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Middle Grades Education

The Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Middle Grades Education leads to licensure to teach social studies, language arts, science or mathematics to students in grades 6-9. 
Contact the Office of Admissions
Contact the Office of Admissions

The education program at High Point University has long been recognized for its excellence throughout North Carolina and the eastern United States. Our program is based within the liberal arts tradition; it is rigorous, field-centered and highly personalized. The teacher education programs at High Point University meet the requirements of both the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and the North Carolina State Board of Education.

The Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Middle Grades Education leads to licensure to teach social studies, language arts, science or mathematics to students in grades 6-9.  Students choosing to major in Middle Grades Education are required to choose one of the four discipline specializations and will complete the required content coursework delivered through the College of Arts and Sciences in the departments of History, Political Science, English, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics.  The major in Middle Grades Education requires 45 hours of coursework in teacher education.  Undergraduate courses focus on the new Common Core State and N.C. Essential Standards, technology, and interdisciplinary curriculum in the middle grades.

Effective Fall 2019:
Students pursuing degrees in the School of Education will have the option of selecting between the Licensure-Track and Non-Licensure Track programs of study within the Elementary Education, Special Education, Middle Grades Education or Health/Physical Education programs of study.

Licensure Track:
Student Teaching with N.C. licensure will become an optional track that students may pursue at the end of the program.  Choosing this track requires completion of the mandatory 16-week student teaching, all related licensure tests, and the edTPA portfolio.  These credits will be included in the required 128 to graduate.

Degree ONLY (Non-Licensure Track)
Students who choose (or who are moved) to the non-licensure track in the degree program will earn a B.A. degree in Elementary Education, Special Education, Middle Grades Education or Health/Physical Education.  Instead of student teaching students will complete other university electives to reach the required 128 credits for graduation and a four credit internship that is not student teaching.   The School of Education does not apply for North Carolina license as the required student teaching, edTPA portfolio, and teacher exams are not part of this track.

 

  • The School of Education is housed in a brand new LEED-Certified facility which includes an expansive Teacher- Resource Center, a simulated elementary classroom methods lab and $250,000 of state-of-the-art technology
  • HPU offers programs of study that reflect the latest research on best practices in teaching
  • Experiential learning opportunities in the community allow for HPU students to become deeply connected with the area, including Literacy Nights and LEGO Education Workshops
  • Opportunities to engage in study course material on trips to various venues, including the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala.
  • Students have a choice of many opportunities including service learning, undergraduate research and B.A. to M.Ed. program
  • Faculty includes former school superintendents, classroom teachers, school psychologists, principals and curriculum specialists, all of whom are currently engaged in scholarship and public school K-12 initiatives
HPU education students had the opportunity to travel to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala. to gain new knowledge and teaching tactics surrounding STEM-science, technology, engineering and mathematics. This trip prepared education majors to help their future students understand the relevance of space, space exploration and STEM-related fields in their daily lives.
Dr. Shirley Disseler, HPU assistant professor of education and chairperson of the Global LEGO Education Advisory Panel, created the LEGO Education Project at HPU. LEGO Education offers unique solutions for educators who want to incorporate innovation, creativity and hands-on learning into the classroom. Education students at HPU visit local elementary schools to introduce LEGO Education. They also host students, teachers and parents on HPU’s campus for LEGO Education showcase events. Disseler says LEGO Education gives her students a unique opportunity to act as educational leaders. When students go into schools, they’re instructing other teachers on how to implement projects.
  • Kappa Delta Pi (International Honor Society in Education)
  • North Carolina Association of Elementary Educators
  • Teachers of Tomorrow
  • Student Council for Exceptional Children
Course Requirements 2025/2026
Bachelor of Arts in Middle Grades Education
Bachelor of Arts in Middle Grades Education
Degree Requirements Credits
Major/Minor Requirements 62
University Core Requirements 36
Electives 30
Total 128
Requirements for B.A. in Middle Grades Education
Requirements for B.A. in Middle Grades Education
Course Course Title Credits
EDU 1200 Introduction to Teaching 2*
EDU 2100 Educational Psychology 4
EDU 2200 Critical Perspectives on Teaching and Learning 4*
EDU 3100 Students with Disabilities: Characteristics and Service Delivery Models 4
EDU 3110 Educational Technology for Teachers 2
EDU 3280 Literacy in the Content Areas 4
EDU 4110 Instructional Technology for K-12 Classrooms 2
EDU 4150 Interdisciplinary Methods of Instruction for Middle Grades 4
EDU 4155 OR EDU 4811 Introduction to Student Teaching or Internship in Education 4
EDU 4165 Methods of Instruction for Teaching Middle Grades and Secondary Subjects 4
EDU 4166 Analyzing and Evaluating K-12 Assessment Data 2
EDU 4200 Diverse Learners and Culturally Relevant Pedagogy 4
EDU 4280 Discipline &amp Classroom Management for Middle/Secondary Teachers 2
*These courses are prerequisites for admission to the Educator Preparation Program.

