Liberal Studies/Undergraduate Education K-8 Program
Program Director: Paul Flores, Ph.D.
Director of Student Services: Jamie Lambertson, M.A.
Faculty: Steven Wentland, Ed.D.O.L.
Program Overview
The Liberal Studies/Undergraduate Education K-8 Program offers a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies, approved by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing to prepare undergraduate students seeking careers as elementary school teachers with the breadth of content knowledge needed to teach in a K-8 setting. The liberal studies degree provides future elementary school teachers with opportunities to teach up to a basic ninth-grade level subject(s), and to take the California Subject Examination for Teachers: Multiple Subject (CSET). State changes require a Supplementary/Subject Matter Authorization (SMA) if the student desires to teach up to a ninth-grade level. Please consult the Liberal Studies/Undergraduate Education K-8 office for complete information. During the first two years of college, it is suggested that undergraduate liberal studies majors complete university general education requirements and prerequisites to upper-division course work, which is embedded in the program’s four-year plan. Students may want to explore the teaching field by taking EDLS 300 Introduction to Teaching as a Profession as sophomores, juniors, or seniors, along with EDLS 405 Diversity in the Classroom and EDLS 496 Senior Seminar. Students in this program participate in approximately 72 hours of teacher-oriented service learning field experience through several core liberal studies/undergraduate education K-8 courses.
Career Opportunities
Though most liberal studies graduates find teaching positions in public and private elementary schools locally, nationally, and abroad, demands exist in the business and communication fields as well because of the increasing need for college graduates with broad and diverse academic backgrounds.
Every spring, APU hosts a Teacher Interview Day where local public school districts, private schools, and APU students participate.
What about internship and graduate school opportunities?
Many liberal studies majors continue their education at Azusa Pacific University in the teacher credentialing and master’s degree programs. Others attend such institutions as California State University, Los Angeles; University of Southern California; University of La Verne; and University of Redlands. Following graduation, approximately 30 percent of liberal studies majors secure paid teaching contracts at local elementary schools. APU liberal studies majors may choose traditional or interval multiple-subject programs.
“As a liberal studies major, I get hands-on, practical educational experiences through the service learning opportunities that are offered. All of the professors have an ample amount of knowledge related to their field, making each lesson rich and insightful.”
Tiffany Porter ’06
Liberal studies
