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Supplemental Major
Information:

Pre-Law

Secondary Education

YMCA Senior Director Program

Students seeking professional preparation in such areas as law or secondary education may complete a supplemental major in addition to an appropriate major offered by Aurora University. In the case of secondary education, the choice of the major is linked to subsequent certification; consult a College of Education advisor.
Certificates are freestanding credentials that may be earned alone, or in combination with a degree program at the student’s option.

SUPPLEMENTAL MAJOR IN PRE-LAW

Law schools recognize that an excellent General Education at the undergraduate level is one of the best ways to prepare for law school work. Students should take courses that are challenging and that allow the student to become knowledgeable about many diverse topics. Those college courses that permit the student to develop oral and written communication skills, reading skills, and analytical skills will be most beneficial to students involved in the rigors of pursuing a legal education. Law schools require no particular coursework or undergraduate major, although traditionally history, political science, and business administration degrees have been most frequently presented by students entering law school. The pre-law program encourages students to expand their general knowledge as much as possible and to develop and practice the skills necessary for performance at the law school level.

Admission to law school is highly competitive, so that students anticipating a career in law need to give particular attention to the quality of their academic work during their undergraduate careers, and especially on the acquisition of habits and behaviors relating to precision, fluency, and economy in speaking and writing.
Prospective pre-law students may obtain additional information on law school preparation and related matters by consulting the current editions of pre-law handbooks available in the Career Resource Center. The Bulletin of Information for candidates for the Law School Admission Test will also prove helpful.

Required Courses: Choose at least 6 semester hours from each area with at least 18 semester hours at the 300-level or above.

Area A: History and History of Western Thought
PHL/PSC4650     Classics in Political Philosophy (4)
PHL/PSC4660     Modern Political Philosophy (4)

Area B: Government and Business
‡BUS2010              Legal Environment of Business (3)
BUS4010              Advanced Business Law (3)
CRJ1010               The Criminal Justice System (3)
CRJ/PSC3180     Constitutional Law and the Judicial System (4)

Area C: Communications and Logic
ENG3020              Advanced Academic Writing (4)
PHL1200               Logic (3)

Area D: Social Science
PSY2340               Personality (3)
‡PSY3660               Abnormal Psychology (4)
CRJ/SOC2300     Criminology (3)
PSY/SOC3450     Social Psychology (3)

In addition, it is recommended that students complete one of the following courses in mathematics, or two sequential semesters of a foreign language.
MTH1120              Finite Mathematics (3)
MTH2320              General Statistics (3)
MTH2120              Calculus for Management and Sciences (3)

Please refer to the Undergraduate Catalog to view course descriptions.

‡The credit hours for this course have been changed since the printing of the 06-08 undergraduate catalog.

SUPPLEMENTAL MAJOR IN SECONDARY EDUCATION

The career of a high school teacher requires intellectual competence and dedication to service. For those willing and able to meet the rigorous standards for teaching certification, the joys of helping students grow and learn during their teen years are lifelong rewards.

Aurora University has designed its certification programs around the concept of achieving excellence in teaching and learning through collaboration in professional learning communities.  To achieve the unit’s overarching goal of a collaborative community of learners, we have developed our programs around three main organizing concepts: the collaborative educator; the curriculum; and the community and society.  These concepts, taken together, are the foundation of experiences designed to transform the candidates who study with us; ultimately, these educators will also have the disposition to be lifelong learners. They will bring to their classrooms the power to transform the lives of their students.  Our program goals complement the mission of Aurora University: An inclusive community dedicated to the transformative power of learning.

We believe that teachers are best prepared for the classroom when their professional education has involved various stakeholders such as individuals with expertise in an area, practicing teachers and school administrators, service providers, paraprofessionals, university and college faculty, profit and non-profit organizations, government agencies, school students, and parents. Professional learning communities provide environments where everyone involved brings their expertise and knowledge to contribute to the personal, professional and academic development of everyone in the community with the aim to improve schools for the benefit of all students and, ultimately, society.

To this end, our collaborations with local school districts augment our candidates’ opportunities to experience teaching and learning in a public classroom setting; while our candidates use their developing skills to enhance the learning in the schools in which they both teach and learn.

