2026-2027 Academic Catalog

Middle Grades Content Areas

The Middle Grades Education program requires students to choose a content area for licensure. CUC’s approved content areas for Middle Grades are listed below:

Literacy Education Coursework (27 hours) 

Required Courses
EDMG-3000Middle Grades: Development and Philosophy3
EDMG-4900Content and Methods for Middle Grades Literacy3
Select remaining 21 hours from the following:
Speech Communication (Included in Gen Ed or program requirement) 1
Content and Methods for Elementary Literacy
Literacy Instruction in the Content Areas (Included in Gen Ed or program requirement) 1
Content and Methods of Middle/Secondary English
Theoretical Foundations of Teaching ESL Students
Literature for Children, Adolescents and Young Adults (This may satisfy a Gen Ed requirement)
Foundations of Literacy (Included in Gen Ed or program requirement)) 1
Linguistics and Language Development for Diverse Learners
English Composition (Included in Gen Ed or program requirement)) 1
Writing About Literature (Included in Gen Ed or program requirement)) 1
Linguistics
Non-Western Literature (Meets Global Emphasis requirement)
U.S. Latina/o Literature(s)
Greek & Roman Mythology
African American Literature
Classical World Literature
Modern World Literature
British Literature to 1785
Major American Authors
Literary Theory & Criticism (Recommended Course)
Literature/Related Media for Adolescents (Included in Gen Ed or program requirement)) 1,3
Shakespeare
Twentieth Century American Fiction
Twentieth Century Poetry
Total Hours 27
1

Included in General Education or program requirements above.

2

Required for Literacy Content Area or ENG-4150 Literature/Related Media for Adolescents.

3

Required for Literacy Content Area or EDUC-2400 Literature for Children, Adolescents and Young Adults.

 Mathematics Education Coursework (27-30 Hours)

EDMG-3000Middle Grades: Development and Philosophy3
EDMG-4905Content and Methods for Middle Grades Math3
MAT-1411Mathematics for Teachers: Number and Measurement (prerequisites and required) 13
MAT-1820Pre-Calculus (prerequisites and required, but may be satisfied by placement) 13
MAT-2000Statistics3
MAT-2400Calculus for Business and Life Sciences3
or MAT-2500 Calculus I
MAT-3700College Geometry3
Select two additional Math courses from the list below (select a third if MAT-1820 is waived6-9
Discrete Mathematics
Problem Solving with Number Theory
Calculus II
Calculus III
Differential Equations
History of Mathematics
Mathematical Proof
Linear Algebra
Number Theory
Group Theory
Probability Theory
Mathematical Statistics
Real Analysis
Complex Analysis
Total Hours27-30
1

Courses are Prerequisites for methods.

Science Education (STEM Emphasis) Coursework (27 hours)

Prerequisite: EDUC-3400 Integrated Sciences – STEM

Integrated Sciences: STEM (Required for Middle Grades Science majors. Recommended for Secondary Biology.) Must include physical science, life science AND earth/space science. General Education and pre-requisite courses may be applied. 

Required Courses
EDMG-3000Middle Grades: Development and Philosophy3
EDSC-4618Content and Methods of Middle/Secondary Science3
Select remaining 21 hours from the following 21
Integrated Sciences – STEM (prerequisites and required)
Biology in the World Today (With Lab)
General Biology I (With Lab)
General Biology II (With Lab)
Microbiology (With Lab)
General Ecology (With Lab)
Consumer Chemistry (With Lab)
Fundamentals of Chemistry (With Lab)
General Chemistry I (With Lab)
Introduction to Organic and Biological Chemistry (With Lab)
Elements of Earth Science (With Lab)
Physics of Things We Use (With Lab)
Elementary Physics I (With Lab)
Elementary Physics II (With Lab)
Electives
As needed to meet the 120-hour degree requirement
Total Hours 27
1

Courses are prerequisites and required.

2

CHE-2300 Introduction to Organic and Biological Chemistry (With Lab) must be taken if CHE-2200 Fundamentals of Chemistry (With Lab) is selected above.

 Social Sciences Coursework  (27 hours)

Required Courses
EDMG-3000Middle Grades: Development and Philosophy (Pre-requisites and Required course)3
EDSC-4619Content and Methods of Middle/Secondary Social Science (Pre-requisites and Required course)3
GEO-1200World Geography: Culture Patterns (Pre-requisites and Required course)3
HIS-1200History of the American People to 1877 (Pre-requisites and Required course)3
HIS-1250History of the American People since 1877 (Pre-requisites and Required course)3
HIS-2800A History of Illinois (Pre-requisites and Required course)3
9 Additional hours from the categories of: Economics, Geography, History, and/or Civics/Government in relation to Illinois , United States, and/or the world.9
Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
Elements of Earth Science (With Lab)
Geography of North America
The Developing World
Survey of World History to 1500
Survey of the World Since 1500
Seminar in Writing and Researching History
African History
The Age of Reform, 1400-1650
Europe In Our Time: 1918-Present
Rise and Decline of Modern Europe: 1799-1918
Antebellum America
Contemporary America
The American Religious Experience
Twentieth Century World History
Non-Western Historical Studies
Introduction to Sustainability (With Lab)
American Government and Politics (Total Hours )
Total Hours 27