Bachelor of Arts

• English Language Arts
  • with Teacher Certification in
    • Early Childhood Education and Early Childhood Special Education
    • Elementary Education and General Special Education
    • General Special Education
• Math Studies
  • with Teacher Certification in
    • Elementary Education and General Special Education
    • General Special Education
    • Math, Grades 5-8
    • Math, Grades 7-12
    • Math, Grades 5-8 and General Special Education
• Social Studies
  • with Teacher Certification in
    • General Special Education
    • Elementary Education and General Special Education

If you live outside New Hampshire and plan to work toward teacher certification in your state, please check with an advisor about the availability of programs. It is highly recommended that you contact the appropriate licensing agency in your state for additional guidance before beginning a program outside your own state. You can find the list of agencies at https://www.granite.edu/wp-content/uploads/academics/sara-agency-by-state.pdf.

Bachelor of Science

• Early Childhood Education with Teacher Certification in Early Childhood and Early Childhood Special Education

Bachelor Degree Program Requirements

Requirements for all Bachelor Degree programs at Granite State College include General Education and courses in the Major. Electives provide additional required degree credit and will vary based on General Education and major requirements.

The Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree is a flexible program that allows  a focus on liberal studies. The Bachelor of  Arts  degree  requires 120 semester hours of credit. The Bachelor of Science (B.S.) allows students to focus on a major related to professional or educational goals. The Bachelor of Science degree requires 120 semester hours of credit.

Basic computer proficiency is expected in all courses at Granite State College. Software Tools (CMPL 511 Software Tools (4 s.h.)) is available as an elective for students who need this foundation.

General Education

The General Education program at Granite State College is founded on fostering intellectual curiosity and preparing people to realize their full potential in a complex and changing world. Students explore major fields of knowledge and engage with ideas through action and application. Students are required to complete forty credits in general education courses for the bachelor’s degree and must earn a grade of C or better in each course. For all Bachelor Degree programs, degree candidates will take courses to meet the following requirements:

General Education Requirements

A minimum grade of C is required in all General Education coursework. Students are allowed a maximum of two course overlaps. Overlaps can be used between Major, Minor and General Education requirements with only one overlap being utilized between the Major and Minor.

All General Education requirements, including CRIT 602 Advanced Critical Analysis and Strategic Thinking (4 s.h.) and IDIS 601 Interdisciplinary Seminar (4 s.h.), must be taken prior to the capstone.

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
ENG 500	The Writing Process	4
COMM 542	Interpersonal Communication and Group Dynamics	4
COMM 543	Visual Communication	4
CRIT 501	Introduction to Critical Inquiry	4
Select one of the following:		4
MATH 502	Math for Our World
MATH 504	Statistics
MATH 510	Pre-Calculus
Knowledge of Human Behavior & Social Systems		4
Knowledge of the Physical & Natural World		4
Knowledge of Human Thought & Expression		4
CRIT 602	Advanced Critical Analysis and Strategic Thinking	4
IDIS 601	Interdisciplinary Seminar	4
Total Credits		40

Prior to beginning the last 60 credits of the degree program, students are required to have an earned 3.0 GPA and pass the PRAXIS Core Academic Skills for Educators. In EDU 622 Introduction to Field Experience and Program Requirements (1 s.h.), students will complete the Declaration of Candidacy, and identify a placement, working or volunteering a minimum of 10 hours a week in an approved New Hampshire education setting. A 3.0 GPA is required for recommendation for certification to the New Hampshire Department of Education. Candidates who do not maintain a 3.0 GPA may be in jeopardy of recommendation for certification at the time of program completion.

In this field-based program, candidates work with three mentors throughout their plan of study:

• Granite State College professor
• Granite State College Field Placement Faculty in the field experience, and
• School District/Program Supervising Practitioner or Mentor in the field- experience.