A student seeking Illinois State Board of Education certification at the secondary level (grades 6-12) must satisfy state requirements both in the primary major, secondary major and in General Education. It is therefore essential that the entering freshman work closely with an academic advisor in order to ensure that all course requirements will be met within four years of college coursework. It is advisable for students to work toward fulfillment of state requirements early in their academic careers. It is also essential that candidates apply to the College of Education as soon as the decision to teach is made. Candidates seeking certification in one of the Aurora University approved secondary areas must apply to the College of Education for acceptance no later than the end of the sophomore year, or upon admission to the University as a transfer student in the case of those who have completed the sophomore year. Aurora University is approved to offer the following secondary teacher certification programs as approved by the Illinois State Board of Education: Biology, English, Mathematics, Physical Education, and Social Studies. Admission to the University does not guarantee admission to a major in the College of Education.

Admission to the College of Education

Admission to the University does not guarantee admission to a major in the College of Education. Only students who have been accepted into the College of Education may take methods courses.

Admission Criteria:  All secondary education students in biology, English, mathematics and social studies must have a cumulative GPA of 3.00 in their major courses as required in secondary education in order to be admitted to teacher education in the College of Education.  In addition, to be fully admitted to the secondary teacher education program, a candidate must have completed an application form to the College of Education; passed the Illinois Test of Basic Skills; passed a criminal background check; and submitted a written essay describing why the candidate wants to teach.

Retention Criteria:  Students admitted into teacher education must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.00 in their major courses in order to remain in the teacher education program.  In order to enroll in methods courses, a candidate must be a fully admitted College of Education student.  Candidates must have passed the Illinois State Board of Education content area test in order to student teach.

Exit Criteria: Candidates must show satisfactory progress: completion of all required coursework and credit hours, including student teaching; successful completion of the Illinois State Board of Education Assessment of Professional of Professional Teaching in order to be recommended to teacher certification.

The College of Education is continuously redesigning its programs based on both current research and our conceptual framework. Students must be aware that there is the possibility that this redesign may alter some of the requirements currently stated in this catalog and your program could be subject to these changes. 

The College of Education is currently undertaking a major redesign of its programs that lead to certification. Students must be aware that there is the possibility that this redesign may alter some of the requirements currently stated in this catalog and your program could be subject to these changes.

Required for State Certification in Secondary Education

The required and selected courses in each “approved” major plus the following professional education courses must be satisfactorily completed for state certification:

Required Education Courses: 32 semester hours
     EDU2200         Standards and Foundations of Education (4)
     EDU2260         Theories of Learning (4)   
     EDU2900         Secondary Education Pre-Teaching (1)
     EDU3370         Assessment/Approaches to Secondary Instruction (4)
     EDU3720         Reading and Writing Across the Content Areas (4)
     EDU4750         Student Teaching Internship (12)
     EDU4760         Student Teaching Seminar (3)

Required for State Certification: 47 semester hours

9 semester hours in communication
     ENG1010         Composition I: Introduction to Academic Writing (2)
     ENG1020         Composition II: Introduction to Research Writing (4)
     COM1500        Human Communication/Public Speaking (3)

3 semester hours MTH1100 Algebra or successful completion of
     Mathematics Competency requirement.

8 semester hours of Ways of Knowing: Ourselves and Others

8 semester hours of Ways of Knowing: Aesthetic and Philosophical Expression

8 semester hours of Ways of Knowing: Our Natural World

8 semester hours of Ways of Living

3 semester hours PSY3460 Exceptional Individual

NOTE: For those individuals seeking a middle school endorsement, completion of EDU3440 Middle School Mission and Methods (4) is required. For those individuals seeking a middle school endorsement in mathematics, EDU4360 Methods of Teaching Math: Middle School (3) is required.

Public Notice – Teacher Certification Programs

Aurora University offers the following Teacher Certification programs approved by the Illinois State Board of Education:

• Biology
• Elementary Education 
• English 
• Mathematics
• Physical Education
• Social Studies

Students seeking certification in one of the above areas must apply to the College of Education for acceptance no later than the end of the sophomore year, or upon admission to the University as a transfer student in the case of those who have completed the sophomore year. Admission to the University does not guarantee admission to a major in the School of Education. Admission to the program is based on passing Illinois State Board of Education background check, the Illinois Certification Testing System Basic Skills Test, writing of an essay, and a minimum GPA of 2.75 on a 4.00 scale (all secondary education students must have a cumulative GPA of 3.00 on a 4.00 scale in their major courses as required in secondary education). Because of the extensive nature of the program requirements, which overlap some of the University General Education requirements, students must plan coursework carefully in consultation with Education faculty.

Please refer to the Undergraduate Catalog to view course descriptions.

