Wyman Education Building
(715) 425-3774; FAX (715) 425-0622
www.uwrf.edu/college-of-education
Departments within the College of Education and Professional Studies include: Health and Human Performance, Teacher Education, Counseling and School Psychology, Communicative Disorders, and the Social Work program.
The college prepares undergraduate s for professional careers in teaching,
social work, and communicative disorders. Teacher education has been a major
commitment of the University of Wisconsin-River Falls since its founding in
1874. The university’s teacher education programs have received national
recognition for excellence and are accredited by the National Council for the
Accreditation of Teacher Education, North Central Association and the Wisconsin
Department of Public Instruction.
The Bachelor of Science degree is granted after successful completion of programs
in elementary education and middle/secondary education.
Teacher education students are required to complete a comprehensive program
of study in general education, a rigorous series of field-based professional
education courses and experiences, and extensive academic study in the areas
of certification. Professional education course work and experiences are field-based,
requiring numerous laboratory and school-site experiences that apply classroom
content. Professional organizations within the college offer students opportunities
to become actively involved in the education profession.
A teaching license in communicative disorders requires a master’s degree. Wisconsin and Minnesota require a terminal degree for licensure as a speech pathologist. For more information on the Master’s Degree in Communicative Disorders please contact the office of graduate studies or the communicative disorders department.
UW-RF offers students a Bachelor of Social Work degree (BSW- a major in social work). At the undergraduate level, this liberal arts course of study prepares a student for beginning, generalist, professional practice. The program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), the nationally recognized accrediting organization in social work. Social work is the professional activity of helping individuals, groups, or communities enhance or restore their capacity for social functioning and creating societal conditions favorable to that goal. In general, social work is planned, purposeful intervention, based on professional knowledge, values, and skill that is aimed at both individual and social change. Social workers seek to strengthen and improve the capability of people and systems to cope with the task and problems they face in life and to promote improvements in the social environment which will enable human needs to be more adequately met.
General Education Requirements 51 Total Credits
1. Communications 9 cr. hrs.
a. Speech Communication (choose from the following): 3 cr/
SCTA 101 Fundamentals of Oral Communication
SCTA 116 Business and Professional communication
SCTA 211 Public Speaking
b. English Composition: 6 cr.
ENGL 111 Academic Reading and Writing
ENGL 112 Persuasive Reading and Writing
Students who show acceptable proficiency in writing may
take a three-credit accelerated course in composition
(ENGL 115) in lieu of these six credits.
2. Humanities and Fine Arts: 9-12 cr. hrs.
a. Choose one English literature course from: 3 cr.
ENGL 241 Human Issues in Literature
ENGL 242 The Heroic Figure in Literature
ENGL 243 Types of Literature
ENGL 244 The Modern Tradition in Literature
ENGL 245 Western World Literature
b. Fine Arts 3 cr.
Elementary Education choose from:
ART 100 Introduction to Art
MUS 100 Understanding Music
Secondary Education choose from:
ART 100 Introduction to Art
ART 211 Ancient, Classical and Medieval Art
ART 212 Renaissance to Modert Art
DANC 100 History/Appreciation of Dance
MUS 100 Understanding Music
MUS 200 American Music
MUS 235 Music History and Literature I
MUS 300 World Music
SCTA 105 Introduction to Theatre and Drama
SCTA 337 History of Theatre and Dramatic Literature: Ancient Traditions through
Renaissance Drama
SCTA 338 History of Theatre and Dramatic Literature: 18th Century to the Present
SCTA 339 American Theatre
c. Choose one Non-Western History/Culture course from the following: 3 cr.
HIST 201 Introduction to Asian Civilization
HIST 202 Introduction to Latin American Civilizations
HIST 206 Native Americans and the United States
HIST 207 African American History
PHIL 245 Oriental and Islamic Religions in the U.S.
GEOG 120 Human Geography
3. Social and Behavioral Sciences: 9 cr. hrs.
POLS 114 American National, State and Local Government 3 cr.
PSYC 101 General Psychology 3 cr.
TED 252 Foundations of Multicultural Education 3 cr.
4. Sciences: 9 cr. hrs.
Elementary Education (choose two): 6 cr.
CHEM 101 Elementary Principles of Chemistry
BIOL 100 Introduction to Biology
GEOL 101 Introductory Geology
PHYS 114 Basic Physics
PHYS 117 Introductory Astronomy
Elementary Education Environmental Education 3 cr. hrs.
(choose one):
GEOG 300 Environmental Education
ESM 300 Environmental Education
Secondary Education: 9 cr. hrs.
(requirements vary by major)
Choose one of the following: 3 cr.
BIOL 100 Introduction to Biology
GEOG 300 Environmental Education
ESM 300 Environmental Education
Choose one of the following: 3-4 cr.
PHYS 114 Basic Physics
PHYS 151 General Physics
PHYS 161 General Physics
PHYS 117 Introductory Astronomy
Choose one of the following: 3 cr.
CHEM 100 Modern Alchemy
CHEM 101 Elementary Principles of Chemistry
CHEM 111 General Chemistry I
GEOL 101 Introductory Geology
GEOG 110 Physical Environment: Patterns and Systems
5. Senior Capstone Course: 2 cr. hrs.
Choose one of the following three:
ISSC 496 Social Science
ISCI 497 Science
IHUM 498 Humanities
6. Mathematics: 3-8 cr. hrs.
Elementary Education:
MATH 246 Math for Elementary Teachers I 4 cr.
MATH 247 Math for Elementary Teachers II 4 cr.
Secondary Education:
MATH 126, higher level math, or testout 3 cr.
7. Physical Education: 2-3 cr. hrs.
P ED 108 Health and Fitness for Life 1 cr.
Two Lifetime Activities courses 1-2 cr.
