PreK-3 Concentration

The PreK-3 Interdisciplinary Studies Program of the Martha Dickerson Eriksson College of Education at Austin Peay State University is designed for candidates who are preparing to teach from PreK to primary grades. For candidates seeking licensure, the program consists of a general educationcore, a major in Interdisciplinary Studies and a minor in ProfessionalEducation. After completing these requirements, students will be entering their junior year and will be taking classes with field experiences required. The student will be placed in the local preschool and elementary school settings to finish observations and various course assignments. During the first semester of their senior year, candidates are placed in a block of courses known as Residency I. During this semester candidates will be in their student teaching placement for three weeks where they will teach a minimum of 2 lessons. Clinical experiences then culminate with a semester of student teaching. Candidates will return to their Residency 1 placement for 13 weeks where they are expected to shadow and teach with their mentor teacher. During the remaining 2 weeks of the semester, the teacher candidate will be assigned by the principal or his/her designee various classrooms to observe and will complete an observation assignment graded by the University Supervisor. The total number of credit hours to complete the program is 125. The four-year plan includes a Liberal Arts Core consisting of 42 credit hours, Early Childhood Education Major with 45 credit hours, and a Professional Education Minor with 23 credit hours and an additional 12 hours of student teaching.