The English and Language Arts, 4-12 Education certification is available for students who plan to teach English to students in middle and high school. English Education candidates participate in hands-on, classroom-based field and student teaching experiences in urban area middle and high schools. Candidates who satisfactorily complete the program requirements also meet the Wisconsin teacher certification requirements for teaching English subject areas in grades 4-12.
Requirements
General Education Requirements (GERs)
UW-Milwaukee has General Education Requirements that must be met in order to earn a bachelor’s degree. Some of the requirements of your program may fulfill the campus GERs. Please review the requirements and consult with your academic advisor.
Program Admission Requirements
Program Core
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CURRINS 300 | Introduction to Teaching: Colloquium and Fieldwork (fulfilled prior to program admission) | 3 |
| Choose one: 1 | 3 | |
| American Indian Peoples of Wisconsin (GER-CD, GER-SS) | ||
| Introduction to American Indian Literature: (GER-CD, GER-HU) | ||
| Western Great Lakes American Indian Community Life of the Past (GER-CD, GER-SS) | ||
| North American Indian History Since 1887 (GER-CD, GER-SS) | ||
| Total Credits | 6 | |
- 1
Non-Western History or Contemporary Culture and Minority Group Relations (Act 31) statutory requirements can both be met by taking one class. Program may allow fulfillment of Act 31 with a 1-day workshop.
Content Area
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CURRINS 234 | Teachers as Writers (GER-OWCB, HU) | 3 |
| ENGLISH 212 | Grammar and Usage | 3 |
| ENGLISH 215 | Introduction to English Studies (OWC-B, GER-HU) | 3 |
| ENGLISH 233 | Introduction to Creative Writing (GER-A) | 3 |
| or JAMS 201 | Media Writing | |
| COMMUN 103 | Public Speaking | 3 |
| CURRINS 233 | Introduction to Children's and Young Adult Literature (GER-HU, highly recommended) | 3 |
| ENGLISH 276 | Introduction to American Indian Literature: (GER-CD, GER-HU) | 3 |
| Advanced Writing, Journalism, and the Composing Process | ||
| ENGLISH 430 | Advanced Writing Workshop (GER-OWCB) | 3 |
| CURRINS 547 | Curricular Applications of the Internet | 3 |
| JAMS 306 | Feature and Magazine Article Writing: (journalism focused topic) | 3 |
| Advanced Language, Speech Communication, and Linguistics | ||
| Select two of the following: | 6 | |
| Introduction to English Linguistics 2 | ||
or LINGUIS 350 | Introduction to Linguistics | |
| History of the English Language | ||
| Survey of Modern English Grammar | ||
| Critical Analysis of Communication | ||
| Language, Power, and Identity 2 | ||
| History and Politics of Second Language Education 2 | ||
| Developing Biliteracy 2 | ||
| Advanced Literature | ||
| Survey I: Periodization/Historical, Genre, Focus | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Survey of English Literature, Beginnings to 1500 | ||
| Survey of English Literature, 1500-1660 | ||
| Survey of English Literature, 1660-1798 | ||
| Survey of English Literature, 1798-1900 | ||
| Survey of English Literature: 1900 to the Present | ||
| Survey of Irish Literature | ||
| Survey of American Literature to 1865 | ||
| Survey of American Literature, 1865-1965 | ||
| Survey of Contemporary American Literature | ||
| The Development of the Novel: | ||
| The Development of the Short Story | ||
| Film and Literature | ||
| The Development of Drama: | ||
| The Development of Poetry: | ||
| Shakespeare | ||
| Milton | ||
| Writers in English Literature, 1500-1660: | ||
| Writers in English Literature, 1660-1798: | ||
| Writers in English Literature, 1798-1900: | ||
| Writers in English Literature, 1900 to the Present: | ||
| Writers in American Literature, 1500-1900: | ||
| Writers in American Literature, 1900 to the Present: | ||
| Studies in Literature, 1660-1800: | ||
