MIDDLE GRADES EDUCATION (A1011A)

GENERAL EDUCATION CORE (44 Semester Hours Credit)
Forty-four semester hours of credit in General Education Core courses are required as outlined on the NCCCS Curriculum Standards for Associate in Arts degree programs. The General Education Core includes study in the areas of humanities and fine arts, social and behavioral sciences, natural sciences and mathematics, and English composition. Within the core, students receive opportunities to achieve competence in reading, writing, communicating, demonstrating mathematical skills, understanding science concepts, and using computers.

English Composition (6 SHC)  Two English composition courses are required.

• ENG 111, Expository Writing, is required as the first composition course.
• The second composition course must be selected from the following:
  • ENG 112 Argument-based Research
    

Humanities/Fine Arts (12 SHC)  Four courses from three discipline areas are required.

• One course must be a literature course. Select one course from the following (3 SHC):
  • ENG 131 Introduction to Literature
  • ENG 231 American Literature I
  • ENG 232 American Literature II
  • ENG 233 Major American Writers
• The following course is required to substitute for 3 SHC of Humanities/Fine Arts
  • COM 231 Public Speaking (3 SHC)
• One of the following courses is required (3 SHC):
  • ART 111 Art Appreciation
  • ART 114: Art History Survey I
  • ART 115 Art History Survey II
  • MUS 110 Music Appreciation
• One additional course from the following discipline areas is required: music, art, drama, dance, foreign languages, interdisciplinary humanities, literature, philosophy, and religion.
  • Art (ART 111, 114, 115)
  • Foreign Languages (FRE 111, 112, 211, 212; SPA 111, 112, 211, 212)
  • Interdisciplinary Humanities (HUM 110, 115, 120, 122, 130, 150, 160, 161, 211, 212, 220)
  • Literature (ENG 131, 231, 232, 241, 242, 261, 262)
  • Music (MUS 110, 113)
  • Philosophy (PHI 215, 240)
  • Religion (REL 110, 111, 112, 211, 212, 221)
  • Speech/Communication (COM 110, 120, 231)

Social/Behavioral Sciences (12 SHC)  Four courses from three discipline areas are required.

• One course must be a history course. Select one course from the following (3 SHC):
  • HIS 111 World Civilizations I (3 SHC) or
  • HIS 112 World Civilizations II (3 SHC) or
  • HIS 114 Comparative World History (3 SHC) or
  • HIS 115 Introduction to Global History (3 SHC) or
  • HIS 121 Western Civilization I (3 SHC) or
  • HIS 122 Western Civilization II (3 SHC)
• The following courses are required:
  • PSY 150 General Psychology (3 SHC) and
  • Choose one of the following
    SOC 210 Introduction to Sociology (3 SHC) or
    SOC 225 Social Diversity (3 SHC)
• One additional course from the following discipline areas is required: anthropology, economics, geography, history, political science, psychology, and sociology.
  • Anthropology (ANT 210, 220, 240)
  • Economics (ECO 151, 251, 252)
  • Geography (GEO 111)
  • History (HIS 111, 112, 121, 122, 131, 132)
  • Political Science (POL 120, 220)
  • Psychology (PSY 150, 237, 241, 281)
  • Sociology (SOC 210, 213, 220)

Natural Sciences/Mathematics (14 SHC)

• Natural Sciences (8 SHC):
  
  • Choose one:
    • BIO 110 Principles of Biology (4 SHC) or
    • BIO 111 General Biology I (4 SHC)
  • Choose one:
    • CHM 151 General Chemistry I (4 SHC) or
    • PHY 110 Conceptual Physics (3 SHC) and PHY 110A Conceptual Physics Lab (1 SHC) or
    • PHY 151 College Physics I (4 SHC)
• Mathematics (6 SHC):
  • The following course is required: CIS 110: Introduction to Computers (3 SHC)
  • One of the following courses is required: MAT 171: Pre-Calculus Algebra (3 SHC) or a higher level math course.

