College of Health, Education and Professional Studies
Professor Mary Tanner, Dean
The primary goal of the College of Health, Education and Professional Studies is twofold: to prepare qualified people to be professional leaders in various roles within educational institutions, both public and private, and to prepare qualified personnel for careers in selected professional fields unrelated to school licensure.
All teacher licensure programs through the educational specialist’s level are fully accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and the Tennessee Department of Education.
Successful completion of all degree and licensure requirements of any undergraduate program administered by the college, excluding selected program concentrations offered in the Departments of Human Ecology and Exercise Science, Health, and Leisure Studies, qualifies the student for initial licensure in Tennessee, provided the student scores on the PRAXIS II tests at or above the minimum required by the Tennessee Board of Education at the time of application for initial licensure.
Title II of the Higher Education Act of 1998 requires teacher preparation institutions to report Praxis II test scores and other data. The federal report for 2001-2002 was issued in October of 2003 and is available at http://www.title2.org. UTC’s single assessment pass rates were 100 percent in all content areas; aggregate pass rates were 99 and 100 percent. Data submitted for the 2002-2003 reporting year were available in October 2004.
The programs in education are designed to provide preparation for individuals seeking to enhance their ability to perform effectively in a variety of leadership roles in educational settings. While tied to licensure or credentialing in most cases, in every case the program seeks to prepare a thoughtful, informed practitioner of learning and leading. The coursework shaped around this reflective practice model constitutes an approach that is based on a coherent set of beliefs about how best to prepare students to enter educational settings.
Exercise Science, Health, and Leisure Studies
Professor David Cundiff, Head
Human Ecology
Associate Professor Linda Cundiff, Head
School of Nursing
Associate Professor Kay Lindgren, Head
Physical Therapy
Assistant Professor Catherine R. Smith, Head
Teacher Preparation Academy
Associate Professor Valerie Rutledge, Head
Graduate Studies Division
Associate Professor Anthony Lease, Head
Courses of Study
Undergraduate—The college offers approved undergraduate programs leading to the Bachelor of Science degree and eligibility for teacher licensure in Tennessee and in those states which grant reciprocity privileges to graduates of institutions accredited by NCATE. Courses of study include:
- Art Education (K-12)
- Early Childhood (PreK-4), see Human Ecology
- Exceptional Learning (K-12)
- Exercise Science (Health and Exercise Science Pedagogy)
- Foreign Language Education (K-12) (French, Latin, Spanish)
- Middle Grades Education (5-8)
- Music Education (K-12) (B.M.)
- Secondary Education (7-12) with concentrations in English, mathematics, natural sciences (biology, chemistry, earth and space science, physics), and social sciences (economics, geography, political science, history)
- Theatre Education (K-12)