SUPPLEMENTAL MAJOR: THE YMCA SENIOR DIRECTOR PROGRAM

A cooperative program between Aurora University and The YMCA of the USA gives students the opportunity to complete a bachelor’s degree and the requirements for the YMCA of the USA Senior Director Certificate supplemental major in the same amount of time it normally takes to complete the bachelor’s degree alone.

Coursework offered in the YMCA Senior Director Certificate Program may be counted toward requirements in one of eleven major fields of study where appropriate. For most majors, this will mean that a minimum of two or three courses in the YMCA supplemental major may be counted toward primary major requirements. Working in collaboration with a faculty advisor in their major and the University’s YMCA Program Director, a student may be able to complete the YMCA Senior Director Certificate by taking as few as four or five courses in addition to coursework that meets primary major requirements.
 Students choose a major from one of several fields of study and complete on-the-job training as part of the professional practicum requirement for the YMCA Senior Director certification.

Your Choice of Majors: The YMCA Certification Supplemental Major may be combined with any one of the following primary majors:

• Business Administration
• Physical Education
• Recreation Administration
• Social Work

Any one of these majors will open a variety of exciting career options in the YMCA. Students will have an opportunity to grow professionally as an expert in a chosen field, as well as to become part of the 150-year YMCA tradition of human and community service. This career preparation program has both a solid theoretical base and a proven dimension in real-world practice. Group work is an intervention strategy that has been perfected during more than a century of experience at George Williams College — where the leaders of the YMCA and other major human/community service organizations were educated.
After selecting a primary major from one of the areas noted above, with the approval of the faculty advisor and YMCA program director, the student completes the YMCA Supplemental Major by selecting at least one course from each of the eight categories outlined below. In addition, the Professional Practicum (at least three semester hours) and the capstone course must be completed in order to complete the required 30 semester hours of approved YMCA supplemental major coursework.

Required Courses:
PED/REC4830   Principles and Practices of the YMCA (3)
PED/REC4940   YMCA Internship (3)

Management/Administration
BUS3200             Foundations of Management (3)
BUS4600             Intrapreneurship and Innovation (3)
PED4100             Administration of Physical Education (3)
REC4350             Administration of Recreation and Leisure Services (3)

Organizational Behavior/Human Resources
BUS2010             Legal Environment in Business (3)
BUS3250             Human Resource Management (3)
BUS3280             Organizational Behavior (3)
COM3000            Organizational Communication (3)
PSY3470*            Industrial/Organizational Psychology (3)

Communication/Outreach
BUS3310*           Integrated Marketing Communications (3)
COM3510*          Corporate and Professional Communications(3)
ENG/COM2040* Technical and Professional Writing (4)

Human Development/Learning
EDU2260            Theories of Learning (4)
PSY3250             Lifespan Development (4)
PSY3350*            Child and Adolescent Development (4)
PSY3360*            Adult Development and Aging (4)
PSY3400*            Cognition and Learning (4)

Community and Policy
HMS4200            The Community Environment (3)
REC4340*           Political & Policy Implications for Recreation Administration (3)
SOC3400*           Social Problems in Urban Society (4)
SWK3150*           Social Welfare: Institutions and Policies (4)
SWK3300*           Community Organization and Social Service Organizations (3)

Programming/GroupWork
HMS2200            Group Work (3)
PSY/SOC3450*  Social Psychology (3)
PED3040             Sports Management (3)
REC3040             Sport and Event Management (3)
REC3330*           Recreation Programming and Supervision (3)

Diversity and Access
COM3500*          Cross Cultural Communication (3)
PED2000             Inclusive Physical Education (3)
PSY3460*            Exceptional Individual (3)
REC2000             Introduction to Inclusive Leisure Services (3)
SOC3350*           Race, Ethnicity and Power (4)
SWK4100*           Social Work Practice with Diverse Populations (3)

Assessment/Evaluation
MTH2320*           General Statistics (3)
MTH2320*           General Statistics (3)
PED3150*           Assessment in Physical Education (3)
PSY3520*            Experimental Psychology (3)
PSY4520*            Psychological Assessment (3)
REC4750*           Assessment and Evaluation in Leisure Services (3)
SWK4200*           Social Work Research I (3)
SWK4300*           Social Work Research II (3)

Completing the Aurora University YMCA Senior Director Professional Sequence of coursework provides the student with an opportunity both to complete the bachelor’s degree and to earn Senior Director Certification from the YMCA of the USA. These two credentials can provide strong preparation for career tracks in the YMCA and other social service organizations.

*These courses carry prerequisites; see course descriptions for details.