Liberal Studies
The major for future elementary school teachers.
Specializations (for catalog years 2010 and prior)
Students pursuing the Traditional Program and Middle School Option in catalog years 2010 and prior are required to complete a 12+ unit content specialization (students in catalog years 2011 and later will complete a content Focus instead). The requirements of each specialization are almost entirely upper division classes, so most students don’t begin completing specialization requirements until their Junior year. In some cases, however, specializations require additional lower division prerequisites (above and beyond the usual preparation for the major), which generally requires students to begin working towards their specialization a little earlier.
Choosing a specialization involves answering one or more of the following questions:
Do you want to teach Special Education?
If so, choose Human Development as your specialization.
Do you want to teach Bilingual Education?
If so, consider choosing Spanish, especially if your experience with academic Spanish is limited.
Do you want to pursue a Middle School Authorization in a single subject area?
If so, specialize in the subject area you want to teach (Math and Science are especially useful when applying for jobs).
If you answer “no” to all of the questions above, think about which content area is most interesting to you and consider specializing in that area. If you’re equally interested in multiple content areas, consider which one(s) might give your resume the biggest boost (Math and Science are the best resume boosters). You can also use this CHOOSING A SPECIALIZATION flowchart to help you make the decision that's best for you. Once you've decided on a specialization, complete and submit this CHOICE OF SPECIALIZATION form (a fillable pdf) to our office. After you do this, we'll ask the University to program your specialization into your degree evaluation. But please understand that this process can take time (up to six months or more), so you'll need to be patient.
The specific content areas a student can specialize in are grouped below by general content area with a link to a pdf file listing the specific requirements of each individual specialization. Please note: with departments reducing their offerings because of budget cuts, many specialization classes are not offered every semester. Where we know this to be the case, we've made a note on the specilization handout (see the links below) and the choice of specialization form (a fillable pdf).
Language Arts
- Literature
- Linguistics
- Spanish [recommended for students interested in Bilingual Education]
Social Science
Math and Science
MSTI (Math and Science Teaching Initiative) Program
Students in terested in teaching Math or Science at the middle school level (and possibly even the high school level) should consider the MSTI Program offered through SDSU's College of Education. This program offers free Summer workshops to help students pass the foundational level single subject CSETs in Math and Science. For more information, visit the MSTI website.
Visual and Performing Arts
Physical Education and Human Development
- Physical Education [please note that ENS 348 and 398 will no longer be offered and have been removed]
- Human Development [recommended for students interested in Special Education]