Licensure Coursework
EDU 4000 Investigation of Teacher Performance Assessment I 1
EDU 4001 Investigation of Teacher Performance Assessment II 4
EDU 4250 Student Teaching Continuation 6
Discipline Specializations

English Language Arts
ENG 2200 The Literary Imagination 4
ENG 3115 Style 4
Select one course from the following list:
ENG 2125 Introduction to Professional and Public Writing 4
ENG 2135 Technical Writing 4
Select one course from the following list:
ENG 2225 African American Literature 4
ENG 2239 Literature of the American South 4
ENG 2249 American Humor 4
ENG 2720 British Literature I 4
ENG 2730 British Literature II 4
ENG 2820 American Literature I 4
ENG 2830 American Literature II 4
ENG 3910 Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States 4
Select one course from the following list:
ENG 2230 Literature and Community: Children's and Young Adult Literature 4
ENG 2122 Introduction to Creative Writing 4
ENG 4110 Digital Storytelling (Pre Req. Required) 4
Select one course from the following list:
ENG/WGS 2200 Women's Literary Tradition 4
ENG/GBS 2298 Women Writing Worldwide 4
ENG/GBS 2299 Other Americas 4
ENG 3920 World Literatures 4
ENG 3470 American Experimentalism: Not Just the White Guys 4
Social Studies
HST 2901 Historiography 4
PSC 2310 American Politics 4
Choose one 1000 level HST course (4)-These courses should be centered on two different geographical regions.
HST 1101 Foundations in Western Civilization from Ancient Times to the Enlightenment 4
HST 1102 Foundations in Western Civilizations since the Enlightenment 4
HST 1103 Topics in Western Civilization 4
HST 1104 War in the West from Rome to the Present 4
HST 1105 The Marketplace in Historical Change 4
HST 1201 American Beginnings [to 1800] 4
HST 1202 American Expansions [1800-1918] 4
HST 1203 American Aspirations [1914 to present] 4
HST 1401 Foundation if African History 4
HST 1501 Introduction to East Asian Civilization 4
HST 1601 Foundations of Latin American Civilization 4
HST 1701 Foundations of Middle Eastern History 4
Choose one 2000 level HST course (4)-These courses should be centered on two different geographical regions.
HST 2103 The Second World War: A Global History 4
HST 2104 History of the Holocaust 4
HST 2111 Britain, Pre-Roman to 1660 4
HST 2112 Britain, 1660-1990 4
HST 2201 American Identities 4
HST 2202 American Moments 4
HST 2205 North Carolina: Perspectives on a State's History 4
HST 2212 Native Americans and Europeans: Encounters in Early America 4
HST 2215 Comparative Slavery and Bound Labor Systems 4
HST 2217 Slavery and Freedom in America 4
HST 2220 Revolutionary America 4
HST 2227 The Struggle for Control: A History of American Business and Labor 4
HST 2230 Civil War and Reconstruction 4
HST 2235 U.S. in the World: American Foreign Relations 4
HST 2236 America's Vietnam War 4
HST/WGS 2240 U.S. Women's History 4
HST 2247 The Long Civil Rights Movement in the United States 4
HST 2251 Hollywood and American History 4
HST 2301 The Canadian Experiment 4
HST 2401 Athens and Sparta 4
HST 2405 Roman Emperors 4
HST 2406 The Christian Roman Empire 4
HST 2511 The Mandate of Heaven: A History of China 4
HST 2521 Japanese History 4
HST 2601 God, Gold, and Glory: Colonial Latin America 4
HST 2602 Revolutionaries and Dictators: Modern Latin America 4
HST 2701 Modern Middle Was: 1798-1945 4
HST 2901 Historiography 4
Choose one 3000 level HST course
HST 3010 Homer and the Trojan War 4
HST 3040 The Roman Near East 4
HST 3104 Renaissance and Reformation 4
HST 3105 Empires, Soldier-Kings and Philosophers 4
HST 3106 The French Revolution and Napoleon 4
HST 3107 The Age of Revolutions and the Birth of Modern Europe, 1815-1914 4
HST 3108 Europe in Crisis, 1914 to 1945 4
HST 3121 Modern Russia 4
HST 3191 European Economic History 4
HST 3211 Case Studies in American Legal History 4
HST 3212 American Thought and Culture 4
HST 3214 Place and Space in American History 4
