Primary Education (Grades PreK-5) Licensure BSE
Build your teaching skills in real PreK-5 classrooms starting in your first semester. You'll graduate with a BSE and Ohio licensure to teach grades PreK-5, plus 700+ hours of field experience - nearly three times the state's 240-hour requirement.
Program Overview
Shawnee State University’s Primary Education PreK–5 Licensure Program prepares future educators to lead with confidence, compassion, and competence. Built on a clinical model, this program places students in PreK–5 classrooms beginning in their first semester—totaling more than 700 hours of field and student teaching by graduation. That’s nearly three times the 240-hour requirement set by the Ohio Department of Higher Education.
Students develop into learner-centered, inquiring professionals—educators who understand how to teach for both comprehension and inclusivity. This is especially critical in today’s diverse and dynamic classrooms. Courses like Educational Psychology and Exceptional Learning Needs ensure students gain the knowledge to support learners of all abilities and backgrounds.
More than just lesson planning and instruction, this program emphasizes the moral purpose of teaching: a deep commitment to the intellectual, emotional, and social growth of every student. Our graduates are prepared to lead classrooms with a focus on student engagement, equity, and meaningful learning outcomes.
Career Outcomes
How to Apply
-
Start your application
Free, takes about 15 minutes.
-
Send transcripts
Have your high school guidance counselor send them to admissions@shawnee.edu
-
File the FAFSA
School code 009942. Required for Free Tuition.
-
Get your decision
Most decisions in under 7 days.
Polly Brown
Executive Assistant to the Provost
pbrown@shawnee.edu
At A Glance
Primary Education (Grades PreK-5) Licensure BSE
Degree
BSE
Format
On campus
Length
4 years (full-time)
Credits
121
Why Study Primary Education (Grades PreK-5) Licensure BSE at Shawnee University
Classroom hours from day one. Our clinical model puts you in PreK-5 classrooms in your first semester. By graduation you'll have 700+ field hours - well above Ohio's 240-hour minimum.
Built for inclusive classrooms. Courses like Exceptional Learning Needs and Educational Psychology prepare you to support learners of all abilities and backgrounds. Small classes and close mentorship.
You're not a number - faculty know your goals and where you're placed.
Ohio PreK-5 licensure on graduation. The program is approved by the Ohio Department of Higher Education and aligned with CAEP.
More than methods. The program emphasizes the moral and ethical work of teaching young children - not just lesson templates.
The 121-credit degree blends general education, professional education coursework, content for elementary teachers, and a deep clinical model.
- General Education Program (40 credits)
- First-Year Experience (1 credit): University Foundations
- Professional Education Core (12 credits): educational media and technology, cultural diversity, exceptional learning needs, curriculum and assessment
- Early Childhood Courses (39 credits): intro to primary education, developmentally appropriate practice, administration, integrated curriculum and assessment, teacher capstones, methods, and directed teaching
- Curriculum Content (17 credits): art in the curriculum, American cultural history and literature, math for elementary teachers I & II
- Reading Requirements (12 credits): foundations of literacy, teaching phonics, matching books with learners, teaching reading in content areas
- Related Studies (6 credits): intro to psychology, child and adolescent psychology, educational psychology
You're in PreK-5 classrooms from semester one. Across 700+ hours of fieldwork and student teaching, you'll work on lesson planning, classroom management, diverse-learner support, and instructional strategy. By the time you graduate, you're classroom-ready - not theory-ready.
- Design and implement effective, inclusive lessons for young learners
- Demonstrate understanding of developmental and learning theory
- Apply culturally responsive and evidence-based teaching practices
- Manage diverse classrooms and foster a positive learning environment
- Use formative and summative assessments to guide instruction
- Reflect ethically and professionally on teaching practice
On campus at Shawnee State University in Portsmouth, Ohio. Field placements and student teaching happen in local PreK-5 schools.
- PreK, kindergarten, or elementary classroom teacher (public or private, grades PreK-5)
- Reading specialist or literacy interventionist (with future coursework or licensure)
- Curriculum and instructional roles in elementary education
- Early childhood education program coordinator
- Graduate study in curriculum, literacy, or intervention specialist licensure
Graduates teach in public and private elementary schools across Ohio. The Ohio PreK-5 license has reciprocity in many other states - confirm with the licensure board where you plan to teach.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Shawnee State’s tuition is among the lowest in Ohio, and the Shawnee Advantage Tuition Guarantee keeps your rate flat for four years. Scholarships including Choose Ohio First and the Pell-Eligible Free Tuition Program may also apply.
Primary Education (Grades PreK-5) Licensure BSE Frequently Asked Questions
PreK through 5th grade in Ohio.
Your very first semester. Fieldwork continues each semester all the way through student teaching.
Yes. Coursework in Exceptional Learning Needs and Educational Psychology prepares you to support diverse learners. If you want a deeper intervention focus, look at the Primary Intervention Specialist Blended track.
Yes. It meets the standards of the Ohio Department of Higher Education and CAEP.
Program handbook
Contact the Department of Primary Education (kliu@shawnee.edu or (740) 351-3211) for the current Primary Education handbook. Course descriptions and degree requirements are in the Academic Catalog.
Below are the degree requirements for Early Childhood Education in sequence.
To view them, you will need Microsoft Excel. If you can’t open this document please contact pbrown@shawnee.edu for an alternative.
Accreditation
Approved by the Ohio Department of Higher Education and aligned with the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). Graduates meet requirements for Ohio PreK-5 Teaching Licensure. Shawnee State University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
