Liberal Studies Major
The Liberal Studies major at Concordia University Irvine is the Elementary Subject Matter Preparation Program approved by the state of California for students preparing to be elementary or multiple subject teachers.
An elementary teacher teaches in a self-contained classroom and teaches all the subjects. To be an elementary teacher you must have a broad foundation of academic content. An elementary teacher must be a well-educated person that has both breadth and depth in the subject areas. The best major for you is the Liberal Studies major.
Federal legislation, No Child Left Behind, requires all elementary teachers to be highly qualified. This requires the passage of a rigorous subject matter examination to verify your mastery of the subject matter. In California, this examination is called the CSET. Concordia’s Liberal Studies major is aligned to the broad subject matter competencies of this examination. This is another reason we recommend the Liberal Studies Major for students with the goal of becoming an elementary teacher.
Coursework and Concentrations
The coursework for this major is outlined on the Courses page. It includes your general education coursework and your area of concentration. The concentration is 12 units of coursework in a subject area. This subject area is your choice. Your concentration choices are exhibited below: