Field Experiences

The College of Education and Human Development contracts with numerous school districts in a 50-mile radius of Bowling Green to provide field placements for students in initial teacher licensure programs at BGSU.  The Office of Field Experiences works with personnel in 400 regional schools to arrange methods and student teaching/internship experiences for students in the School of Teaching and Learning and student teaching/internship experiences for all other pre-service teachers.  Options for national and international student teaching/internship placements are also available for eligible students.

Within the School of Teaching and Learning, students pursuing licensure in Early Childhood, Middle Childhood, Adolescent/Young Adult, Foreign Language and Business/Marketing  Education participate in a professional year experience in which they complete their methods and student teaching/internship placements in the same classroom over two consecutive semesters.  Earlier field experiences are arranged by program faculty/instructors, who communicate expectations and procedures within the structure of each course.

The Office of Field Experiences also places students seeking initial licensure in Intervention Specialist/Special Education, Art, Music, Technology and Physical Education for their student teaching/internship experiences. Earlier field experiences are arranged by program faculty/instructors, who communicate expectations and procedures within the structure of each program and course.

Application Process
All students in the programs listed above must attend major-specific sign-up meetings, held during the first two weeks of the semester prior to their enrollment in methods courses or the previous semester for Business or Marketing Education.  During the meeting, students are given current information about the application process, placement area, eligibility, expectations, requirements, and forms that must be turned in.  Students complete and submit their application forms before leaving the meeting.  Other options, such as international or national student teaching/internship opportunities, are also discussed at this meeting.

Eligibility
Students must complete all prerequisite coursework, meet all course grade and grade point average requirements, and obtain the required scores on all prerequisite tests prior to being enrolled in student teaching/internship.  Students who are currently enrolled in or completing prerequisites may be placed tentatively but will not be allowed to continue if determined ineligible at the end of the term prior to enrollment in student teaching/internship.

Placement Policy
Placements are made by the program area and the Office of Field Experiences only and are based on the following factors:

1. Eligibility of the student. 
2. Quality and availability of approved field sites. 
3. Availability of qualified university mentor and classroom mentor teacher. 
4. Availability of approved area school sites.  Methods/student teaching/internship is to be completed through this university at approved sites within a 50-mile radius of Bowling Green. 
5. Location of student’s prior school experience.  Students are not to student teach/intern in a school they attended or from which they graduated. 
6. Students are not to student teach/intern in a school where a close family friend or relative is professionally employed. 

Applications to student teach/intern outside the university placement radius will be accepted for extreme circumstance cases only.  These written appeals must be submitted well in advance on an Application for Transient Student Teaching/Internship Placement, along with all required documentation, and approved by the program coordinator and the Office of Field Experiences. 

Please click on the links at the left for additional information specific to your area of interest.