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Dr. Greg Valentine
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Business Education Degree

Why would I want a Business Education degree? 
If you have a desire to teach business subjects in grades 6 - 12, you should complete a business education major program offered by the College of Business in cooperation with the Bower-Suhrheinrich College of Education and Human Services.  The business education major is accredited by the Indiana Professional Standards Board and the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education.

What career opportunities would I be prepared for?
The business education program is designed to prepare you for a career as a business teacher.  While most business education majors go to work as high school teachers, the program also provides a background for work in other types of organizations, especially in jobs requiring accounting or computer skills.  These types of organizations have employed recent USI business education majors:

  • Computer Training Centers
  • Computer Sales Organizations
  • Corporate Training
  • High Schools
  • Medical Clinics
  • Real Estate Companies

What do I do if I am interested in Vocational Business Education? 
As a business education student, you can choose to gain special teaching endorsements in Vocational Business Education

What could I expect for my first job?
As a business education major, you will be prepared to take your place as a high school teacher as well as in other career paths.  Recent USI graduates in business education have had these career opportunities:

  • Computer Training Center Instructor
  • High School Teacher
  • Manager Trainee
  • Office Manager
  • Real Estate Agent
  • School District Computer Training Coordinator
  • Technical Support Representative

What will I be eligible to teach? 
You will be eligible to teach the following courses according to the law of the State of Indiana:

  • Accounting
  • Business and Personal Law
  • Business Foundations
  • Business Management
  • Business Mathematics/Personal Finance
  • Computer Applications
  • Computer Programming
  • Computer Science
  • Desktop Publishing
  • Digital Communications
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Financial Services and Planning
  • Global Economics
  • International Business
  • Keyboarding Document
  • Marketing I
  • Technical/Business Communications

Why must I work closely with my faculty advisor?
You must work closely with your assigned faculty advisor when selecting required courses to ensure meeting all course requirements of the College of Business and the Bower-Suhrheinrich College of Education and Human Services.

Download Secondary Teaching Student HandbookIn addition to completing the business teacher concentration courses, what other requirements must I meet?

  1. Comply with the procedures and regulations of the Bower-Suhrheinrich College of Education and Human Services related to admission. 
  2. Take and pass all three sections of the Praxis I as either a freshman or first-semester sophomore.
  3. Complete 55 credit hours by the end of your sophomore year or the first semester of your junior year.
  4. Have a grade point average (GPA) of 2.75 overall and a GPA of 2.75 within the College of Business.
  5. Pass the Praxis II-Business Education (code 10100) test during your senior year.
  6. Participate in student teaching.

What are the Standards for the Teacher of Business?
You will find the Standards for the Teacher of Business on the Division of Professional Standards at http://www.doe.state.in.us/dps/standards/BusinessContStds.html.


Click to download the check sheet for the bachelor degree in Business Education What courses do I need to take to earn a degree in Business Education?

Computer Applications in Business
3 hours
ASBE 291 /or/
EDUC 214
Desktop Publishing and Web Design /or/  Instructional Technology in Education
(See Business Education Advisor)
3 hours

NOTE: The following courses must be completed and are offered every other semester.  Students must consult with the coordinator of the Business Education Program in order to determine when they must take these courses:

Methods of Teaching Computer Courses
3 hours
Methods of Teaching Business Education
3 hours
EDUC 196
Foundations of Reflective Teaching
3 hours
EDUC 202
Growth & Development: Adolescence & Young Adult
3 hours
EDUC 302
Multicultural Education
3 hours
EDUC 305
Teaching & Learning in the Senior High, Junior High, and Middle School
3 hours
EDUC 306
Educating Exceptional Children
3 hours
EDUC 473
Supervised Teaching in the Secondary School
6 hours
EDUC 474
Supplemental Supervised Teaching in the Secondary School
6 hours
EDUC 448
Synthesis Seminar in Secondary Teaching
3 hours
EDUC 493
Content Area Reading: Differentiated Instruction
3 hours
TOTAL professional education courses: 33 hours

126 total hours with a minimum 2.75 GPA within College of Business and University cores.  These hours must include classes to meet the 39-hour upper division (300/400 level) course requirements. 

This information does NOT take the place of meeting
with your advisor!  Requirements could have changed!


How do I know which classes I should take each semester?
See a suggested schedule in Business Education.  Keep in mind that this list does not take the place of meeting with your advisor.


Vocational Business Education (Career/Technical Education) Endorsement
 6 hours

To be a candidate for the vocational business education (CTE) endorsement, you must hold the business education license and complete the following course work:
  
ASBE 571 Principles and Philosophy of Vocational Education (spring semester) 3 hours
ASBE 591 Developing and Implementing Cooperative Vocational Education Programs (fall semester) 3 hours

In addition to the preceding course work, you must have completed two (2) years of full-time teaching experience and 1,000 clock hours of successful business/office-related employment; this must be documented employment.  Retail work experience (sales clerk) is not acceptable as documented employment unless you worked as the accountant, shipping/receiving clerk, or in some other special capacity.

You may begin to work on the course work requirements as an undergraduate in the Business Teacher Education Program; however, you will not receive this endorsement to your license until all legal requirements established by the Indiana Professional Standards Board have been met.

Coverage: The holder of the vocational business endorsement is eligible to teach state-approved vocational subjects in business education, organize and manage an intensive office laboratory and/or in-school business laboratory, coordinate a cooperative program with students from all office occupational areas, and coordinate an interdisciplinary cooperative education (ICE) program.

All courses are offered via distance education.

See the Indiana Department of Education website for additional information:  http://www.doe.state.in.us/octe/bme/Resources/PDF%20Files/USIVocationalBusnessEndorsement.pdf


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