What does it cost?

Check out our cost calculator or visit student financial services for information on estimated costs.

How long will it take?

Total Program: Minimum of 120 semester hours.
Total Program for the ESOL Concentration: Minimum of 129 hours.
Total Program for the Special Education Concentration: Minimum of 129 hours.

Where will I take classes?
Atlanta Campus

Application Deadlines View Admissions Requirements

  • Fall: April 24

Middle Level Education, B.S.Ed.

The B.S.E. in Middle Level Education prepares you to teach in schools in historically marginalized communities by emphasizing political, historical and cultural community contexts and integrating a strong justice and equity orientation.

The Middle Level Education degree program is designed for students who seek a bachelor's degree and initial teaching certification in Middle Level Education grades 4-8 in two of the following concentration areas:

  • English Language Arts
  • Mathematics
  • Science
  • Social Studies

This program leads to a Bachelor of Science in Middle Level Education (B.S.E.) and a clear and renewable (T4) Induction Certificate in Georgia.

Throughout the program, you’ll take specialized courses and gain practical teaching experience in the field. Our program features technology integration and offers study-abroad opportunities. Faculty support planning, instruction, assessment and reflection with colleagues, faculty and partner schools who are committed to excellence in education. Students may also complete three additional classes in order to be English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) endorsed to teach the growing population of English language learners by the time of completion.

Our urban communities need highly skilled, compassionate and advocacy-oriented Middle Level teachers whose content knowledge and instructional practice honor students’ diversity and promote equity.

Education programs leading to professional licensure or certification (nursing, education, social work, counseling, accounting, allied health professions, etc.) may require additional approval from separate licensing boards, depending on the state. Students who live or plan to live outside Georgia and are considering a professional program should contact the appropriate board in their state of residency prior to beginning a course of study. To help students find the best-known contact information for the appropriate state licensing board and for a list of Georgia State program contacts, visit the Student Consumer Information website.

Program Highlights

Our rankings

  • The College of Education & Human Development was ranked No. 41 in U.S. News & World Report’s 2022 rankings of higher education graduate programs.
  • Georgia State University initial preparation teacher candidates performed successfully on the edTPA certification exam with a pass rate of 99% in 2015 and 2016 and 98% in 2017.

Our B.S.E. Middle Level Education Students!

BSE Photo 2018

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Program Details

Admissions Requirements

Program Requirements:

  • minimum 2.50 overall grade point average on all undergraduate coursework previously completed
  • successfully completed all courses in Core IMPACTS and Field of Study : apply as you near completion of these courses
  • you may be asked to participate in an interview and/or submit a writing sample as part of the application process

As part of the application process, you must also complete or do the following:

Program of Study

B.S.E. Middle Level Education

Students must complete 42 semester hours ifor Core IMPACTS with the recommendations listed in this section. ENGL 1101, ENGL 1102, and MATH 1001 (or higher) must be completed with “C” or higher grades.

Semester hours are shown in parentheses following an entry.

Mathematics and Quantitative Skills

Students who choose mathematics or science as one of their areas of concentration should select pre-calculus or a more advanced mathematics course) to fulfill the mathematics requirement.

Arts, Humanities, and Ethics

Students who choose language arts as one of their areas of concentration should select ENGL 2110 World Literature 3), ENGL 2120 British Literature (3), or ENGL 2130 American Literature (3) to fulfill three semester hours of the Arts, Humanities, and Ethics requirements.

Technology, Mathematics, and Sciences

Students who choose mathematics as one of their areas of concentration should select calculus of one variable (or a more advanced mathematics course) to fulfill three semester hours of the Technology, Mathematics, and Sciences requirements. Students who choose science as one of their concentration areas are encouraged to choose CHEM 1101K and CHEM 1102k or BIOL 1103K and BIOL 1104K. Students who choose Social Studies as an area of concentration are encouraged to choose GEOG 1112 and GEOG 1113.

Social Sciences

Students who choose social studies as one of their areas of concentration should select either AAS 1140 Introduction to African and African-American History and Culture (3), AAS 2010 Introduction to African-American Studies (3), ANTH 1102 Introduction to Anthropology (3), ECON 2105 Principles of Macroeconomics (3), ECON 2106 Principles of Microeconomics (3), GEOG 1101 Introduction to Human Geography (3), or HIST 1140 Introduction to African and African-American History (3) to complete the Social Science Foundations requirement.

