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This Spartan Accelerated Graduate Education (SAGE) Scholars Program prepares students to teach History, Social Science, and Ethnic Studies in California public high schools. The Department of African American Studies  provides an interdisciplinary curriculum and comprehensive liberal arts education by training students to appreciate diversity and multicultural American society. As juniors, African American Studies, BA  majors are eligible to apply for a SAGE Scholars program that allows them to be concurrently enrolled in the Single Subject Credential - Social Science  and Teaching, MAT  programs (with an optional Spanish bilingual authorization) as an undergraduate. This combined degree pathway can be completed in five years. 

To add a Spanish Bilingual Authorization to this pathway, students simultaneously apply to the Critical Bilingual Authorization program (CBAP). This requires an additional personal essay in their SAGE Scholars application and an interview in Spanish. CBAP students take one credential course in Spanish (EDTE 208B  instead of EDTE 208 ) and take specified sections of several other credential courses. They do their student teaching in bilingual classrooms and are required to register for 2 seminars of EDTE 297B - Advanced Issues in Bilingual Education  (2 units) during their student teaching semesters, for an additional 4 units.

Total SAGE Program Units (BA + Credential + MAT) 149

For more information, contact the Program Coordinator​ Travis Boyce.

Admissions Requirements

Most native and transfer students will become eligible to apply for the SAGE Scholars program in the Fall semester of Year 3 and enter the pathway during the Spring semester of Year 3. Applications will be processed by the Department of Teacher Education and without an application fee. Students will not need to apply formally for graduate admission if accepted into this program.

• Students must have successfully completed a minimum of 60 undergraduate degree applicable units and not more than 120 undergraduate degree applicable units at the time of program.
• Students must be enrolled in or have completed the undergraduate Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR) prior to admission into the program.
• Students must have a minimum 2.75 cumulative GPA at the time of admission. GPA is calculated by the last 60 semester (or 90 quarter) units taken or a student’s cumulative GPA, whichever is higher Note that this is a higher GPA standard than other SAGE Scholars programs.
• Students must meet the Teaching, MAT and Single Subject Credential admissions requirements.

Students who have reached up to their first semester as classified seniors will remain eligible for entry into the SAGE program. Second semester, senior-level students enrolled in the term they expect to graduate from their baccalaureate degree are not eligible to enter into the SAGE program as these students will not gain the accelerated graduate-level benefit offered through the SAGE blended program option.

Graduate Standing Requirements

Continuation requirements: SAGE Scholars must meet the same requirements to remain in the undergraduate and graduate programs as students in traditional pathways. Requirements for program continuation and advancement to candidacy in the graduate program, include:

• Successfully complete 9 units of graduate coursework in the Secondary Education program;
• Maintain GPA of 3.0 or higher;
• Demonstrate aptitude for advanced work in professional education as measured by instructor appraisals, evaluation of previous academic work, recommendation by qualified professionals, or other assessments;
• Meet with a graduate advisor to plan a formal course of study. The MAT degree approved programs are individually designed to meet specific student objectives;
• To enter student teaching, students must have completed the Subject Matter Competency requirements (CSETs or Subject Matter Competency waiver, if applicable);
• To convert to graduate status, students must have completed their 45 hours of pre-professional service in a public school setting: 25(+) in the secondary subject area and up to 20 hours any work with youth;
• To convert to graduate status, students must have completed all lower-division work (including lower and upper-division general education courses and American Institutions courses); and, 
• The proposed graduate program must be approved by the graduate coordinator before the student may be considered a candidate for the MA degree.
• Students are converted to graduate status when they have completed 120 SAGE program-applicable units. The following University Requirements are satisfied with required courses in the major: American Institutions and GE Areas D and F. Alternate courses that may satisfy these requirements are not counted in the calculation of the 120 SAGE program-applicable units unless they are listed in the University Electives section of the major.

Graduation requirements: SAGE Scholars must meet the same undergraduate graduation requirements as African American Studies majors, including University and GE requirements, to be conferred the BA. As graduate students, SAGE Scholars must meet all current graduate program requirements. Upon completion of the credential requirements, students must have achieved a SJSU cumulative grade point average of 3.0 in their graduate work order to be recommended for a credential.