The bachelor of arts in humanities for teaching (BAHT) should be understood as a “pre-teaching” degree analogous to a “pre-law” or “pre-med” curriculum: a degree intended to give the best possible undergraduate preparation for subsequent professional training in a graduate school of education. The BAHT builds on the basic humanistic course work that is the hallmark of Matteo Ricci College but also adds two key elements: (1) course work and co-curricular activities designed and taught in collaboration with the Seattle University College of Education to provide optimal foundations and perspectives, theoretical and experiential, for those who plan to attend graduate school to become teachers in the K-12 schools; and (2) sophisticated individual advising to assure that students who will be seeking admission to a graduate school of education for teacher-training and certification have already completed, as undergraduates, the course work in specific academic disciplines to qualify them ideally for subject area endorsements (i.e., legal authority to teach particular subjects in the state or states of their choice once they have earned a teacher’s certificate through a master’s level program at Seattle University or elsewhere). Thus, students preparing for the BAHT will be guided in taking advantage of the rich breadth of courses available throughout Seattle University so as to maximize their subsequent attractiveness first to graduate schools of education and then to school districts, as well as to make them excellent teachers and effective leaders within their communities. For those students who might ultimately decide not to pursue teaching as a career, the BAHT offers a broad training in the liberal arts, which should serve the student well in many professions and vocations.
Structure and Admissions Requirements
The program leading to the bachelor of arts in humanities for teaching (BAHT) is designed and taught in collaboration with the Seattle University College of Education, a graduate school. The BAHT is a “cohort program”; that is, students are only admitted to the program as freshmen through the normal process administered through the Seattle University Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Thereafter, students follow a prescribed sequence of required courses (see below). Students will also have ample opportunities to undertake study in one or more “areas for endorsement” so as to fulfill the specific subject area requirements to be allowed to teach specific subjects in an elementary, middle, or secondary school. This degree does not itself confer a teaching credential of any kind. Rather, it is an optimal academic preparation for someone who intends to obtain a credential through a master’s degree in teaching or other graduate-level program, or even through the alternative certification programs offered in some states. Apart from the sequences of required courses, students’ individual programs of study may vary widely depending on the grade level and the specific subject areas in which they intend to teach.
Guaranteed Preferred Admission to the Master in Teaching Program of the Seattle University College of Education
Students who complete the BAHT with a grade point average of 3.0 or better, and who also meet the general admissions requirements of the Seattle University College of Education, are guaranteed a preferred status in applying for admission to the Master in Teaching (MIT) program. This preferred status is valid for up to three academic years following completion of the BAHT, to permit the student a period of employment, foreign study, other specialized study, etc. Students interested in pursuing this path should contact directly the Seattle University College of Education regarding forms, deadlines, and any intervening changes to their general requirements, which at present are as follows:
- A cumulative grade point average of 3.00.
- A passing score on the Washington State Basic Skills Test (a requirement for eventual teacher certification).
- A passing score on the Washington State Content Test in the student’s intended area(s) of endorsement (also a requirement for eventual teacher certification).
- Two letters of recommendation, preferably from people who can assess the applicant’s work with young people and/or from the applicant’s professors or cooperating teachers in HUMT 271 -HUMT 272 or HUMT 273 -HUMT 274 .
- Satisfactory completion of a primary teaching subject area endorsement form outlining the courses taken or to be taken to meet state endorsement requirements for elementary or secondary teaching. This form must be provisionally approved by the Seattle University MIT program.
- The completion of an endorsement plan under the guidance of an MIT advisor.
- An autobiographical statement.
- A writing sample.
- An interview with faculty from the Seattle University MIT program.
The decision to admit a student to the MIT program is entirely at the discretion of the College of Education. Students who may not meet the requirements for preferred admission status at the Seattle University College of Education are nonetheless likely to be strong candidates for admission through the normal admissions process at other graduate schools of education. They may also reapply to the Seattle University MIT program. Students who do not pass the skills and content tests may nonetheless earn the BAHT degree.
Program Requirements
Students are expected to make normal progress toward completing the required courses in sequence. They must always maintain a cumulative academic grade point average of 2.50 or higher. Students failing to meet these expectations will be placed on probation for two quarters and thereafter are subject to dismissal from the College. Only courses graded C- (1.7) or higher will fulfill the HUMT requirements scheduled for the HUMT 150 and HUMT 180 series. Only those graded C (2.0) or higher will be accepted in fulfillment of all other humanities courses.
Each student is closely advised by a Matteo Ricci College BAHT advisor who is conversant with the endorsement and credential requirements in the various states, as well as with the preferences of graduate schools and school districts as they evaluate candidates. No student may register for any Seattle University course without consulting, and receiving written permission from, an advisor or a dean. Students are required to seek additional informal advice from faculty in their areas of prospective endorsement. Further, appropriate personnel of the Seattle University College of Education meet regularly with BAHT students as a group and individually as needed.
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