As an English major or minor, you have the opportunity to prepare for a preliminary license at a middle school (grades 5-9) or high school (grades 9-12) as part of your baccalaureate degree.
You can prepare for receiving your English degree and your Education degree at the same time. Please visit the OSU Education Double Degree Program website or contact an advisor to learn more about the program (541) 737-0561.
Teacher education can be built into your bachelor’s degree program in English by enrolling in a double degree program.
Within the framework of the double degree program, you should plan to--
- Complete major in English or (if a minor) complete the required courses in the English studies. See your English undergraduate advisor, Liddy Detar, if you are interested in advice on the English courses that need to be taken.
- Complete 40 hours in Education courses as part of the Double Degree program, at the same time that you are completing requirements for the English major. You will graduate with two bachelor’s degrees, one in English language arts and one in Education. To plan for the Double Degree program, we recommend that you see an Education advisor in your second year (or third year if you are a transfer student). In addition to speaking with an advisor in English, you may wish to contact CLA student services for advising (541) 737-0561.
- In addition to taking required Education courses for preparation to teach English in public schools, you will need to take the American literature survey, one Shakespeare course, 3/400-level Pre and Post-1800 courses, and the following courses in your junior or senior year: WR 330 (Understanding Grammar), WR 411 (The Teaching of Writing) and ENG 488 (Literature and Pedagogy). Electives that may interest you include WR 495 (Introduction to Literacy Studies) and ENG 375 (Children’s Literature).
Opportunities for employment in teaching middle school and high school require strong preparation in English language arts content areas. The best path toward developing a future as an English teacher will be in strong preparation in the major, maintaining a 3.0 GPA or better, as required for admission to most teaching programs.
Minor fields often recommended to accompany a major in English include ESOL-oriented English, writing, foreign languages, history (social studies), and math or science.