These highly qualified mentors provide guidance and feedback throughout the remaining 60 credits of the degree program. These guided experiences build teaching capacity over time, and include research-based pedagogies, innovative technologies, collaborative teaching, analysis of data for instructional decisions, and on-going problem-solving.

A candidate’s plan of study may include face-to-face classes, online classes, hybrid classes, intensive classes and one-on-one classes, when appropriate. Assignments will  be  meaningful  to  the individual candidate, relevant to the field-experience, and tailored to the learning needs of the K-12 student, all focused on improved learning outcomes for students. This field-based teacher certification program prepares candidates to be innovative and effective teachers who understand how to collaboratively develop and sustain quality programs for 21st century learning, within the unrelenting day-to-day realities of K-12 school environments.

Upon earning a 3.0 GPA,  passing all New Hampshire Department of Education test requirements and successful completion of all program requirements, students will be recommended to the New Hampshire Department of Education for certification.

Candidates will

• Develop a working understanding of current brain research and its implications for learning and teaching.
• Develop the skills to access and utilize technology as a tool to empower learning and teaching.
• Develop an understanding of the use of formative and summative assessment for program design, monitoring student progress and evaluating teaching effectiveness.
• Work with colleagues to observe, analyze and provide feedback on student progress and teaching effectiveness.
• Utilize research methods, pedagogies and assessment strategies to teach for understanding and learning achievement, specific to content area.

Major

Majors encompass established areas such as Business Management or Psychology. Individualized Studies majors develop an approved program of study leading to a specific educational or professional goal. Majors are structured to include required course work, and often, choices for additional related courses. A grade of C or better must be earned for all major courses. A minimum of 32 credits is required in all majors.

Minor

Minors are designed to provide students the option of an additional area of specialization that complements, but does not overlap their current Bachelor’s Degree. Minors are optional and are open to all Bachelor’s Degree candidates. Students may use only one course from the major to fulfill minor requirements. All minors consist of five courses, at least two of which must be upper level. Required courses may have prerequisites. Courses must be completed with a C or better to be included in a minor. Not all Major and Minor combinations are appropriate. Students should consult with their advisers for approved appropriate major and minor combinations.

Open Electives

Electives provide an opportunity to select additional courses of interest to complete the total number of required credits for the degree or to prepare for continued study.

The Integrative Capstone

Every Bachelor’s major at Granite State College requires an integrative capstone or culminating teaching experience, which is an educational experience undertaken following the completion of all other courses in the major. Granite State College defines the integrative capstone as a synthesis of the learning in the major with current research in the field to reach a new, higher level of understanding. Students are asked to integrate and apply learning, to demonstrate knowledge and skills acquired in the major, and to communicate their learning effectively.

All major courses in the degree must be complete, as well as CRIT 602 Advanced Critical Analysis and Strategic Thinking (4 s.h.) and IDIS 601 Interdisciplinary Seminar (4 s.h.) prior to enrollment within the integrative capstone. Students will need advisor approval to enroll in the capstone experience designated in their degree program.

Academic Residency Requirement

Thirty semester hours of the program requirements must be completed at Granite State College.

Transfer Policy Note

Incoming students may use transfer credit, prior learning, or testing to satisfy degree requirements; for information on acceptance of credit in these categories, please see the academic and transfer policies in the catalog. Students with a conferred Associate Degree from a regionally accredited post-secondary institution will have their lower level General Education requirements waived. Decisions regarding the transfer of credits, testing, and choices for new learning to meet General Education requirements will be based on the outcomes for the particular area. The maximum number of credits allowed for transfer to a Bachelor program is 90 credits.

Graduation Planning System

The Graduation Planning System (GPS) pages represent the College’s approved curricula, including credit, GPA, general education, and major requirements.

Once the student is fully admitted into the program, a personalized degree audit will be completed that will account for any credits granted through transfer and/or prior learning. The student’s personalized degree plan will be available at https://www.granite.edu/current-students/academics/degree-planning-tools/.

School of Education Bachelor's Degree Programs