Benefits & Services: Affordable Tuition Financial assistance for qualified students Unique Block Format One course at a time; complete one course per one-month block Consistent Schedule Classes meet on Monday and Thursday evenings each week (8 sessions) and one Saturday morning session per month Personal Attention Campus-based experience which maximizes faculty-student interaction Career Services Catawba Job Network; assistance with resume writing; workshops on career building

Bachelor of Arts in Education Major (B.A.E.) - Degree Requirements



Birth-Kindergarten Education

The Evening Undergraduate Program offers the Bachelor of Arts in Education (B.A.E.) degree through the Department of Teacher Education. The B.A.E. may be earned with a major in Birth-Kindergarten Education. Catawba College offers two concentrations in the B-K Education major: the Licensure concentration and the Non-Licensure concentration. All students are first admitted to the Non-Licensure concentration.

Degree Requirements for the Major in Birth-Kindergarten Education (following completion of the A.A.S. degree)
A minimum of 120 semester hours:  up to 64 transfer hours from an A.A.S. degree in Early Childhood Associate from the community college, and the completion of the General Education Distribution requirements and the Major requirements at Catawba College.


Core Birth-Kindergarten Curriculum (13 hours)
(required by all B.A.E. students)

• EDUC 2280 - Educational Assessment
• EDUC 3300 - Curriculum Methods: Pre-School and Kindergarten
• EDUC 3301 - Curriculum Methods: Infants and Toddlers
• PSYCH 3940 - Psychology of Exceptionalities

Areas of Concentration - Select from:

Licensure (15 hours)

• Requires admission to Teacher Education including Praxis I
• EDUC 4000 - Student Teaching and Seminar:  Birth-Kindergarten (15 hours)

To enter the Licensure concentration, the student must apply and be admitted to the Teacher Education Program. Requirements for admissions include:

1. A recommendation by the major advisor;
2. A 2.5 overall academic average on Catawba coursework;
3. Passing scores on all sections of Praxis I or a composite score as determined by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction;
4. A formal interview conducted by the Teacher Education Council; and
5. An acceptable criminal background history.

Application for admission to Student Teaching must be made by the beginning of the semester prior to the semester in which the student teaching is to be done. The student must have a 2.5 academic average to be admitted to student teaching and must complete the licensure program with a 2.5 or better GPA to be recommended for a North Carolina teaching license.

Non-Licensure (15 hours)

• EDUC 4004 - Internship and Seminar in Early Childhood Education (9 hours)
• Approved Electives (6 hours)

General Education Distribution Courses (45 hours)

• Composition:  6 hours / 2 courses (including ENGL 2111 - Advanced Academic Writing)
• Quantitative:  6 hours / 2 courses
• Natural Sciences:  6 hours / 2 courses
• Social Sciences:  6 hours / 2 courses
• Humanities: 9 hours / 3 courses
• Fine Arts: 6 hours / 2 courses
• World Cultures: 6 hours / 2 courses

Descriptions of Major, Licensure, and Non-Licensure Courses

EDUC 2280 - Educational Assessment

The development, evaluation, and application of psychological tests and procedures in the measurement of intelligence, aptitude, vocational interest and personality. Prerequisite: MATH 1132.

EDUC 3300 - Curriculum Methods:  Pre-School and Kindergarten

The exploration, analysis, and evaluation of curriculum and methodology related to preschool-age and kindergarten children with and without disabilities. Field-based experiences are an integral part of the course.

EDUC 3301 - Curriculum Methods:  Infants and Toddlers

The exploration, analysis, and evaluation of curriculum and methodology related to infants and toddler children with and without disabilities. Field-based experiences are an integral part of the course.

PSYCH 3940 - Psychology of Exceptionalities

A survey of the characteristics, education, and social integration of people with physical, emotional, cultural, behavioral and/or cognitive exceptionalities.

EDUC 4000 - Student Teaching and Seminar: Birth - Kindergarten

(15 hours)

A full semester of supervised student teaching in an appropriate school setting under the direction of a cooperating teacher and a college supervisor. Conferences and seminars required. Prerequisites: Senior Classification, a 2.5 cumulative grade point average, recommendation of the advisor, and application to and approval of the Teacher Education Council. (S-U grading).

EDUC 4004 - Internship and Seminar in Early Childhood Education

(9 hours)

A full semester of practical field experience related to Early Childhood Education under the direction of a site supervisor and a college supervisor. Conferences and seminars required. This course is not designed to fulfill teacher licensure requirements. Students seeking B-K licensure in North Carolina should enroll in EDUC 4000. Prerequisites:  Senior classification, a 2.0 cumulative grade point average, and recommendation of the advisor. (S-U grading).

See the Catawba College catalog for descriptions of Business electives and General Education courses.