Elementary Teacher Education

Elementary Teacher Education AA-T Degree

The Associate of Arts for Transfer in Elementary Teacher Education is designed to provide students a seamless transfer to the California State University system. The degree is designed for students who are planning to become elementary teachers, with a goal of seamlessly transferring to a CSU and completing a Liberal Arts or Liberal Studies degree, and continuing on to earn a multiple-subject teaching credential. The degree provides the foundation for teacher development and training

Program student learning outcomes:

  1. Students will compose a formal, argumentative MLA-style research paper that shows an understanding of the writing process, technical correctness, and higher-level critical thinking skills.
  2. Students will identify a career path and educational goals for a career in education taking into consideration the level(s) they want to teach and the institution(s) where they want to complete their degree(s) and credential(s).
  3. Students will provide a college-level in class written analysis of authors’ content and style given an assigned reading.
  4. Students will develop and teach a standards-based lesson in an authentic educational setting that will include intention/rationale, process assessment, and reflection.
  5. Students will demonstrate basic public speaking delivery techniques.

Students must meet the following requirements to qualify for an Associates for Transfer Degree (ADT):

  • Complete 60 semester units or 90 quarter units that are eligible for transfer to the California State University (CSU).
  • A minimum of 18 semester units or 27 quarter units in a major or area of emphasis, as determined by the community college district.
  • Obtain a minimum grade point average of 2.0.
  • Minimum grade of “C” for each course in the major.
  • Completion of CalGETC Requirements with a minimum grade of "C".


Recommended Course Sequence: Elementary Teacher Education AA-T Degree

This program has 50 percent or more of the major courses available via distance education/online

Course # Title Units
Required Core Courses (24-26 units)
CD 005 Child Development 3
COMM C1000 Introduction to Public Speaking 3
EDUC 001 Introduction to Teaching 3
HIST 017A History of the United States 1492-1877 3
POLS C1000 American Government and Politics 3
ENGL C1000 Academic Reading and Writing 3
OR ESL 001 Composition for College 5
BIO 010 Fundamentals of Biology 3
OR BIO 015 Biology for Education 3
HIST 020 World History I 3
OR ENG 002 Introduction to Literature 3
Plus 4-8 units from the courses below:
ESCI 002 Introduction to Earth Science 4
PHYSCI 002 Chemistry and Physics for Educators 4
Plus 3 units from the courses below:
ART 042 Art Appreciation 3
MUS 042 Music Appreciation 3
Plus 0-12 units from the courses below:
EDUC 005 Critical Thinking in the Classroom 3
ENGL C1001 Critical Thinking and Writing 3
GEOG 002 World Regional Geography 3
LING 011 Introduction to Linguistics 3
MATH 010A Structure & Concepts in Mathematics I 3
MATH 010B Structure & Concepts in Mathematics II 3
PHIL 002 Introduction to Logic 3
Total Major Units 31-49
Units that may be double-counted as GE 25
General Education (Cal-GETC) Units 34
Elective Units 0
Total Degree Units 60