Spanish Education Concentration

Foreign Languages majors in the Spanish Education Concentration are eligible to apply for certification to teach Spanish in Maryland upon graduation. In addition to the Core Curriculum requirements and the requirements specified by the Department of Secondary and Middle School Education, students must complete 30 units. Students must contact the Department of Secondary and Middle School Education about admission to the Teacher Education Program. Students are also required to complete the Oral Proficiency Interview and the Writing Proficiency Test. They are required to achieve a level of “Advanced Low" in the Oral Proficiency Interview. 

Students who decide not to complete all education requirements must select and complete a different concentration/track in the major in order to graduate.

Admission Requirements for Teacher Education

The Teacher Education Executive Board, representing all initial teacher education programs at Towson University, utilizes the following minimum requirements as conditions for admission into teacher education programs, maintaining candidate status and formal entry into the capstone internship. Programs may include additional requirements for admission into the program and/or the capstone internship.

The College of Education admits students either as freshmen or as undergraduate transfer students from accredited, post-secondary institutions. During the freshman and sophomore years, students are generally engaged in pre-professional courses or courses that fulfill Core Curriculum requirements, as well as all identified prerequisites (e.g., specific and sequential courses in Core Curriculum) for admission to COE screened majors and programs.

All College of Education undergraduate programs are screened majors. As an integral part of the teaching/learning experience, students work with advisers in a strategic planning process across all years at TU. Accordingly, to support student success, all COE students are required to confer prior to registration each term with their assigned advisers.

I. PROCEDURES AND REQUIREMENTS FOR ADMISSION TO ALL TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS

  1. Complete a self-disclosure criminal background form to be submitted to the major department with the application. 
  2. Submit an application for formal admission to the program. Students seeking admission to teacher education programs must contact their department chairperson or program coordinator by 45 credit hours for program-specific procedures and requirements for admission to professional education programs.

  3. A cumulative/overall GPA of 3.00 or higher is required for admission to an initial licensure teacher education program.

    1. Applicants with a GPA between 2.50 - 2.99 may be admitted conditionally if they provide evidence of passing scores on a Basic Skills Assessment* as identified by the Maryland State Department of Education (i.e. SAT, ACT, GRE, Praxis Core) and receive approval from the department chairperson/program coordinator.

      *Candidates may apply for a test waiver directly to the department. Such waivers should only be granted if it is predicted, based on the individual candidate’s transcript data, that the candidate’s final cumulative/overall GPA will be above a 3.00.

The Spanish Education concentration is a PreK-12 teacher education program. Students complete 30 units of Spanish courses and 56 units of education courses for a total of 86 units. Of the 30 units in Spanish courses, at least 15 units must be taken at Towson University.

Spanish Courses

Required Courses
SPAN 301COMPOSITION AND CONVERSATION I 13
or SPAN 303 SPANISH FOR HERITAGE SPEAKERS I
SPAN 302COMPOSITION AND CONVERSATION II 13
or SPAN 304 SPANISH FOR HERITAGE SPEAKERS II
SPAN 306SPANISH PHONETICS3
SPAN 391ADVANCED SPANISH GRAMMAR3
SPAN 407CREATIVE WRITING IN SPANISH3
or SPAN 408 SPANISH IN THE COMMUNITY
Any 400-level Spanish Literature or Culture Course3
Any 300/400 level Spanish Course3
Select three of the following courses:9
SPAN 311
CULTURE AND CIVILIZATION OF SPAIN
SPAN 312
CULTURE AND CIVILIZATION OF LATIN AMERICA
SPAN 321
SURVEY OF SPANISH LITERATURE
SPAN 322
SURVEY OF SPANISH-AMERICAN LITERATURE
Total Units30