HST 3218 Asian America 4
HST 3221 The Atlantic World in Transition 4
HST 3222 Enlightenment and Revelation: Rational and Irrational in America 4
HST 3231 Creating the American Consumer 4
HST 3241 Sex and the City: American Women and the Urban Landscape 4
HST/WGS 3242 War, Gender, ad the Military in U.S. History 4
HST 3245 Bombs and Ballet: The Cultural Cold War 4
HST 3262 America Consumed: Mall Rats & Made in the U.S.A.: Postwar Consumption at Home & Abroad 4
HST/GBS 3501 United States and East Asia 4
HST/GBS 3511 Revolutionary CHina 4
HST/GBS 3521 The Rise of Modern Japan 4
HST 3601 Aztecs, Incas, Mayas, and Pre-Columbian Civilizations 4
HST/GBS 3602 Native Peoples of Latin America 4
HST/GBS 3603 Consumption and Material Culture in Latin America 4
HST 3611 From Quetzalcoatl to Kahlo: A History of Mexico 4
HST/GBS 3621 History of Brazil 4
HST/PSC 3701 The United States and the Middle East since 1945 4
HST 3702 The Arab-Israeli Conflict 4
HST 3901 History Detectives 4
HST 3902 A Lens on History 4
HST 3903 Public History 4
HST 3905 Student Intern Program 4-12
HST 3908 History on the Road 4
HST 3909 Collaborative Research 4
Select one course from the following list:
HST 3901 History Detectives 4
HST 3902 A Lens on History 4
HST 3903 Public History 4
HST 3904 Oral History 4
Mathematics
EDU 4161 Methods of Teaching Middle Grades and Secondary Mathematics 4
MTH 1410 Calculus I 4
HST 1420 Calculus II 4
HST 2210 Introduction to Mathematical Thought 4
HST 2310 Linear Algebra 4
MTH 2000 or Higher See Course Catalog 4
STS 2020 Introduction to Statistics 4
Science
BIO 1100/1101 Biology: A Human Perspective 4
CHM 1010/1011 An Introduction to the Molecular World/Lab 4
EDU 4163 Methods of Teaching Middle Grades and Secondary Science 4
ENV 1110/1111 Environmental Science 4
PHY 1510/1511 General Physics I/Lab 4
Select two courses from the following list:
BIO 1500/1501 Principles of Cell Biology/Lab 4
CHM 1616 Forensic Chemistry 4
CHM 1020/1021 General Chemistry II 4
ENV 1120 Issues in Environmental Science 4
PHY 1000 or PHY 1050 or PHY 1100 or PHY 1200 or PHY 1520 Astronomy of the Solar System, Astronomy of Stars, Galaxies, and the Cosmos, Physics of Sound and Music, Physics for Video Games, General Physics II 4
Course Descriptions

Career Opportunities
High Point University is proud of its graduates. In the last five years, the School of Education has graduated more than 300 students in teacher education and 150 graduate students who have gone on to become classroom teachers and school principals, thereby impacting the lives of thousands of school-aged children. Recent graduates from High Point University’s School of Education have received many honors and distinctions including:
Student Outcomes

Family. It’s what DuChante Davis has found more than anything in his educational journey at High Point University. It’s what he hopes to offer inner city school children he’ll teach…

With a successful 2014 Commencement Ceremony behind us, recent High Point University graduates are preparing to commence prestigious career paths around the world at Fortune 500 companies, international service programs,…

Study Abroad
At High Point University, our emphasis on global perspectives is designed to provide students with opportunities to enhance their international awareness and to develop their cross-cultural communication skills. Study abroad is strongly encouraged as a part of this emphasis on global studies. With a variety of extraordinary options at some of the most prestigious universities in the world, students at High Point University are encouraged to study abroad as early as the summer after their freshman year. Employers are looking for more than just a degree; they want well-rounded individuals who have familiarity with diverse cultures, special skills, and knowledge of the world around them.
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