Department of Curriculum, Instruction and Special Education

David Daves, Chair
Beth A. Richmond, Associate Chair for Accreditation
118 College Drive, Box 5057
Hattiesburg, MS 39406-0001
601.266.5247

J. Beedle, J. Bishop, J. Boyce, M. Crowe, D. Daves, B. Davis, M. B. Evans, H. Filce, D. Fisher, T. Hanna, T. Hartsell, J. Hines, R. Jones, S. Karagoz, F. Karnes, M. Larmon,
P. Lowery, S. Manning, L. McDowell, H. Morgan, T. Morse, R. Mullican, J. Osborne, E. Ramp, S. Reeves, B. Richmond, S. Rouse, L. Sanders-Bustle, K. Stricklin, A. Sylvest, D. Thames, B. Tingle, A. Trest, D. Walker, K. Walker, Kevin Walker, S. Wang, M. Willis

Serving as the coordinating agency within the university for the preparation and development of elementary and special education teachers, the Department of Curriculum, Instruction and Special Education (CISE) provides undergraduate course work for preservice teachers. A description of the undergraduate programs in elementary education and special education follows. For secondary education, consult the college and department of the teaching major.

Students desiring entry into the teacher education program must successfully complete the admissions requirements according to guidelines established by the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning. See the Teacher Education Programs and Requirements section in this Bulletin for a complete description of the teacher education admissions requirements. Please consult the Graduate Bulletin for the description of programs leading to master’s, specialist’s and doctoral degrees.

Students wishing to major in teacher education should follow the program references below.

Admission to Elementary Education, Instructional Technology (Business Technology Education), Special Education or Dual-Licensure Teacher Education Programs

Students desiring to major in elementary education (K-6), instructional technology (BTE) or special education (K-12) must meet the following requirements before being admitted to the program.

Attain a C or better grade for the required six hours of English composition, world literature and college algebra.
Complete the College of Education and Psychology’s Department of CISE’s General Education Core requirements (44 hours of specified courses).
Demonstrate basic technology literacy by passing the Basic Technology Literacy Examination (BTLE) or attaining IC3 certification.
Attain a minimum grade point average of 2.65 based on the 44 hours of general education. File application for formal admission to the teacher education program.
Attain the minimum scores set by the Mississippi Department of Education on one of the following: the ACT (composite 21 with no subscore below 18, prior to enrollment in higher education), SAT (860, verbal plus quantitative, prior to enrollment in higher education), or Praxis I computerized PPST: Reading (172), Writing (173) and Mathematics (172).
Meet with a departmental adviser and complete a program plan.
Meet with the certification officers to obtain Gold Card.

Students will not be admitted to the elementary or special education programs while on probation, probation continued or while suspended. For a more detailed explanation of the above requirements, see the Teacher Education Programs and Requirements section in this Bulletin. Students should also see their assigned adviser, the coordinator or the undergraduate academic adviser for the CISE department (Ms. Denise Crozier, Hattiesburg; Ms. Patti Papania, Gulf Coast.)

Elementary Education

Students pursuing an undergraduate degree with a major in elementary education will attain an elementary teacher’s license (certification for grades kindergarten through six) and an endorsement in one content area and a supplemental reading endorsement. Areas of endorsement include 21 hours in one of the following areas:

English
Social Studies
Foreign Language
Mathematics
Science

For specifics concerning these endorsements, students should consult their individual adviser or the department’s academic adviser: Dr. Jennifer Ducksworth, Hattiesburg; Ms. Patti Papania, Gulf Coast.

Elementary Education and Special Education Licensure (Dual-Licensure)

Students pursuing an undergraduate degree with a major in elementary education will attain an elementary teacher’s license (kindergarten through grade six) and a special education teacher’s license (mild-moderate disabilities K-6). This program focuses on preparing teachers for meeting the needs of exceptional students in the general education curriculum and classroom.

K-6 Endorsements for Elementary Majors

K-6 elementary education majors are required to complete a minimum of one highly qualified area beyond the required course work. These courses are called endorsement courses. K-6 elementary education majors requiring one highly qualified area beyond the required course work are encouraged to carefully consider options, discussing them with an adviser. A supplemental reading endorsement is built into the program.

Please note that the university awards your degree while the Mississippi Department of Education awards your licenses and endorsements. To be eligible for licenses and endorsements, you must complete the applicable course work and, often, be recommended by the university for the license or endorsement. Licenses are most often granted by completing an “approved program” such as elementary education, special education, etc. Supplemental endorsements may only be added to licenses; that is, you must have an original license and then add this onto it.

