Umpqua Community College A.A.O.T. to Western Oregon University B.S. in Education

Concentration: Early Childhood / Elementary Teacher Preparation

Prepares you to teach all subjects in elementary schools.

A streamlined and affordable way to become a teacher

Western Oregon University and Umpqua Community College have worked together to develop a smooth pathway to earning a B.S. in Education: Early Childhood / Elementary Concentration and becoming a teacher. Our teacher education pathway allows you to become a licensed elementary teacher in as little as four years. With flexible courses and teaching placements throughout Oregon, you have choices about where and how you complete most requirements.

Complete the first half of your degree through classes at UCC

Choose between our campus-based pathway or our evening/weekend/online pathway to complete the last half of your degree through WOU in the format that works best for you.

Start teaching and making a difference for Oregon students

Degree Timeline

Complete your lower division courses through Umpqua Community College and then transfer to Western Oregon University to complete your upper division courses. You will have the flexibility of completing your upper division courses in the timeline and format that works best for you (full time or part time; on campus or remotely; daytime or evening). If you are a full time student, you can earn both your bachelor’s degree and your teaching license in four years.

Year 1 through UCC

  1. If you’re not a UCC student already, apply for admission.

  2. Complete year 1 coursework.

  3. Meet with an Umpqua Community College Education Advisor to develop an education plan and steps for transferring.

    Jessica Richardson

    Jessica.Richardson@umpqua.edu | 541-440-4677

    Please email or call me to schedule an appointment.

    Gwen Soderberg-Chase

    gwen.soderberg-chase@umpqua.edu | 541-440-7848

    Please email or call me to schedule an appointment.

  4. Meet with our WOU pre-education advisor if you started classes before 2020 or have already taken classes different from what’s listed in the course list below.

Year 2 through UCC

  1. Complete year 2 coursework.

  2. Apply for admission to WOU in fall term.

  3. Complete Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or Oregon Student Aid Application (ORSAA) in October

  4. Complete Office of Student Access and Completion (OSAC) scholarship application in December.

  5. Complete WOU general scholarship application in February.

  6. Complete the Bilingual Teacher Scholars and/or Diverse Teacher Scholars scholarship applications (if eligible) in February.

  7. Complete first 30 hours of classroom observation

Year 3 through WOU

  1. Complete year 3 coursework.

  2. Complete second 30 hours of classroom observation.

  3. Apply to licensure program before the first Friday in April.

Year 4 through WOU

  1. Complete year 4 coursework.

  2. Complete student teaching.

  3. Apply for Oregon Teaching License.

  4. Interview for jobs.

Course Lists

The course lists below are based on WOU and UCC’s current course catalog, if you are using a previous year’s course catalog please contact an advisor. Each student’s situation is unique, so individual advising is encouraged.

 All foundational and discipline studies courses must be a minimum of 3 credits, except for HPE courses which may be any number of credits. All ED, ECE, and HDFS prefix courses must be passed with a B- or better. All other courses must be passed with a C- or better. Your cumulative GPA should be 2.75 or higher.