Additional Requirements
Early Childhood,
see page 57.
Professional Education Elementary
Education, see page 58.
Professional Education Secondary
Education, see page 95.
Application for admission to teacher education is made through the Dean of the College of Education and Professional Studies. Students should begin the admission to teacher education process when they have completed 40 semester credits of course work. Students in the Middle/Secondary Education program must be admitted to teacher education before they are permitted to enroll in the following methods courses: TED 420, 422, 423 and the appropriate methods course(s) in the major(s) and/or minor(s) TED 429-441. For students in the elementary education program, admission to teacher education is a prerequisite for enrollment in the following Block I courses: TED 310, 311, 312. Students majoring in agricultural education apply for admission to teacher education through the department of agricultural education.
Admission to teacher education is based on requirements of the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction and the College of Education and Professional Studies. Current information is available in the student handbooks and list of dates at the college website: www.uwrf.edu/college-of-education/. Students are responsible for checking the website for the information they will need.
A student may be denied admission to teacher education program on the basis of either a low grade point average (GPA) or inadequate scores on any one subsection of the Pre-Professional Skills Test (PPST/PRAXIS I) or the Computer-Based Academic Skills Assessments (CBT). In addition, a student may be denied admission to the teacher education program based on faculty assessment of the applicant’s capacity to carry out requisite responsibilities of beginning teachers and to successfully complete the requirements of a professional teacher education program.
A student who is denied admission to teacher education may begin the appeal process by making an appointment with his or her advisor. The appeal process can only be initiated after the student has received notification from the dean’s office denying admission. A student and/or faculty member, who may serve as an advocate for the student, can initiate the teacher education appeals process.
Detailed information on the appeals process can be found in the student handbooks at the college website: www.uwrf.edu/college-of-education/. Students are responsible for checking the website for the information they will need.
Admission to student teaching or interning is based on requirements
of the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction and the College of Education
and Professional Studies. Current information is available in the Student Handbooks
and list of dates at the college website: www.uwrf.edu/college-of-education/.
Students are responsible for checking the website for the information they will
need.
Conditions for Retention in Teacher Education Programs
If authorized personnel at the university have reasonable cause to question whether a student’s physical or mental health will permit successful completion of the requirements of a professional program in the College of Education and Professional Studies, the department involved may, as a condition of admission to, continuation in, or graduation from the program, require that the student be evaluated by appropriate professional personnel to help determine whether admission, continuation, or graduation should be permitted. A student may be notified at any time that termination from a program is being considered. At that time, the student or faculty advocate may initiate an appeal for consideration through the College of Education and Professional Studies Dean’s Office.
All students who wish to become certified to teach in the state
of Wisconsin must complete the following steps before an application form is
submitted to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction:
1. Graduate and complete a teacher education program at this university with
a grade point average of 2.75 overall in all previous course work.
2. Fill out an application form (PI-1602) available at the Dean of Education
and Professional Studies Office.
3. Submit the application form to the Dean of Education and Professional Studies
Office with a check for the appropriate fee made payable to the Wisconsin Department
of Public Instruction.
Students who seek teacher certification in states other than Wisconsin should
visit the college website at www.uwrf.edu/college-of-education/.
Admission to the BSW Program is competitive, and students holding
an accredited BSW may receive recognition by accredited graduate schools of
Social Work, leading to advanced standing toward a Master’s of Social Work
degree (MSW), the terminal practice degree in the profession. State licensing
boards in Social Work recognize the BSW as meeting requirements to sit for licensure
examinations.
Social Work is an active “doing” profession with a long history of
caring for persons, and social change. Social workers are involved in wide-ranging
tasks in many different public and private agencies. Some of the kinds of places
social workers can be found include: child and adult protective services, counseling
and mental health centers, probation and parole, neighborhood and community
organizations, schools, employee assistance programs, labor unions, hospital
and long term care facilities. Social Workers can be found almost any place
where people and organizations come together.
BSW students engage in a two-semester fieldwork experience in their senior year. The experience is at least a 450-hour internship supervised by accredited social work field instructors. Over 60 agencies located in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis-St. Paul, Western Wisconsin and Eastern Minnesota participate to provide opportunities for real-world practice.
Any student may claim social work as a major and be advised by social work faculty. However, the Social Work Program does have a formal admission process. During the fall semester of the sophomore year, the student is required to submit a formal application to the program for acceptance into the major. The complete application along with the description of the admission process and the admission requirements is available in the Social Work Student Handbook. The following are among the requirements that must be met before the application can be submitted:
1. Successful completion of 36 semester credits;
2. Attainment of a cumulative grade point average of 2.25;
3. Completion of Social Work 150 and 205 with a grade
of “C” or better and a major GPA of 2.50.
Meeting the above requirements does not guarantee admission to the program.
The following social work courses are open only to those who have been admitted
to the Social Work Program: SOWK 324, 325, 424, 426, 472, 480 and 481.
During the second semester of a student’s junior year, the student applies for entry into the field practicum. A careful review of the student’s academic record and potential for practice performance is undertaken at this time. Only students who have completed all course prerequisites and have demonstrated competency in communication and helping skills, have demonstrated a commitment to social work values, and meet all requirements and standards for admission to the field program will be admitted to the field experience course. Some placements may require a criminal background check.
Students should be aware that admission requirements to the social work program and the field practicum include factors other than GPA, may change at any time and may differ from those listed here. Current requirements may be found in the Student Handbook and the Field Manual.
The program reserves the right to deny admission to any applicant on the basis of failure to meet any specified requirements or due to an excess of applicants over available slots. In addition, all those admitted must maintain a grade of “C” or better in all social work courses, a major GPA of at least 2.50 and a cumulative GPA of 2.25 in order to graduate with a BSW degree.