OTHER REQUIRED HOURS (20-21 Semester Hours Credit)

• Academic Related (1 SHC): ACA 115  [Note: Beginning with the fall semester 2005, this course is required for new students to Sandhills.]
• Physical Education (2 SHC) activity courses are required at Sandhills Community College. Select two courses from the following activity courses (PED 110 is not an activity course.): PED 113, 117, 118, 120, 121, 122, 125, 127, 128, 129, 130, 135, 139, 142, 143, 145, 147, 152, 153, 154, 160, 162, 169, 170, 173, 174, 181, 186, 212, 215, 217, 260, 262
• At certain UNC institutions, EDU 216: Introduction to Education (4 SHC) and EDU 221 may fulfill major requirements; at a majority of institutions the courses will transfer only as free electives. Students should check with the university for the local transfer policy regarding EDU 216 and EDU 221.
• It is recommended that within the 20 semester hours of "Other Required Hours" pre-education students in Middle Grades Education select courses that will help meet two of the four corollary studies areas (Mathematics, Social Studies, Science, and Language Arts) in order to be consistent with NC licensure areas. These courses should be selected in conjunction with the requirements at each university, since available academic concentrations and their specific requirements differ on each campus. Some institutions of higher education require that the two areas be Science and Mathematics or Social Studies and Language Arts. Others allow the student to choose any two of the four areas.
• It is recommended the pre-major Middle Grades Education students not choose additional courses in Art, Communications, Foreign Languages, Music, or Physical Education. These courses will not assist students in completing their major.
• Recommended Courses for Typical Academic Concentrations
  • Language Arts: Up to 12 SHC from the following: ENG 231 American Literature I (3 SHC)
  or ENG 232 American Literature II (3 SHC); ENG 241 British Literature I (3 SHC) or ENG 242 British Literature II (3 SHC); ENG 261 World Literature I (3 SHC) or ENG 262 World Literature II (3 SHC); ENG 273: African-American Literature (3 SHC)
  • Mathematics: Up to 12 SHC from the following: MAT 151 Statistics I (3 SHC); MAT 172 Precalculus Trigonometry (3 SHC); MAT 175: Precalculus (4 SHC); MAT 271 Calculus I (3 SHC); MAT 272 Calculus II (3 SHC)
  • Science: Up to 12 SHC from the following:
    AST 111 Descriptive Astronomy
    BIO 110 Principles of Biology or BIO 111 General Biology I (4 SHC) and BIO 112 General Biology II (4 SHC); BIO 120 Intro. Botany (4 SHC) or BIO 130: Introductory Zoology (4 SHC); BIO 140 Environ. Bio. and BIO 140A Environ. Bio. Lab;
    CHM 151: General Chemistry I (4 SHC); CHM 152: General Chemistry II (4 SHC)
    PHY 151 College Physics I; PHY 152 College Physics II
  • Social Studies Up to 12 SHC from the following:
    ECO 151 Survey of Economics or ECO 251 Prin. of Microeconomics
    GEO 111 World Regional Geography
    HIS 111 World Civilizations I and HIS 112 World Civilizations II or
    HIS 121 Western Civilization I and HIS 122 Western Civilization II; HIS 131 American History I and HIS 132 American History II
    POL 120 American Government; POL 210 Comparative Government; POL 220 International Relations
    PSY 150 General Psychology (3 SHC); PSY 237 Social Psychology (3 SHC); PSY 239 Psychology of Personality (3 SHC); PSY 241 Developmental Psychology (3 SHC); PSY 281 Abnormal Psychology
    SOC 210 Intro to Sociology; SOC 213 Sociology of the Family; SOC 220 Social Problems

• Note: Students must meet the receiving university's foreign language requirement, if applicable, prior to or after transferring to the senior institution.
• Application to a University : Application to a University Admission application deadlines vary; students must meet the deadline for the senior institution to which they plan to transfer. Upon successful completion of the associate degree, students who meet the requirements outlined in this pre-major articulation agreement will be eligible to be considered for admission as juniors to the signatory institutions offering the baccalaureate degree as listed at www.northcarolina.edu/content.php/aa/planning/traditional.htm or in the NC Independent Colleges and Universities Handbook which is available online at www.ncicu.org/publications. Students are encouraged to contact the senior institution to confirm degree offerings.
• Admission to the Major: Grade point average requirements vary and admission is competitive across the several programs in Middle Grades Education and Special Education. Minimum statewide requirements are:
  1. Minimum 2.5 grade point average on a 4.0 scale.
  2. Satisfactory passing scores as established by the State Board of Education on PRAXIS -- PPST-Reading; PPST-Writing; PPST-Math.
• Receiving institutions may have additional requirements, prerequisites, and/or proficiencies. Since these vary at receiving institutions, students should review the admission to teacher education requirements for the institution(s) they anticipate attending.

Total Semester Hours Credit (SHC) in Program: 64-65  Note: One semester hour of credit may be included in a sixty-five semester hour credit associate in arts program. The transfer of the 65th hour is not guaranteed.