Field of Study (18 hours)

Courses include EDUC 2120 Exploring Socio Cultural Perspectives on Diversity (3), EDUC 2130 Exploring Teaching and Learning (3), and lower division courses from content areas of Language Arts, Mathematics, Sciences, and/or Social Studies.

Major Courses (48-57 semester hours)

Content Concentrations for Middle Level Education (24 hours)

In consultation with their advisors, students select TWO areas of concentration from among language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. Each area of content concentration consists of 12 semester hours of coursework. Students are expected to have completed all prerequisites prior to enrolling in any of the following courses requiring prerequisites.

In addition students may also choose to add a third concentration in Special Education which leads to certification in P-12 Special Education General Curriculum or in ESOL which leads to an ESOL Endorsement for teaching English Language learners in grades 4-8.

Core Knowledge for Middle Level Education (12-15)

Courses include EDCI 3200 Organization and Instruction of the Middle Grades Curriculum (3), EDCI 3220 Understanding and Supporting Middle School Learners (3), and LT 3210 Teaching, Learning, and Technology Integration (3). Students pursuing the optional Special Education or ESOL concentration will complete an additional course in this section.

Pedagogical Knowledge (12-18)

Courses in this section include EDCI 4600 Practicum (3), EDRD 4600 Reading and Writing in the Content Areas-CTW (3), and courses from the chosen content areas. Students pursuing the Special Education or ESOL concentrations will complete two additional courses in this section.

Student Teaching (12 semester hours)

Exit Criteria:

Successful completion of all program coursework and professional portfolio.

Students must post passing scores on the GACE Content Assessments,the Georgia Educator Ethics Assessment (360) in order to be recommended by Georgia State University for clear, renewable certification.

Total Program: minimum of 120 semester hours

Total Program for the ESOL Concentration: minimum of 129 hours

Total Program for the Special Education Concentration: minimum of 129 hours

Program Financial Information

B.S.E majors must pay all tuition and fees charged by the University and the College. A lab fee of $125 will be charged at the time students register for the student teaching experience. Educator preparation students must be aware that extra cost such as tort liability and transportation will be incurred at various times during the completion of various teacher education field experiences, particularly during the students’ senior year. The cost of the edTPA portfolio submission is $300.00, which will also be associated with student teaching.

Our program graduates are informed by research, knowledge and reflective practice, empowered to serve as change agents, committed to and respectful of all learners and engaged with learners, their families, schools, and local and global communities.

Field Placement Experience

In the final semesters of the program, students conduct field experiences in the metro Atlanta area where students will see the application of theory and research, test ideas, and practice strategies that they have learned throughout the program of study. Each student works closely with a mentor teacher at the practicum school and is supervised by faculty from the Department of Middle and Secondary Education.

Georgia Teacher Certification Requirements

All students must meet Georgia Professional Standards Commission requirements to be eligible for certification:

  1. GaPSC Preservice Certificate (Entry)
  2. Georgia Educator Ethics Assessments (Entry)
  3. GACE Content Assessment(s) (Exit)

B.S.E. In Middle Level Education Planning Sheet

Description

Careers

Successful program graduates will be well prepared to work in prominent public, charter and private schools and school systems in the metro Atlanta region and beyond. Our graduates teach in a range of local public schools and counties such as Atlanta, Cobb and DeKalb as well as in local charter schools and private schools in other U.S. states and international settings. Holding a Bachelor of Science in Middle Level Teaching degree, program graduates are also well prepared to pursue a Master of Education or other advanced education degrees.

Contacts

Program Coordinator
Jacob Hackett
[email protected]
404-413-8425

Middle and Secondary Education
[email protected]
404-413-8060

Mailing Address & Office Location
Middle and Secondary Education
College of Education & Human Development, 6th Floor
30 Pryor St. SW
Atlanta, GA 30303

College of Education Logo30 Pryor Street SW
Atlanta, GA 30303

The information shared provides an overview of Georgia State’s offerings. For details on admissions requirements, tuition, courses and more, refer to the university catalogs.