Education Courses

EDUC 202HISTORICAL AND CONTEMPORARY PERSPECTIVES: AMERICA'S URBAN SCHOOLS3
EDUC 203TEACHING AND LEARNING IN A DIVERSE SOCIETY3
HIST 145HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES TO THE CIVIL WAR3
or HIST 146 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES SINCE THE CIVIL WAR
ISTC 301INTEGRATING INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY3
SCED 304EDUCATION, ETHICS AND CHANGE3
SCED 305ADOLESCENT LEARNING, DEVELOPMENT, AND DIVERSITY3
SCED 341PRINCIPLES OF SECONDARY EDUCATION 24
SCED 353TEACHING MODERN FOREIGN LANGUAGE3
SCED 394INTERNSHIP IN SPANISH EDUCATION12
SCED 401ANALYZING THE INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCE3
SCED 460USING LITERACY IN THE SECONDARY SCHOOLS 23
SCED 461TEACHING LITERACY IN THE SECONDARY CONTENT AREAS 33
SCED 499INTERNSHIP IN EDUCATION 36
SPED 301INTRODUCTION TO SPECIAL EDUCATION3
Total Units55
1

Native and Heritage speakers of Spanish may earn up to 6 units for SPAN 301 and/or SPAN 302 by taking the Departmental Challenge Exam.

2

SCED 341 is taken concurrently with SCED 460 and shares a field experience.

3

SCED 499 is taken at a professional development school during the term preceding the full-time internship.  It is taken concurrently with SCED 461.

The Professional Year

As part of their year-long professional internship, all teacher candidates begin these activities in Professional Development Schools (PDS). These are schools in which the Department of Secondary & Middle School Education has partnerships in which the PDS and the Department collaborate, including serving as in-school sites for courses and activities taking place during the full-time internship year. 

  • All pre-service students in Teacher Education programs at Towson University whose program of study requires an internship experience in a public school setting (pre-K through 12) must undergo a background check as required by the assigned internship school district before entering this experience.

Sample Four-Year Plan

The selected course sequence below is an example of the simplest path to degree completion. Based on course schedules, student needs, and student choice, individual plans may vary. Students should consult with their adviser to make the most appropriate elective choices and to ensure that they have completed the required number of units (120) to graduate.

Freshman
Term 1UnitsTerm 2Units
HIST 145 or 146 (Core 11)3EDUC 202 (Core 10)3
PSYC 101 (Suggested for Core 6)3SPAN 202 (Core 12)3
SPAN 201 (Core 5)3Core 2 (or Core 1)3
Core 1 (or Core 2)3Core 43
Core 33Core 74
 15 16
Sophomore
Term 1UnitsTerm 2Units
EDUC 203 (Core 13)3ISTC 3013
SPAN 301 or 3033SCED 304 (Core 14)3
Core 84SPAN 302 or 3043
Elective3SPED 3013
Elective3Core 93-4
 16 15-16
Junior
Term 1UnitsTerm 2Units
SCED 3053SCED 3414
Upper-Level SPAN Course (SPAN 305 or SPAN 320)13SCED 4603
Select two of the following:6Select one of the following:3
 Select two of the following:6
 
 12 16
Senior
Term 1UnitsTerm 2Units
SCED 3533SCED 39412
SCED 4613SCED 4013
SCED 4996 
SPAN 4xx Literature / Culture Course3 
Select one of the following:3 
 
 18 15
Total Units 123-124
1

SPAN 305 and SPAN 320 are not open to students who are currently taking or who have already successfully completed SPAN 311, SPAN 312, SPAN 321, or SPAN 322. 

ACTFL Standards 

  • Standard 1: Language proficiency: Interpersonal, Interpretive, and Presentational
  • Standard 2: Cultures, Linguistics, Literatures, and Concepts from Other Disciplines
  • Standard 3: Language Acquisition Theories and Knowledge of Students and Their Needs
  • Standard 4: Integration of Standards in Planning, Classroom Practice, and Use of Instructional Resources
  • Standard 5: Assessment of Languages and Cultures – Impact on Student Learning
  • Standard 6: Professional Development, Advocacy, and Ethics