Instructional Technology

The Department of Curriculum, Instruction and Special Education offers both undergraduate (BS) and graduate programs (MS and PhD) in Instructional Technology. At the undergraduate level, the department provides a curriculum leading to a Bachelor of Science degree in instructional technology with three areas of emphasis: administrative communication, business technology education, (licensure) and instructional technology and design. In addition to the general education core, coursework in instructional technology focuses on the use of technology in a variety of settings. Through the diversified emphasis areas, the department provides the student with the opportunity to develop the knowledge and skills needed to work in technological environments in business, industry, government and education. Graduates of the program have secured employment as secondary and postsecondary educators, instructional technologists, program designers, curriculum developers, business/industry trainers, office managers, administrative assistants, administrative support specialists, word-processing specialists and other related positions.

Students desiring entry into secondary teacher education programs must attain the minimum scores set by the Mississippi Department of Education on the ACT (Composite score of 21 with no subscore below 18 prior to enrollment in higher education), or SAT (860, verbal plus quantitative), or Praxis I subscales or Computerized PPST: Reading (172), Writing (173) and Mathematics (172), or Praxis I (CBT): Reading (316), Writing (318) and Mathematics (314). See Teacher Education section in this Bulletin for a complete description of the teacher education admission requirements.

Special Education

The University of Southern Mississippi prepares individuals to teach in several areas of exceptionality. At the undergraduate level, the degree program leads to licensure in mild/moderate disabilities (K-12) in the state of Mississippi. The special education undergraduate program requires preparation in mild/moderate disabilities. Special education majors are strongly encouraged to select electives that lead to supplemental endorsement in areas which will enable them to meet Mississippi’s requirements for highly qualified teachers. All special education majors should seek advice from a special education adviser in order to select electives which will help them meet their teaching goals. Other programmatic information can be obtained from departmental academic advisers: Ms. Denise Crozier, Hattiesburg; Ms. Patti Papania, Gulf Coast.

Secondary Teacher Education Programs

(Grades 7-12)

Students seeking an undergraduate degree with licensure to teach at the secondary school level (grades 7-12) must consult advisers in the college and department of the selected teaching field. Academic majors that provide for licensure in the various teaching fields, grades 7-12 are

	Biology	History
	Business Technology Education	Mathematics
	Chemistry	Physics
	English
	Foreign Language

Requirements for Supplemental Endorsements

Mississippi’s standards for teacher licensure provide for supplemental endorsements to be added to standard teaching licenses. These endorsement areas require less extensive training than that required for standard teaching licenses. Supplemental endorsement areas achieved through a prescribed program include computer applications, computer education, English as a second language, driver education, health education, occupational home economics, library science, remedial reading, mild/moderate disabilities K-12 and mild/moderate disabilities K-8 or 7-12.

Students pursuing undergraduate degrees with secondary teacher licensure are encouraged to take the additional courses necessary to qualify for endorsements in one or more of these areas.

Special Subject Area Teacher Education Programs

(K-12)

Students pursuing undergraduate degrees with special subject area teacher licensure (grades K-12) must complete the prescribed general education requirements of the appropriate school or college and the education curriculum.

General Education Requirements

All students seeking undergraduate special area teacher licensure must complete the general education requirements of the College of Education and Psychology. A student receiving an undergraduate degree from a school or college other than the College of Education and Psychology must also satisfy the general education requirements of that school or college and the teacher education curriculum.

Students may not enroll for any of the professional teacher education curriculum courses until they have met all requirements and have been admitted to the teacher education program through the College of Education and Psychology dean’s office.

Requirements for a Major in a Special Subject Area (K-12)

Majors (to include associated emphasis area) offered by the various colleges and schools of the university that provide for licensure in the various special subject area teaching fields are

Art Education
Dance
Education of the Deaf
Library Science
Music Education
Physical Education

For specific course and related requirements for a major associated with a special subject area of teacher licensure, the student should refer to the appropriate section of this Bulletin under the department offering the major.

Requirements for Non-teaching Degrees

The College of Education and Psychology offers non-teaching major programs in the Department of Curriculum, Instruction and Special Education (CISE) and the Department of Psychology. The major in CISE is a non-teaching degree in special education. Both majors in the Department of Psychology (psychology and social rehabilitation services) are non-teaching. Office administration is also a non-teaching major, leading to the Bachelor of Science degree. Students in psychology may take programs leading to the Bachelor of Arts degree.

Bachelor of Arts
(Non-teaching)

The requirements for the Bachelor of Arts non-teaching degree are the same as those for the Bachelor of Science non-teaching degree with one exception. Students in the Bachelor of Arts program must complete six to nine hours in a foreign language. Those students who have completed two years of the same language in high school and make satisfactory placement test scores may meet the language requirement by completing six semester hours in the same language at the 200-level or above.

Programs

Bachelor of Science

Non-degree