Secondary Math Major

1. Students who wish to declare a 728 mathematics major are initially designated as 728P - Mathematics (Prep). In order to be granted full admission into the 728 mathematics major, a student must satisfy the following requirements:

     • Complete MATH 136, MATH 137, AND MATH 307 or MATH 310, with a grade of C or better in each course.
     • Have an overall GPA of at least 2.4 in all mathematics program courses completed prior to admission (MATH 136
        and above).
     • Submit a Change of Major form to change from 728P to a 728 major.

2. A minimum of 36 hours of mathematics is required. A minimum of 120 unduplicated undergraduate semester hours is required.

3. No minor is required. A second major in Science and Mathematics Education (Ref: 774) must be completed. At least one-third of the course requirements in each major (and minor) must be earned at WKU.

4. At least one-half of the semester hours required for each major and minor must be earned in undergraduate courses numbered 300 and above. (See the Undergraduate Catalog for exceptions for minors in business administration and computer information systems, and majors in dental hygiene, social studies, art education, middle grades education).

5. A minimum of 42 undergraduate semester hours must be completed in courses numbered 300 and above.

6. University Requirements: You must have a GPA of at least 2.0 (i) in all credits presented for graduation whether earned at WKU or elsewhere, (ii) in all credits completed at WKU, (iii) overall in the major subjects and in the minor subjects, and (iv) in the major subjects and in the minor subjects completed at WKU.

7. 728 Major/SMED/Certification Requirements: Students must attain a grade of “C” or better in each required mathematics course and in each required professional education course. For recommendation for Initial Teacher Certification, students must have an overall GPA of at least 2.75 in all coursework, in the mathematics major, and in all professional education courses for the SMED major.

Complete List of Academic Requirements and Regulations

Mathematics Requirements – 36 hours
Course Descriptions

1. Required Courses (33 hrs) – MATH 136 (4 hrs), MATH 137 (4 hrs), MATH 237 (4 hrs),
MATH 304 (3 hrs), MATH 307 (3 hrs), MATH 310 (3 hrs),

MATH 317 (3 hrs), MATH 323 (3 hrs), STAT 301 (3 hrs), MATH 498 (3 hrs)

Before the professional semester, you must complete these courses with a grade of C or better, and achieve a GPA of at least 2.5 in required mathematics courses.

2. At least 3 hours must be in mathematics coursework must be completed from the following courses: MATH 405, 406, 409, 415, 417, 421, 423, 431, 432, 435, 439, 450, 470, 482.

Logic Requirement - 3 hours

Also required is PHIL 215 or EE 180. Students should complete PHIL 215 - Elementary Logic or EE 180 - Circuit Design in the first year of study as a prerequisite for MATH 307. PHIL 215 counts toward General Education Category B-II.

Computer Science Requirement
One of CS 170 (3 hrs) or CS 180 (4 hrs) is required.

University General Education Requirements
(A minimum of 44 hours total)

Cat. A: I. ENG 100 and 300 (6 hrs)     II. Foreign Lang. (3 hrs)        III. COMM 145 or 161 (3 hrs)
Cat. B:   I. Literature (3 hrs)       II. Electives (6 hrs)     (Three areas are required in Cat. B)
Cat. C:   HIST 119 or 120, and two other areas are required.   (9 hrs)
Cat. D:   I. Science (6 hrs; two fields must be represented, at least one must have a lab)      II. MATH (3 hrs)
Cat. E:   3 hours
Cat. F:   2 hours (May be two 1-hour PE courses, or a 3-hr class)

Requirements for Science and Mathematics Education (Major Ref. 774)
SKyTeach Homepage

Required Courses (34 hours)
Course Descriptions

   SMED 101 (1 hr)       SMED 102 (2 hrs)     SMED 210 (3 hrs)
SMED 320 (3 hrs)    SMED 340 (3 hrs)     SMED 360 (3 hrs)
        SPED 330 (3 hrs)         SMED 470 (3 hrs)
SMED 489 (3 hrs)         SEC 490 (10 hrs)

The courses SMED 489 and MGE 490 (student teaching) are taken concurrently.
SPED 330 was formerly EXED 330.

Admission

Students seeking admission to the SMED program must earn a grade of C or higher in SMED 101 and SMED 102 and meet requirements for admission to Teacher Education.

