Secondary Education
Why Pursue Secondary Education?
The Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree program in Secondary Education prepares candidates to teach at the high school level and leads to Georgia certification in secondary education (6-12).
The teacher preparation program in Secondary Education combines course work and field experiences, culminating in a yearlong school experience that is comprised of two apprenticeship semesters.听 Experienced faculty and educators in local schools work collaboratively to provide candidates with the knowledge, strategies, and real-world experiences that prepare them to teach in 21st century high schools.
Students may wish to pursue the degree in Secondary Education in one of the following content areas:
- Biology
- Chemistry
- English/Language Arts
- History
- Mathematics
The BA degree program in Secondary Education is a joint program with the College of Arts and Sciences.听 Students are assigned a faculty advisor in the chosen content field and also within the College of Education. In addition to course work in the liberal arts and sciences and the chosen content teaching field, students also complete courses in teaching and learning and teaching methodology.听 To enhance their marketability, candidates may also elect a sequence of three courses to earn in-field endorsement in听Gifted Education.
Candidates must apply for and be admitted to Teacher Education, complete the Education Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA), and pass the Georgia Assessments for the Certification of Educators (GACE) content exams in their chosen content field.
Given the number of credit hours required in both education courses and in the content field, an additional semester may be necessary to complete course work and the apprenticeship.
Dual degree option.听 Some students interested in secondary education may also opt to work toward the BA degree in the chosen content field and then continue on at Piedmont to obtain the Master of Arts in Teaching degree in secondary education. Additional information can be found in the Piedmont University catalog.
How a Piedmont Secondary Education Degree Helps You
A degree in secondary education prepares you to teach and mentor students in grades 6鈥�12 by equipping you with subject-specific expertise, classroom management strategies, and adolescent development knowledge. It also opens doors to careers in teaching, curriculum development, educational leadership, and youth-focused programs.
- Learn techniques for teaching young adults, including specialization in including biology, chemistry, English/language arts, history, or mathematics.
- Enhance your qualifications by electing to complete 笔颈别诲尘辞苍迟鈥檚 in-field endorsement in鈥疓ifted Education.
- Begin work on a dual degree option by earning your BA and then continuing at Piedmont for your Master of Arts in teaching.
- Be qualified for a career that faces a shortage of candidates statewide.听
Degree Paths
Biology Foundations
| General Biology I | 3 | |
| General Biology Lab I | 1 | |
| General Biology II | 3 | |
| General Biology Lab II | 1 | |
| Genetics | 4 | |
| Philosophy and Methodology of Science | 3 | |
| General Chemistry I | 3 | |
| General Chemistry Lab I | 1 | |
| General Chemistry II | 3 | |
| General Chemistry Lab II | 1 | |
| Environmental Science | 3 | |
| CHOOSE ONE: | ||
| Vertebrate Natural History | 4 | |
| Invertebrate Zoology | 4 | |
| CHOOSE ONE: | ||
| Comparative Physiology | 3 | |
| Animal Behavior | 3 | |
| CHOOSE ONE: | ||
| Organic Evolution | 4 | |
| Ecology | 4 | |
| Total Credit Hours: | 39 |
Teacher Certification
| Introduction to Education | 3 | |
| Media and Technology for Educators | 3 | |
| Professional Practice I | 1 | |
| Professional Practice II | 1 | |
| Professional Practice III | 1 | |
| Exceptional Children | 3 | |
| Classroom Management | 3 | |
| Methods in Secondary Education | 3 | |
| Science Methods, 6-12 | 3 | |
| Reading and Writing in the Content Areas | 3 | |
| Psychology of Adolescence | 3 | |
| Total Credit Hours: | 27 |
Apprenticeship Sequence
| Facilitating Learning and Assessment I | 1 | |
| Facilitating Learning and Assessment I II | 1 | |
| Internship I | 3 | |
| Internship II | 9 | |
| Total Credit Hours: | 14 |
General Education
| Total Credit Hours: | 46 |
Chemistry Foundations
| General Chemistry I | 3 | |
| General Chemistry Lab I | 1 | |
| General Chemistry II | 3 | |
| General Chemistry Lab II | 1 | |
| Organic Chemistry I | 4 | |
| Organic Chemistry II | 4 | |
| Quantitative Inorganic Analysis | 4 | |
| Instrumental Analysis | 4 | |
| Philosophy and Methodology of Science | 3 | |
| Physical Chemistry I | 4 | |
| Calculus I | 4 | |
| Environmental Science | 3 | |
