The Elementary Teacher Education (ETE) Honors degree curriculum provides students with the opportunity to engage deeply in the knowledge base and current issues in the field of education through coursework and activities. The 30-credit hour curriculum allows students to tailor their program to best match their interests and needs. Students have the opportunity to develop close relationships with their peers and faculty through education courses with small class sizes and projects with faculty.

The experiences in the Honors curriculum challenge ETE students to critically examine the teaching profession and help them grow professionally. The ideas in the 200-level education courses lay the foundation for the discussions and experiences in the 300- and 400-level education courses. The capstone course is the culminating experience that tackles issues in education. Students can pursue ideas that they are passionate about in education through the research internship, independent study and thesis options.

All Honors students take ENGL 110 (Critical Reading and Writing) and an Honors colloquium in their freshman year. During their program, they take at least 12 credits required for the major and at least 12 credits in 300-level courses or higher, not including the freshman colloquium.

Learn more about the program and opportunities for students on Honors Program web site.

Interested in the program? Contact ETE Honors program advisor, Dede Lilly.

The following courses are taught by School of Education faculty and will count towards the Honors degree for ETE students. Students may take courses from other departments (e.g., ECON 101) and/or pursue one of the research opportunities below to complete the required 30 credits at the Honors level.

Freshman/Sophomore Years

• EDUC 205 – Human Development: Grades K-8 (even-numbered fall semesters)
• EDUC 240 – Legal and Ethical Issues in American Education or EDUC 247 – The History of Education in America (odd-numbered spring semesters)
• EDUC 258 – Cultural Diversity, Schooling and the Teacher (odd-numbered fall semesters)
• MUED 391 – Aesthetics and Education (spring semester)

Junior/Senior Years

• EDUC 310 – Reading and Writing in Elementary School
• EDUC 390 – Classroom Management for Social and Emotional Learning

Senior Year – Capstone Course

• EDUC 470 – Topics in Education (spring semester) or UNIV 490 – Honors Tutorial (fall semester)

Research Opportunities

• EDUC 366 – Independent Study
• EDUC 469 – Research Internship Experience
• UNIV 401/402 – Senior Thesis (UNIV 402 satisfies the above capstone course requirement)