| Studies in Literature, 1800-1900: | ||
| Seminar in American Literature: | ||
| Seminar in Modern Literature: | ||
| Seminar in Literary History: | ||
| Honors Seminar: | ||
| Survey II: Literature and Culture | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| LGBTQ+ Literature: (GER-HU) | ||
| Survey of American Indian Literature (GER-CD, GER-HU) | ||
| Survey of Ethnic Minority Literature (GER-CD, GER-HU) | ||
| Survey of U.S. Latino/a Literature (GER-CD) | ||
| Survey of Asian American Literature (GER-CD) | ||
| Survey of African-American Literature to 1930 (GER-CD) | ||
| Survey of African-American Literature, 1930 to the Present (GER-CD) | ||
| World Literatures Written in English: | ||
| Writers in African-American Literature: (GER-CD) | ||
| Women Writers: | ||
| Literature in Context: | ||
| Literature and the Other Arts: | ||
| Studies in African-American Literature: | ||
| Studies in Irish Literature: | ||
| Studies in American Indian Literature: | ||
| Studies in World Literature Written in English: | ||
| Studies in U.S. Latino/a Literature: | ||
| Studies in Asian-American Literature: | ||
| Seminar in Literature and Culture: | ||
| Seminar in Literature by Women: | ||
| Seminar in Literature and Sexuality: | ||
| Seminar in Literature and the Other Arts: | ||
| Seminar in African-American Literature: | ||
| Seminar in American Indian Literature: | ||
| Young Adult Literature 3 | ||
| CURRINS 650 | Reading Interests of Adolescents | 3 |
| Literary Critical Theory | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Survey of Current Literary and Cultural Theory | ||
| Studies in Theory and Criticism: | ||
| Seminar in Critical Theory: | ||
| Total Credits | 48 | |
- 2
Meets Reading Teacher Proficiency 3.
- 3
Meets Reading Teacher Proficiency 6.
Professional Education Requirements
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ED POL 375 | Cultural Foundations of Education | 3 |
| or ED POL 530 | Urban Education: Foundations | |
| ED PSY 330 | Introduction to Learning and Development | 3 |
| The following courses will be taken in a sequenced 3 semesters starting after admission to the program. | ||
| Semester 1 (Spring) | ||
| CURRINS 547 | Curricular Applications of the Internet | 3 |
| CURRINS 630 | Methods for Teaching, Managing, and Assessing English and Language Arts I 4, 5 | 6 |
| CURRINS 650 | Reading Interests of Adolescents | 3 |
| EXCEDUC 531 | Inclusion for Secondary Educators: Humanities, the Arts, Foreign Language 6 | 3 |
| Semester 2 (Fall) | ||
| CURRINS 545 | Reading in the Content Areas: Middle, Junior, and Senior High School 7 | 3 |
| CURRINS 631 | Methods for Teaching, Managing, and Assessing English and Language Arts II | 6 |
| CURRINS 632 | Fieldwork in English and the Language Arts | 5 |
| Semester 3 (Spring) | ||
| CURRINS 452 | Student Teaching in English 8 | 2-6 |
| CURRINS 633 | English and Language Arts Student Teaching Seminar | 3 |
| Total Credits | 40-44 | |
- 4
Meets Reading Teacher Proficiency 1.
- 5
Meets Reading Teacher research requirement with an additional 1 credit of independent study.
- 6
Meets Reading Teacher Proficiency 4.
- 7
Meets Reading Teacher Proficiency 5.
- 8
Students must complete paperwork in order to be assigned a student teaching placement. To be approved for placement, additional criteria must be met. See Benchmarks for details.
Additional Requirements for Graduation
- Completion of University GER;
- Completion of CURRINS 452 with a C+ or better;
- Minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.75 in all professional education courses. This includes any transfer coursework that is counted towards certification at UWM, as well as grades earned in student teaching or field experiences;
- Minimum Cumulative GPA of 2.75;
- Satisfactory completion of a minimum 120 credits; and
- Completion of the last year of coursework (30 credits) in residence at UW-Milwaukee.
