English with Secondary Certification, BA
The Bachelor of Arts in English with secondary certification program prepares you to teach in grades 7-12 in Pennsylvania, as well as more than 40 other states with reciprocal agreements. Shippensburg University is a great place to study to become an English teacher because this program is nationally recognized by the National Council of Accreditation for Teacher Education and by the National Council of Teachers of English. It also has the only public elementary lab school in the state.
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What Will I Learn?
You will take courses in literature, academic and creative writing, and literary theory and criticism. Additionally, you will take courses that focus on effective teaching of the English language arts.
Meet Andrea Kling
"The secondary education tract within the English major does a really good job at making sure students get real world experience by being in actual high school classrooms and doing work that directly pertains to their future careers."What are the requirements for this degree?
In this program, you will complete the requirements for the English major while taking education courses required for certification.
View the Course Requirement Checksheet.
What Types of Careers Could I Get With This Degree?
In addition to classroom teaching in public schools, independent schools and in alternative educational settings, graduates of this program often go on to careers in education that include arts activities (drama and literary arts in particular), curriculum leadership, administrative leadership (principals, district leadership, school board) and a wide range of educator professional development ranging from teacher development to school board learning experiences.
What Career Outcomes Do Alumni Have With This Degree?
What Kinds of Experiences Could I Have?
Our program is offered by the English Department. This means you will enter the teaching field with content that is stronger than students who come from programs offered by education departments.
As you prepare to become a teacher, you will participate in hands-on learning experiences such as:
- Observation of classes in middle schools and high schools
- Observations of physically challenged and exceptional learners
- Student teaching placements
Student teachers are supervised by English certification faculty who are already teachers, advisors and mentors to students. Their capstone experience is shared with university supervisors who have been involved in their development since their first year.
Students in this major will also present their research at the Pennsylvania Council of Teachers of English Language Arts and the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). We encourage you to join Shippensburg's chapter of NCTE.
Our program offers many other opportunities for you outside the classroom. Some great assets include:
- The ability to serve as a writing tutor or peer anchor, allowing you to gain valuable teaching experience
- A secondary English resource room stocked with textbooks, young adult literature, and many other resources that you can use for group work, lesson planning, and other important high-impact activities
- Readings by nationally-recognized novelists and poets
- Plenty of chances to share and publish your work