Secondary Teacher Education Program: English Major

Program Description: The Secondary Teacher Education Program (STEP) with an English major is a cooperative program between the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Education and Human Services designed to prepare students for careers as teachers of English in the secondary schools. Students earn a Bachelor of Arts degree and complete additional requirements leading to recommendation for teacher certification. A special feature of Oakland's program is a year-long internship including both field experience and coursework after degree requirements have been met. Among the advantages of Oakland's program are these:

• emphasis on content area preparation
• a more extensive field experience than traditional student teaching, including experience with the start and end of a school year
• better preparation for the field experience because all subject area coursework must be completed before the field experience begins
• integration of the methods course with the field experience
• more career flexibility because students who are not accepted into the STEP program or who change their minds about becoming teachers will still meet the requirements for a B.A. degree.

Requirements: Students should refer to the Oakland University Undergraduate Catalog for complete information about degree requirements. In addition to the requirements for a secondary teaching major in English, students must meet general education requirements established by Oakland University, requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences, the professional education requirements of STEP, and the requirements for a teaching minor (current options for English majors are biology, chemistry, dance, history, mathematics, modern languages, physics, political science).

For a secondary teaching major in English, students must earn the 40 credits in English courses required for a liberal arts major in English, distributed as follows:

1. 4 credits from ENG 112 (Literature of Ethnic America)
2. 4 credits from ENG 224 (American Literature)
3. 4 credits from ENG 241 (British Literature)
4. 4 credits selected from ENG 215 (Fundamentals of Grammar)or ENG 376 (History of the English Language)
5. 8 credits in British literary history selected from ENG 354, 355, 357, 358, 370, 371; or 4 credits from this group and 4 credits from ENG 311, 315, 316, 369 (ENG 315, Shakespeare, is recommended.)
6. 4 credits in American literary history selected from ENG 317, 318, 319, 320
7. 4 credits in advanced writing from ENG 380
8. 4 credits from ENG 398 (Approaches to Teaching Literature and Composition)
9. 4 credits in a 400-level seminar (excluding 499)

Foreign Language Requirement for English Majors

An introductory two-semester sequence in foreign language, or one semester of a foreign language at the 115 level or higher (Effective 2003-04 for all teacher certification students including post-baccalaureate students).

In addition, students must complete 4 credits from ALS 176 (The Humanity of Language) and 4 credits in world literature selected from ENG 100, ENG 111, or LIT 100. These courses will also meet the general education requirements in Literature and Language.

Admission to the Program. Students should meet frequently with academic advisers to plan their course of study. Students who have been admitted to Oakland University and who have met any specified prerequisites may take general education courses, courses to meet the College of Arts and Sciences distribution requirements, courses in the minor, and courses toward an English major. The application process for the Secondary Teacher Education Program (STEP) is handled through the School of Education and Human Services. Application packets are available on the SEHS website. The Department of English will make recommendations about applicants for English majors in STEP; in order to ensure fair and adequate evaluation of their applications, students should make sure they have completed most of their required English courses before they submit applications.

This program will be selective; simply meeting course requirements will not guarantee admission to the program. While STEP requires a minimum GPA of 3.00 in the major, we anticipate that successful applicants in English will have a GPA in English courses of at least 3.4.

Transfer Students. Transfer students should follow procedures specified in the Oakland University Undergraduate Catalog. At least 20 credits in English must be taken at Oakland. While some courses toward an English teaching major may be transferable, students should be aware that our requirements are quite specific and that transfer courses do not always match up well with our requirements. Please see the future students website for more information.

Post-baccalaureate Students. Students who have a baccalaureate degree from Oakland or from another institution may apply for the program; however, priority for admission in English will go to Oakland undergraduate students. Oakland University graduates will have priority over graduates from other institutions. Post-baccalaureate students must complete enough courses in English at Oakland to ensure fair and adequate evaluation of their applications, but there is no guarantee that they will be admitted to the program even if they successfully complete the courses. At least 20 credits in English must be taken at Oakland. Most post-baccalaureate students would need to take considerable coursework plus complete the year-long internship. Post-baccalaureate students do not earn a second degree; rather, they complete the requirements for recommendation for teaching certification. See the post baccalaureate section of the future students website for more information.

Special Consideration for Internship Year. Students should be aware that the internship year is a full-time experience. Students with employment and/or family obligations may need to plan ahead so that they may devote the necessary time to the internship year.

Advising. The adviser for the secondary teaching major in English is Professor Nancy Joseph, 525 Wilson Hall, (248) 370-2256.Students should also consult with a College of Arts and Sciences adviser (211 Varner, (248) 370-4567) and a School of Education and Human Services adviser (363 Education Building, (248) 370-4182).

Changes. This information is subject to change. 

Secondary Teacher Education Program: English Minor

Program Description. The secondary teaching minor in English fulfills the requirements for a teaching minor for students in the Secondary Teacher Education Program (STEP). The minor is designed as an additional area of preparation for students with a major in an approved subject area. Oakland currently offers secondary teaching majors in biology, chemistry, English, French, German, history, mathematics, music, physics, Russian, and Spanish. While students will work most closely with advisers in their major field and in the School of Education and Human Services, they should consult with the adviser for the English minor to plan an appropriate course of study in English. Coursework for the minor must be completed before students begin their STEP intern year.

Requirements. For a secondary teaching minor in English, students must earn a minimum of 24 credits in English (exclusive of composition courses used to satisfy the writing proficiency requirement) distributed as follows:

1. 4 credits from ENG 112, 341, or 342 (Literature of Ethnic America)
2. 4 credits from ENG 215 or ENG 376 (Grammar or Language)
3. 4 credits from ENG 224 (American Literature)
4. 4 credits from ENG 241 (British Literature)
5. 4 credits in writing from ENG 380
6. 4 credits from ENG 398*
7. At least 12 credits in English must be completed at Oakland.

*ENG 398 (Approaches to Teaching Literature and Composition) is required of all students who entered Oakland University under the 2002-2003 and subsequent undergraduate catalogs. It is an option for students who entered before 2002-2003, along with ENG 312 (Classical Mythology), 315 or 465 (Shakespeare), or 317, 318, 319, 320, 354, 355, 347, 369, 370, and 371 (Literary HIstory). ENG 398 requires permission of the instructor to enroll and should be taken only in the winter semester following acceptance into STEP.

Advising. The adviser for the secondary teaching major in English is Nancy Joseph, 528 O'Dowd, (248) 370-2145.