Personnel in the Office of Teacher Admissions will provide the necessary information for admission into Teacher Education and assist students with the steps in the process. Education majors, as well as transfer students who are education majors, are required to attend an orientation meeting in the semester of their first education class. The information provided at the orientation includes a checklist of requirements and the Professional Code of Ethics that must be met, and dates for completion of the admission process and for applying to student teach. In addition, personnel in this office will maintain records of the necessary components. The Office of Admissions will process the application file and recommend students to the Professional Education Council for admission into Teacher Education. A letter of notification will be sent to the students once they are approved. Students will be encouraged to visit this office at least twice a year to evaluate their files and to check the dates for orientation meetings on the web.

Field Experience Policy

All undergraduate professional education programs require completion of field experiences in appropriate off-campus settings as well as student teaching. The number of required hours of field experiences varies by program; however, a minimum of 75 hours of off-campus field experience is required in professional education courses. In addition, all programs require one 16-week or two 8-week full-time student teaching placements, totaling at least 430 hours. Every effort is made to provide teacher candidates with field experiences in diverse settings (based on socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, language, and exceptionalities of students) in order to ensure that they are prepared to help all students learn. Prior to visiting any school, a student must have on file in the Office of Teacher Services a current TB test, a current physical exam, and a current Kentucky criminal background check. Students are responsible for the expenses incurred in complying with this requirement.

Certification

In order to be recommended for initial certification as a mathematics teacher in Kentucky, a candidate must document the following:

1. Completion of the mathematics teacher preparation program.
2. Attainment of at least a C in all professional education courses, including SMED 489 and student teaching.
3. Achievement of at least a 2.75 GPA overall, in each major and minor, and in all professional education courses.
4. Passing of the Praxis II Specialty Area tests (Mathematics: Content Knowledge and Mathematics: Proofs, Models, and Problems, Part 1) and the Principles of Learning and Teaching: Grades 7 – 12 test.

Residency Requirement

The minimum residence requirement for the bachelor’s degree is 25% of the minimum number of semester hours required in the student’s degree program. At least 16 of the hours counted in meeting the residence requirement must be completed after the semester in which the student has earned a cumulative total of at least 90 semester hours. Exceptions to these regulations may be made for WKU students who have been given permission to transfer credits earned at accredited professional schools to apply as electives toward the degree.

Application for Graduation

All candidates for a baccalaureate degree are expected to apply for graduation immediately after attaining senior status (90 hours earned). Associate degree candidates are expected to apply for graduation after earning 48 hours. The Application for Graduation is available on TopNet under Student Records.

Repeating Courses

An undergraduate student is permitted to repeat a maximum of six courses. Only two courses in which a grade of “C” or above has been earned may be repeated.

Credit for a course in which a grade of “F” has been received can be earned only by repeating the course in residence unless prior approval is given by the head of the department in which the course was taken. A course in which a grade of “D” has been received may be repeated at another accredited institution.

A course that has been failed cannot be repeated by independent learning without special permission from the department head. A student may not repeat by proficiency testing a course which has been previously taken or failed at WKU or another accredited institution.

If a course is repeated, only the second grade will be counted in computing the grade point average; if the course is repeated a second time both the second and the third grades will be used in computing the grade point average. The grade received for each attempt will continue to appear on the student’s academic record. A student may attempt a single course no more than three times.

Enrollment in Graduate Courses

Undergraduate students at Western Kentucky University may enroll in graduate level courses. Several conditions must be met to facilitate such enrollment:

1. Students must file all appropriate paper work through the Office of Graduate Studies and Research.
   a. Undergraduate Application for Graduate Enrollment Form
     b. Letter of recommendation from director of graduate program (or department head) that speaks to the student’s
         ability to perform at graduate level and justification of appropriateness of enrollment in such courses.

2. Undergraduate students must have declared a major or minor in the subject area or a closely related area for which the graduate course is offered.

3. Students must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 in the major or minor area to which the graduate coursework is closely related.

4. Students may enroll in no more than 15 hours of coursework (graduate and undergraduate combined) in any semester in which enrollment in graduate-level courses occurs.

5. With the concurrence of the student’s undergraduate advisor, department head and dean, graduate coursework may be used to satisfy undergraduate degree requirements; however, graduate credit hours used to meet the requirements for a baccalaureate degree may not be used toward a graduate degree.

Dr. David K. Neal, Lead Academic Advisor
Department of Mathematics
4136 COHH
Western Kentucky University
Bowling Green, KY 42101
270.745.6213

728: Secondary Certifiable Mathematics - 2011 and 2012 Cat. Years

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