Mar 28, 2026  
2026-2027 Academic Catalog 
    
2026-2027 Academic Catalog

Teacher Education (A.A.)

Location(s): Springfield Campus, Richwood Valley Campus


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A.A. Degree: 60 Hours

The Associate of Arts Degree in Teacher Education (AA.TED) is a directed path of study preparing students for transfer and upper division coursework at four-year institutions offering teacher education programs and certification for levels PK-12. This degree requires students to satisfy the A.A. general education transfer block, 3 hours of orientation coursework, 6 hours of teacher education professional coursework and at least 9 hours of program elective credit. 

Each transfer institution may have specific requirements for admission into their teacher preparation program. Students should contact the intended transfer institution to verify they have met all transfer requirements and taken any requisite professional education courses required for admission.

General Education Requirements - 42 Credit Hours


Mathematical Sciences - 3 Credit Hours


Complete three (3) credit hours minimum. Mathematical Sciences courses that use one of the pathways courses as a prerequisite will meet the general education credit for math. For example, Calculus meets the general education math requirement since Pre-Calculus Algebra is a prerequisite.

Written Communication - 6 Credit Hours


Complete six (6) credit hours minimum.

Oral Communication - 3 Credit Hours


Complete three (3) credit hours minimum.

Humanities and Fine Arts - 9 Credit Hours


Complete nine (9) credit hours minimum, from at least two (2) disciplines. There is a limit of three (3) credit hours of Performance (PERF) courses that can be applied to the Humanities & Fine Arts Knowledge Area and to the total CORE 42.

Natural Sciences - 7 Credit Hours


Complete seven (7) credit hours minimum, from at least two (2) disciplines, including one course with a lab component.

Social and Behavioral Sciences - 9 Credit Hours


Complete nine (9) credit hours minimum, from at least two (2) disciplines, including at least one Civics course. Note that the civics requirement in CORE 42 is different from and does not fulfill the requirements of RSMo 170.013, Missouri Higher Education Civics Achievement Examination.

Core Electives - 5 Credit Hours


Any course with an approved MOTR number  or excess hours from a MOTR approved course can be utilized to fulfill the Core electives requirement. Note that there is a limit of three (3) credit hours of Performance (PERF) courses that can be applied to the Humanities & Fine Arts Knowledge Area and to the total CORE 42. 

Teacher Education Requirements - 18 Credit Hours


Courses may not be applied to both general education requirements and teacher education requirements.

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