School of Education Honors

Admission to the Jack Esterline Program is based upon the following:

1. Completion of all of the program course prerequisites (see list below; minimum 3.6 GPA, minimum 3.33 or B+ for any one class) prior to beginning the fall semester of the first year of full-time study at Spring Arbor University;
2. Acceptance into the E.P. Hart Honors Program, and good standing thereafter (see the catalog and website for admissions criteria, e.g. high school 3.6 GPA, ACT 27 or SAT 1210, etc.);
3. Acceptance and satisfactory progress through a three-and-a-half year, continuous program of study (including summer classes) leading to a degree from the University and a provisional teaching certificate from the Michigan Department of Education
4. Acceptance into the School of Education by the end of the first year of study, and good standing thereafter; and
5. Participation in all activities and events sponsored by education faculty for SOE Honors students.

The advantages for teacher education students who are accepted into the Esterline Program are as follows:

• Academically, with strategic choices for dual-enrollment prior to the first year of study, Esterline students will complete their college education within three-and-a-half years, with some classes consisting of just honors students; students will also engage in a structured approach alongside an education faculty member towards completion of the senior thesis required for the E.P. Hart program;
• Economically, honors students will have at least one less year of room & board than their peers, and will have a slightly reduced tuition because of some special summer classes; further, honors students will be able to enter the job market and be eligible for full-time employment one year earlier than their peers;
• Developmentally, students will receive leadership training through working together to create and fulfill a service project focused on a special population group within K-12 education; students will also engage firsthand with legislative and policy issues at the state and district level alongside of education faculty and invited education professionals; the Esterline program will also create opportunities for honors students to be leaders among their peers; and
• Socially, Esterline honors students will form a community that can encourage and support one another as they move more or less together as a cohort through education and other liberal arts classes; students will live in community for two weeks on campus when taking classes in the first and third years; and
• Professionally, students will discuss vexing educational issues with education professionals and faculty in small group gatherings throughout the three years of study, and will have the opportunity to return to Spring Arbor in later years as education professionals who can help shape the education of subsequent honors students.

Esterline honors students may expect to meet together as a group at least three times per term for social purposes, to discuss educational research and current hot topics in education, to plan the service project, and to take field trips to the state capitol to see education-related legislation and policy unfold.

Questions may be directed to Linda Sherrill, Dean of the School of Education.

The courses listed below may be taken by high school students dual enrolled at Spring Arbor through either an online or traditional format.

Potential applicants to the SOE Honors Program may choose to take an AP, CLEP or Dantes test in order to obtain credit for these courses. Please check with the SAU Registrar’s Office to find out the minimum cut scores for each tests in order to receive credit.

For potential applicants who wish to transfer in some, or all, prerequisite coursework, in order to make sure that a given course may be transferred to SAU and matches the list below, the students are encouraged to work with their dual enrollment admissions rep and the SAU Registrar’s Office to obtain a Transfer Approval Request (TAR) prior to taking a given course to insure that it will transfer.

The following coursework must be completed prior to the first year of study:

• CPS 150
• ENG 112
• HIS 141
• HPR 101
• PSY 100
• ART 152
• MUS 152
• SPE 212
• PHI 200 or 210

Since E.P. Hart Honors students are expected to maintain at least a 3.6 GPA to remain in good standing, the GPA of the prerequisite coursework must also be at least a 3.6 with minimum grade per class of 3.33 (B+).

The Esterline honors program director will work with students to plan out their academic program to fit with a given major(s) and/or minor(s); this is a general reference.

Elementary

*denotes honors or leadership course required for E.P. Hart Honors and/or SOE Honors

Secondary

*denotes honors or leadership course required for E.P. Hart Honors and/or SOE Honors

Note: Third year methods courses may only be offered in fall or spring depending on the subject area, so third year schedule may vary slightly from this.