Information for English BA Majors with Concentration in Secondary Education

Welcome to your career as a teacher of English!

This track will help you satisfy the requirements of the Georgia Professional Standards Commission to obtain Initial Teacher Certification after graduation. See here for more information: https://www.gapsc.com/

Due to the nature of your concentration, there are a few additional steps, but you can find information here, and your advisor or mentor can also help guide you.

First Year:

  1. Aim to complete 30 hours of core requirements (over Fall, Spring, and/or Summer).
  2. Aim at an overall 2.5 or better GPA over the course of the year
  3. Choose a campus: while many courses can be taken online, English Secondary education concentration students need to choose either Macon or Cochran as their home campus. Having a home campus will be important for your upper-level work in EDUC courses, as some teaching education courses will require physical presence. You will need to plan physical presence by the end of your sophomore year.

    Why do I have to choose a campus? Once students enter the Teacher Preparation program in their junior year, they will begin field work and observation in the public school system (which cannot be completed virtually). They will complete their student teaching (in person) during the final semester of their senior year.
  4. Make a habit of checking in with your advisor each semester to ensure you are reaching the milestones you need to enter the Teacher Preparation Program.

Second Year:

  1. Aim to complete 30 more hours of core requirements so that your General Education IMPACTS core, including Major area, is completed by the end of the year (over Fall, Spring and/or Summer)

    Why is completing the core important? To ensure a smooth road to graduation in 4 years, completing your core is important because it allows you to start the required upper-level EDUC and ENGL courses on a plan that allows you to take them in a specific order to ensure a 4-year graduation schedule.

    What if I get off track? Sometimes circumstances do not allow you to fully complete your core in 2 years. You can still remain in the Secondary Education concentration, but you may have a delay in acceptance to an Education Program cohort (see more in #3), which might change availability of EDUC courses for you and result in a different graduation date. You will still be able to continue with your ENGL classes.

  2. Aim to maintain an overall GPA of 2.5 or better. Work to bring up GPA in Fall if it fell below this mark in your first year.
  3. Complete the GA Ethics 360 Assessment during your second year. You can find information about the assessment and a link to registration here: GA Ethics Assessment: Completing the Assessment

    How do I register for and complete this Assessment?

    • Create or update your MyPSC account at gapsc.com using your legal name as shown on a driver's license or other ID document, and select testing Reason #7, “I am taking the Georgia Educator Ethics assessment.”; select Middle Georgia State University on the Program tab, and select GACE 360 on the Assessment tab.
    • ETS sends you an email with a link to the Educator Ethics system
    • Access the Educator Ethics 360 assessment system, select Test Takers under Registration, create your account, and register and pay the $30 fee online, indicate Middle Georgia State University as a score recipient.
    • Complete the eight modules in 2.5-3 hours and save the Certificate of Completion.

    What do I do with the Certificate of Completion? You will need to include the certificate of completion for the GA Ethics 360 Assessment in your application packet (see #4)

  4. Apply to the Teacher Preparation Program to be admitted to a cohort (a “cohort” is a group of students taking their education classes together). Besides your major requirements in the English department, you need admission to the Fall Day Track cohort. 

    Timing: Applying in your second year will, upon acceptance, make you ready to begin your EDUC classes in your third year. You will not be able to take upper-level EDUC classes until you officially join your cohort in the Fall term of your junior year.

    Application Packet due date: You can submit your application packet as early as the priority deadline in the fall (usually in November) and no later than the final deadline in the spring (often at the end of March). For specific deadlines for the application packet, as well as instructions on completing the packet, can be found here: Applying to Secondary Education Program

    Some details to know before you apply:

    • You must be core complete BEFORE entering the Fall teacher certification cohort. However, you do not need to be core complete before applying to the program. For more information about the core, see: Core Curriculum details (2023-24)
    • TRANSFER STUDENTS will need to send all final official non-MGA transcripts for college work to the office of the Registrar.