Advance to Major
Program Admission Requirements
Application to the English Education program requires satisfactory completion of the requirements listed below. For more information about the application process, visit our website.
- English Composition: Achieve a placement level of 4 or higher on the English Placement Test, or complete ENGLISH 102 or equivalent with a grade of C or better.
- Completion of CURRINS 300 with a grade of C or better.
- A 2.5 minimum cumulative GPA in all UWM and transfer courses at the time of admission application.
- A 2.75 cumulative GPA in all English content courses.
- A minimum of 58 credits (UWM and transfer credits) at the time of admission application. It is not required to have all the Core Curriculum courses completed at the time of application.
- Meeting with faculty advisor to review admission application. Faculty signature required on application.
Benchmarks
Student Teaching
Students must complete paperwork in order to be assigned a student teaching placement. To determine your deadline (February or April), visit the Office of Clinical Experiences website.
To be approved for placement, you must meet the following criteria:
- Be admitted to the School of Education.
- Completion of all required coursework.
- Minimum 2.5 cumulative GPA.
- Minimum of 2.75 GPA in all content area and professional education courses.
- Have a GPA of 3.0 or better in the major, OR Pass the Praxis Subject Assessment exam: English Language Art: Content Knowledge #5038, OR Have a Passing Score on content area Portfolio.
- Removal of all F or I (incomplete) grades.
- TB test results submitted to the Office of Clinical Experiences.
- Criminal Background Check submitted to the Office of Clinical Experiences.
- Completion of CURRINS 630, CURRINS 631, CURRINS 632, CURRINS 633, and CURRINS 650 with a C+ or better.
Undergraduate Advising
Our purpose is to provide collaborative, mentoring relationships which promote educational, career, and professional development. We value a student-centered, holistic, and ethical approach to advising based on strong partnerships with students, faculty and staff, and the larger campus community. We are committed to creating a respectful and supportive environment. We encourage students to be self-reliant through informed decisions and choices based upon dissemination of accurate information. We value our own continuous professional development to enhance the quality of the advising experience.
How to Prepare for an Advising Meeting
- Review your Advisement Report in PAWS.
- Come prepared with questions or topics for discussion.
- Make a list of courses you think you should take.
- Investigate opportunities to prepare for the job you want.
- Keep a record of your academic progress.
- Understand you are ultimately responsible for creating your educational, life, and career plans.
- Maintain honest and open communication with your advisor.
- Take responsibility for choices you make as a student and member of the UW-Milwaukee community.
Scheduling an Appointment
Office of Student Services
Enderis Hall, Room 209
(414) 229-4721
soeinfo@uwm.edu
Graduate Advising
If you are a School of Education graduate student, you may schedule an appointment with your faculty advisor by contacting your faculty advisor directly. Faculty contact information can be found in the Directory. Your faculty advisor will be listed in your PAWS account.
Honors in the Department of Teaching and Learning
Departmental Honors are granted to students who have achieved a cumulative GPA of 3.500 or above, based on a minimum of 40 graded UWM credits earned prior to the final semester.
College of Community Engagement and Professions Dean's Honor List
GPA of 3.750 or above, earned on a full-time student's GPA on 12 or more graded credits in a given semester.
Honors College Degree and Honors College Degree with Distinction
Granted to graduating seniors who complete Honors College requirements, as listed in the Honors College section of this site.
Commencement Honors
Students with a cumulative GPA of 3.500 or above, based on a minimum of 40 graded UWM credits earned prior to the final semester, will receive all-university commencement honors and be awarded the traditional gold cord at the December or May Honors Convocation. Please note that for honors calculation, the GPA is not rounded and is truncated at the third decimal (e.g., 3.499).
Final Honors
Earned on a minimum of 60 graded UWM credits: Cum Laude - 3.500 or above; Magna Cum Laude - 3.650 or above; Summa Cum Laude - 3.800 or above.