contact the credential program adviser in the College of Education Office of Student Services.
Bilingual teaching and special education options are also available.
4) If you are bilingual in Spanish or some other language and are interested in adding a bilingual authorization to your credential, Liberal Studies provides pathways to the elementary and middle school levels.
5) If you plan to work with children who have special needs and are interested in adding a Special Education authorization to your credential, Liberal Studies provides pathways to the elementary and middle school levels.
Features of the Liberal Studies Program
The Liberal Studies major itself provides multiple pathways. To help you find the pathway that that is right for you, the program contains features at each level that allow you to explore your interests, including
1) multiple field experiences,
2) a required international experience,
3) a variety of courses, some from general education and others with content designed specifically for Liberal Studies,
4) a sequence of interdisciplinary courses— a. Education 200 Teaching as a Profession with 30 hours of fieldwork, b. Liberal Studies 300 Introduction to Liberal Studies with 30 hours of fieldwork, and c. Liberal Studies 498 Assessment in Liberal Studies that help you discover the interconnection between disciplines and learn how the subjects are taught in the schools, and
5) a 28-38 unit focus with a concentration of courses in literature/linguistics, mathematics, or science, plus
6) good advising and workshops to help you make important decisions so that you, like many others, can graduate on time.