    Create your application and submit application packet:

    1. Fill out and submit online the Student Information Sheet: this out online and submit: Student Information Sheet.
    2. Following directions on student information sheet, assemble the documents for the application packet. These documents are required for completion:
      • Copy of completed and signed Application Packet Checklist: Teachers Education Application Checklist
      • GACE Georgia Educator Exit Ethics (360)– Program Certificate
      • Three Recommendation Forms (Academic or Professional). Email the form link https://forms.gle/Naqww22mFKCSHHBt8 to the people providing your references.(See tips below)
      • Transfer Students Only: Copy of Official Transcripts from ALL previous higher education institutions (technical schools, colleges, or universities).
    3. Submit the documents in ONE email containing all documents to , using the following subject line: your name _Program_Application Packet (ex: Jane Doe_ENGL_Secondary Education_Application Packet)

      Note: Incomplete Application Packets will not be processed. Also make sure your subject line is correct before sending to

    For more details and full requirements, see Applying to Secondary Education Program

    Contacts: ; ;

    How do I get my recommendations? Your references should come from people who know you in an academic or professional context. For instance, recent MGA professors are good people to ask, but so might be a professional supervisor or colleague. They will follow the link you send to submit a confidential google document directly to the application portal.

    Note: it is good academic etiquette to ask a potential recommender if they would be willing to serve as a reference for you before sending them the link. A polite email that does the following is a good way to start: give your name (and remind professor of class or classes you took with him or her, including semester and year); tell them you are applying to the MGA Teacher Education program; and ask if they would be willing to serve as a reference. If they say “no,” don’t take it personally, thank them, and ask a different person who may have a stronger connection with you. If they say “yes,” follow up with thanks, a copy of the link, and a reminder of any deadline. 

  5. Your application process is complete: wait to hear the decision.
  6. You will receive email notification of your acceptance to the Teacher Preparation Program. Please take immediate measures to complete the steps required for your complete admission into the program

Third Year:

This year, you will work on upper-level ENGL requirements and begin your EDUC classes as part of a cohort.

The following class plan is recommended:

THIRD YEAR: Fall Semester

HRS

THIRD YEAR: Spring Semester

HRS

 

English courses

ENGL 3010: Gateway to Literary Studies

3

 

English courses

 

ENGL 4400: 19 th Century British Poetry and Prose

3

ENGL 4430: Topics in World Literature (online)*

3

ENGL 4600: History of the English Language

3

ENGL 3500: 19 th Century American Poetry and Prose

3

 

Education courses

 

EDUC 4130: Methods in Content Area (plus “intro”)

 

4

 

Education Courses

EDUC 3520: Classroom Management

2

EDUC 3100: Reading in Multiple Literacies

3

 

 

 

 

THIRD YEAR: Summer Semester

 

 

 

English course

ENGL 3130/3700/3800/3900 – one of these genre classes

3

 

 

Education

course

SPED 3110: Introduction to the Exceptional Learner

3

*Shakespeare is offered online every other year; if Shakespeare is offered online in 3 rd year, students could take it then, moving ENGL 4430 (online) to 4 th year Fall semester

What if I am “off track?” See your advisor. The above courses are recommended for ENGL majors in order to complete in 4 years, but your advisor can help you plan in case your route through the program is different. All EDUC courses should be taken with your cohort.

Fourth Year:

By October 15, apply for a Spring Graduation. See information and instructions here: Graduation Preparation Information

The following class plan is recommended:

FOURTH YEAR: Fall semester

 

FOURTH YEAR: Spring semester

 

 

English course

 

4100: Shakespeare*

 

3

 

Education courses

 

EDUC 4150: Clinical Practice II (full day 5 days a week)

 

 

Education Courses

EDUC 4120: Integrated Secondary Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment

 

3

 

 

EDUC 4140: Clinical Practice I (Full day 3 days a week)

3

*Shakespeare is offered online every other year; if Shakespeare is offered online in 3 rd year, students could take it then, moving ENGL 4430 (online) to 4 th year Fall semester