| Total Credit Hours: | 38 |
Teacher Certification
| Introduction to Education | 3 | |
| Media and Technology for Educators | 3 | |
| Professional Practice I | 1 | |
| Professional Practice II | 1 | |
| Professional Practice III | 1 | |
| Exceptional Children | 3 | |
| Classroom Management | 3 | |
| Methods in Secondary Education | 3 | |
| Science Methods, 6-12 | 3 | |
| Reading and Writing in the Content Areas | 3 | |
| Psychology of Adolescence | 3 | |
| Total Credit Hours: | 27 |
Apprenticeship Sequence
| Facilitating Learning and Assessment I | 1 | |
| Facilitating Learning and Assessment I II | 1 | |
| Internship I | 3 | |
| Internship II | 9 | |
| Total Credit Hours: | 14 |
General Education
| Total Credit Hours: | 46 |
English
| Introduction to English Studies | 3 | |
| Seminar in World Literature | 3 | |
| Shakespeare | 3 | |
| Multicultural American Literature | 3 | |
| Seminar in Composition Studies | 3 | |
| Survey of English Usage for Teachers | 3 |
Students must choose the following Creative Writing course:
| Introduction to Creative Writing | 3 |
Students must choose one of the following British Literature survey courses:
| British Literature to 1790 | 3 | |
| British Literature from 1790 | 3 |
Students must choose one of the following British Literature courses:
| Medieval Literature | 3 | |
| British Renaissance | 3 | |
| Restoration and Eighteenth-Century Literature | 3 | |
| British Romanticism | 3 | |
| Victorian Literature | 3 | |
| Twentieth-Century British Literature | 3 |
Students must choose one of the following United States Literature survey courses:
| United States Literature to 1865 | 3 | |
| United States Literature from 1865 | 3 |
Students must choose one of the following United States Literature courses:
| American Romanticism | 3 | |
| Twentieth-Century American Literature | 3 | |
| Multicultural American Literature | 3 | |
| Literature of the American South | 3 |
Students must choose an addition upper level English elective:
| ENGL | English Elective (3000 or above) | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 33-36 |
Teacher Certification
| Introduction to Education | 3 | |
| Media and Technology for Educators | 3 | |
| Professional Practice I | 1 | |
| Professional Practice II | 1 | |
| Professional Practice III | 1 | |
| Exceptional Children | 3 | |
| Classroom Management | 3 | |
| Methods in Secondary Education | 3 | |
| Language Arts Methods, 6-12 | 3 | |
| Reading and Writing in the Content Areas | 3 | |
| Psychology of Adolescence | 3 | |
| Total Credit Hours: | 27 |
Apprenticeship Sequence
| Facilitating Learning and Assessment I | 1 | |
| Facilitating Learning and Assessment I II | 1 | |
| Internship I | 3 | |
| Internship II | 9 | |
| Total Credit Hours: | 18 |
General Education
| Total Credit Hours: | 46 |
History Education Foundations
| Economics in the 6-12 Classroom | 3 | |
| Geography in the P-12 Classroom | 3 | |
| World History to the Mid-17th Century | 3 | |
| World History since the Mid-17th Century | 3 | |
| Pivotal Moments in Recent U.S. History | 3 | |
| Introduction to Historiography | 3 | |
| History of the United States to 1836 | 3 | |
| History of the United States, 1836-1912 | 3 | |
| History of Georgia | 3 | |
| Georgia Politics | 3 | |
| Political Ideologies | 3 | |
| Governmental Institutions | 3 |
Students must choose of the following courses in non-Western non-European history:
| History of African Civilizations | 3 | |
| Latin America | 3 | |
| Russia/Soviet Union | 3 | |
| The Rise of Modern China | 3 | |
| Modern Southeast Asia | 3 | |
| Special Topics I | 3 | |
| Total Credit Hours: | 33-39 |
Teacher Certification
| Introduction to Education | 3 | |
| Media and Technology for Educators | 3 | |
| Professional Practice I | 1 | |
| Professional Practice II | 1 | |
| Professional Practice III | 1 | |
| Exceptional Children | 3 | |
| Classroom Management | 3 | |
| Methods in Secondary Education | 3 | |
| Social Studies Methods, 6-12 | 3 | |
| Reading and Writing in the Content Areas | 3 | |
| Psychology of Adolescence | 3 | |
| Total Credit Hours: | 27 |
Apprenticeship Sequence
| Facilitating Learning and Assessment I | 1 | |
| Facilitating Learning and Assessment I II | 1 | |
| Internship I | 3 | |
| Internship II | 9 | |
| Total Credit Hours: | 18 |
General Education
| Total Credit Hours: | 46 |
Mathematics Foundations
| Elementary Statistics | 3 | |
| Discrete Mathematics | 3 | |
| Calculus I | 4 | |
| Calculus II | 4 | |
| Calculus III | 4 | |
| Linear Algebra | 3 | |
| Geometry | 3 | |
| History and Development of Mathematics | 3 | |
| Directed Independent Research | 3 |
Students must choose one of the following courses:
| Abstract Algebra | 3 | |
