Adolescence to Young Adult Education (Licensure Program)

On this page:

• Why Choose Adolescence to Young Adult Education?
• Careers
• Real-World Experience
• Success Stories
• Academics, Curriculum, and Academic Advising
• Admission
• Licensure Exams

Why Choose Adolescence to Young Adult Education?

The adolescence to young adult undergraduate licensure program provides you the opportunity to earn a bachelor's degree and teaching license at the undergraduate level. If you have a high interest in language arts, social studies, mathematics, or science (chemistry, life/earth science, physics), you are able to carry out your passion by teaching the subject of your choice to grades 7-12.  

You will major in your content area and later work through the College of Health, Education, and Human Services to complete the undergraduate licensure program. This allows you to develop a deep knowledge of your content and the ability to practice the art of teaching through various field experiences. Links to specific majors at Wright State as well as the admissions process for our licensure program are listed below.  

When you complete the program and pass Ohio-required licensure exams, you are eligible for an Ohio Resident Educator license in adolescence to young adult education in the concentration area that applies to your preparation. 

Wright State’s programs are accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation, fully approved by the Ohio Department of Higher Education, and meet the requirements for the Ohio Department of Education 4 Year Resident Educator teaching license. Licensure and certification requirements vary from state to state, and we have not determined if this program meets educational requirements outside of Ohio. If you are planning to pursue professional licensure or certification in a state other than Ohio, please contact the appropriate licensing entity in that state to seek information and guidance regarding that state’s licensure or certification requirements. Moreover, our programs provide relevant and up-to-date training, such as Youth Mental Health First Aid Training and other professional development opportunities in accordance with Ohio’s Strategic Plan for Education focused on the whole child.  

Program Highlights

• Early and frequent field experiences provide learning and networking opportunities in grades 7–12 classrooms. 
• Allows you to complete a bachelor's degree and licensure in four years. 
• Major in your content area, allowing for a deep understanding in the subject 
• Opportunities to understand adolescent development, motivation, and needs. 
• Based on feedback from employers, Wright State prepares you especially well to collaborate effectively with other teachers, administrators, and staff. 
• Over the past five years, 97 percent of Wright State program completers passed the state’s licensure examinations. 
• Teachers prepared at Wright State consistently perform above the state average on the Ohio Teacher Evaluation System (OTES). 

Undergraduate majors at Wright State that connect to licensure:

• Bachelor of Arts in English, Integrated Language Arts (ILA) Concentration
• Bachelor of Arts in Social Science Education
• Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, Mathematics Education Concentration
• Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, Chemistry Education Concentration
• Bachelor of Arts in Earth and Environmental Sciences, Life Science/Earth Science Education Concentration
• Bachelor of Arts in Physics, Physics Education Concentration

Contact Information
Brian Boyd, Ph.D.
473 Millett Hall
937-775-3275
Brian.Boyd@wright.edu

Careers

Demand for teachers is high, with many parts of the state and nation currently unable to hire as many teachers as they need. Areas with the highest need include special education (an intervention specialist), math, science, world language, and teaching English as a second language (TESOL). Teaching is unique in that it provides professionals an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of students, carry out their passion for their content area, and advocate for issues related to education. There are also plenty of opportunities to move up and through the education field, including becoming a lead teacher, administrator, or school counselor or furthering your specialties through endorsements and certificates. Some professionals take opportunities to move their careers to advocacy, government agencies, and higher education.   

The College of Health, Education, and Human Services has provided a dedicated career consultant to assist you in connecting your major to a career. The career consultant focuses on staying up to date on career trends in education, kinesiology and health, leadership, and human services. Our assigned career consultant is an extension of services offered through Wright State’s Career Services. 

Visit our Educator Quality Data page for additional details on employment and salary. 

Real-World Experience

Extensive real-life experience and practice in P-12 schools is the heart of Wright State’s teacher preparation programs.  As an education major, you will benefit from the highest quality instruction that is interwoven with clinical practice throughout your program.  Working in close partnership with nine local school districts and many other schools in the region, our programs provide you with the following advantages:   

• Early in your program, you will have the opportunity to begin serving in schools through ED 2100 Education in a Democracy, a designated service-learning course. 
• You will be in the schools early and often, including at least four semesters in which you are in the field. 
• You will spend more hours on the ground in schools practicing and refining your skills than nearly any other program in the state.  Although the state only requires 100 hours prior to student teaching, we require 470 hours.  
• All of your field experiences will be supervised by clinical faculty (trained former teachers, principals, and curriculum directors) who will provide quality, constructive feedback to improve your readiness to teach. 
• In addition to your regular field experiences, you will have one or more education courses (e.g. classroom management, science methods, etc.) in which your professor will hold portions of your university class on-site at a local school district to enrich your experience and bridge the gap from theory to practice. 
• Your experience will culminate in a year-long student teaching internship where you will start the year and end the year with the same mentor teacher and classroom. 
• Our Office of Partnerships and Field Experiences works to place our candidates in a variety of school settings (urban, suburban, rural) to allow for varying experiences. 

Success Stories

Academics and Curriculum

View the Adolescence to Young Adult Education Licensure program information, degree requirements, and graduation planning strategy in the Academic Catalog. 

AYA Licensure Program of Study (PDF)

Academic Advising

For general questions about our licensure program, admission information, and education courses, contact an academic advisor in the CHEH academic advising office. 

For advising questions related to your undergraduate program of study, please contact the College of Liberal Arts or College of Science and Mathematics advising offices. 

Admission

Admissions Requirements

• 2.6 cumulative minimum undergraduate GPA
• A grade of "C" or better in all required, respective content courses (PDF)
• A grade of "C" or better in ED 2600, ED 2700, EDS 2900
• A grade of "P" in ED 2650 and ED 2750
• Passing scores in each of the following areas:
• One of the following Reading scores:
  • ACT Reading score of 19 or better
  • SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score of 520 or better
  • ETS Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators Reading score of 162 or better
• One of the following Math scores:
  • ACT Math score of 17 or better
  • SAT Math score of 510 or better
  • ETS Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators Math score of 158 or better
• One of the following Writing scores:
  • ACT Writing score of 6 or better
  • SAT Essay-Writing Dimension score of 5 or better
  • ETS Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators Writing score of 165 or better

Be aware that WHEN you took the test is an important factor in determining whether your score meets the minimum criteria for admission, due to revisions that have occurred over time in the ACT, SAT, and Praxis tests. Acceptable Test Scores for Admission to Teacher Education Programs (PDF)

**Due to accreditation requirement changes, admissions requirements are subject to change. You should continue to check for updates and work with your advisor to be informed of upcoming changes.  

Admissions Process

New Students

Current Wright State Students

You may not enroll in the 4000-level licensure courses prior to admission into the licensure program. No exceptions will be granted. 

New cohorts begin in both fall and spring semesters. Applications are due January 15 to begin in the fall and September 15 to begin in the spring. 

Licensure Exams

Candidates are required to pass their respective content-specific Ohio Assessment for Educators before they are allowed to begin their Internship Part II: Student Teaching experience. Information on the tests can be found on the OAE webpage.