Course Credits
Writing
WR 121: Academic Composition 4
  • Choose one:
    • WR 122: Argument, Research, and Multimodal Composition
    • WR 227: Technical Writing
4
Math
MTH 211: Fundamentals of Elementary Mathematics I* 4
Oral Communication
SP 111: Fundamentals of Public Speaking or any AAOT-approved oral communication course 4
Health / Wellness / Fitness
HPE 295: Wellness & Health Assessment 3
Arts and Letters
  • Choose one:
    • ENG 104: Intro to Literature, Literary Fiction
    • ENG 105: Intro to Literature, Dramatic Literature
    • ENG 106: Intro to Literature, Poetry
4
  • Choose one:
    • ART 115: Art and Design Foundations 1:2D
    • ART 131: Intro to Drawing I: Line and Gesture
    • Any AAOT approved Arts and Letters course
3
Any AAOT-approved Arts and Letters course 4
Social Sciences
PSY 201: General Psychology or any AAOT-approved PSY class 4
  • Choose two:
    • HST 201: History of United States, 18th century
    • HST 202: History of United States, 19th century
    • HST 203: History of United States, 20th century
6
  • Choose one:
    • PS 201: U.S. Government, Political Ideologies and Parties
    • PS 202: U.S. Government, The Judicial Branch and Civil Rights
    • PS 203: U.S. Government, State and Local Government
3
Sciences / Math / Computer Science
MTH 212: Fundamentals of Elementary Mathematics II* 4
BI 101: General Biology 4
GS 106: Earth Science 4
  • Choose one:
    • GS 104: Physical Science, Physics
    • GS 105: Physical Science, Chemistry
4
Additional Courses
ECE 150: Creative Activities for Children 3
ED 229: Learning & Development* 3
ECE 154: Literature and Language for Children 3
ECE 230: Health, Safety, and Nutrition for the Young Child 3
HDFS 225: Child Development 3
ED258: Multicultural Education* 3
HDFS 228: The Exceptional Child* 3
MTH 213: Fundamentals of Elementary Mathematics III* 4
MTH 243: Introduction to Probability & Statistics 5
ED216:  Education Foundations* 3
Total
You must complete a total of 90 quarter credits to earn the AAOT
92

*add ED100 and prioritize courses with an * if earning the Elementary MTM or Elementary AAOT

View course descriptions in the UCC College Catalog.

Year 3 courses can either be completed in our traditional pathway format (face-to-face/daytime) or in our flexible pathway format (evening/weekend/online). All ED prefix courses must be completed with a B- or better. Your cumulative GPA should be 2.75 or higher.

Course Credits
  • Choose one:
    • GEOG 105: Nature & Society
    • GEOG 106: Sustainable World
    • GEOG 107: People, Space, and Place
4
ED 352: Elementary Social Studies Methods 3
ED 325: Elementary Science Methods 3
GS 325: Learning Science Through Scientific Practices 3
MTH 396: Elementary Problem Solving 3
ED 353: Elementary Mathematics Methods 3
ARE 433: Art Education 3
  • Choose one:
    • LING 214: Linguistics and Education
    • LING 209: Introduction to Language Study
4
LING 314: Language Study for Elementary/Middle Teachers 4
EXS 433: Physical Education in the Elementary School 4
ED 373: Intro to Curriculum and Assessment 3
ED 374: Teaching Writing in the Elementary Classroom 3
ED 464: Families & Community Involvement in Early Childhood Education 3
ED 481: Intro to ESOL and Bilingual Education 3
Total 49

Year 4 includes a full academic year of student teaching on site at school districts throughout Oregon, plus upper division ED courses, which can be completed in our traditional pathway format (face-to-face/daytime) or in our flexible pathway format (evening/weekend/online). All ED prefix courses must be completed with a B- or better. Your cumulative GPA should be 2.75 or higher.

Course Credits
ED 404: Clinical Experience Seminar I 2
ED 411: Clinical Experience I 3
ED 405: Clinical Experience Seminar II 2
ED 412: Clinical Experience II 3
ED 418: Assessment, Planning and Instruction 3
ED 421: Technology Integration 3
ED 429: Professional Development Seminar III 2
ED 443: Supporting Language, Literacy and Culture 3
ED 444: Content Literacy 3
ED 446: Environments for Diverse Learners 3
ED 450: Methods for Classroom Management 3
ED 498: Clinical Experience III 10
Total 40

Contact Us

Western Oregon University

Brenda Plata-Hurtado

Bilingual Pre-Education Advisor who works with elementary transfer students.

Email: platahurtadob@wou.edu

Umpqua Community College

Jessica Richardson

Recruitment and Advising Coordinator
Office:Laverne Murphy Student Center
Email: Jessica.Richardson@umpqua.edu
Phone:541-440-4677

Please email or call me to schedule an appointment.

Umpqua Community College

Gwen Soderberg-Chase

Associate Professor – Education (adjunct)
Office:TEAM Hub between CWT and WCH
Email: gwen.soderberg-chase@umpqua.edu
Phone:541-440-7848

Please email or call me to schedule an appointment.