| Number Theory | 3 |
Students must choose two of the following courses:
| Introduction to Differential Equations | 3 | |
| Probability | 3 | |
| Numerical Methods | 3 | |
| Advanced Studies in Mathematics | 1-3 | |
| Real Analysis | 3 | |
| Complex Analysis | 3 | |
| Total Credit Hours: | 35-39 |
Teacher Certification
| Introduction to Education | 3 | |
| Media and Technology for Educators | 3 | |
| Professional Practice I | 1 | |
| Professional Practice II | 1 | |
| Professional Practice III | 1 | |
| Exceptional Children | 3 | |
| Classroom Management | 3 | |
| Methods in Secondary Education | 3 | |
| Math Methods, 6-12 | 3 | |
| Reading and Writing in the Content Areas | 3 | |
| Psychology of Adolescence | 3 | |
| Total Credit Hours: | 27 |
Apprenticeship Sequence
| Facilitating Learning and Assessment I | 1 | |
| Facilitating Learning and Assessment I II | 1 | |
| Internship I | 3 | |
| Internship II | 9 | |
| Total Credit Hours: | 14 |
General Education
| Total Credit Hours: | 46 |
More About Secondary Education
Learn more about Secondary Education and the variety of options available to you as a Piedmont student.
Piedmont University鈥檚 Secondary Education General Curriculum offers students the ability to concentrate in a particular area of education: Biology, chemistry, English/language arts, history, or mathematics. Your study pathway will depend on your choice of concentration. However, all concentrations require that Piedmont students complete 46 hours of general education, core coursework, as well as 27 hours of teacher certification as part of their 121-hour, 4-year degree curriculum. All secondary education candidates must also complete an apprenticeship. Given the number of credit hours required in both education courses and in the content field, an additional semester may be necessary to complete course work and the apprenticeship.听
A secondary education degree from Piedmont certifies you to teach in grades 6-12 in both public and independent schools in the state of Georgia. In the secondary program, you can study to teach: Biology, chemistry, general sciences, English/language arts, history, or mathematics. A Piedmont degree also opens doors to a wide range of professional opportunities at schools and school systems throughout the state of Georgia.
笔颈别诲尘辞苍迟鈥檚 BA degree program in Secondary Education is a joint program with our College of Arts and Sciences.鈥�Students are assigned a faculty advisor in the chosen content field as well as an advisor within the College of Education. In addition to course work in the liberal arts and sciences and the chosen content teaching field, students also complete courses in teaching and learning and teaching methodology.鈥�听
To enhance their marketability, Piedmont secondary education candidates have several options: They may elect to undergo a sequence of three courses to earn in-field endorsement in鈥疓ifted E诲耻肠补迟颈辞苍.鈥�They may also pursue a dual degree. In this instance, our students work toward the BA degree in the chosen content field and then continue at Piedmont to obtain the鈥疢aster of Arts in Teaching鈥痙egree in secondary e诲耻肠补迟颈辞苍.鈥�听
Be prepared to apply for and admitted to Teacher Education, as well as complete the Education Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA) and pass the Georgia Assessments for the Certification of Educators (GACE).听
As a preteen, Madison Hatfield 鈥�21 wanted to take a 鈥渇un family weekend trip鈥� to Andersonville, a tiny Georgia town once home to a prisoner-of-war camp. Thousands of Union soldiers died of scurvy and dysentery in the 14 months the Confederacy operated the camp during the Civil War.
Dr. Beth Lovern, Associate Professor of anthropology at Piedmont and a mentor to the senior, would not be surprised by that story. Lovern took note of Hatfield鈥檚 鈥渋ntellectual curiosity, motivation, and organizational skills鈥� when she received news of an internship at the Sautee Nacoochee Cultural Center (SNCC) history museum. Executive Director Patrick Brennan was seeking help with digitizing the museum鈥檚 collection…
Related Programs
Intrigued by Secondary Education? You might also be interested in one of these programs:
Meet our Faculty
Our Secondary Education faculty are experienced educators and subject-matter experts who specialize in teaching strategies, adolescent development, and content-specific instruction to prepare future teachers for success in middle and high school classrooms.
Where do I start?
鈥婽o begin your journey toward becoming an Secondary Education student at Piedmont University, you can start by applying today! Or, schedule a campus visit and meet with admissions and financial aid advisors, as well as faculty members in education.