The Japanese Education program prepares students to teach Japanese at the early childhood through adolescence levels (approximately grades pre-kindergarten through high school). Students interested in teaching Japanese must apply to and be formally accepted into the Japanese Education program.
The Japanese Education program is divided into three components:
The program faculty advisor is Professor Naomi Fujita Geyer, 1260 Van Hise Hall, 608-262-9221 or 262-2291, nfgeyer@wisc.edu.
Students interested in Japanese Education usually begin their academic careers as School of Education students with a "pre-professional" designation. Current on-campus students wishing to transfer to the School of Education can find a pre-professional application form at this link. Pre-professional students enroll in liberal studies, general education, and major courses during their freshman, sophomore, and sometimes junior years.
Students generally apply to the professional program during their sophomore or junior years and begin their professional course work as a junior or senior in the subsequent fall.
Participation in an intensive immersion experience is one of the most important and meaningful ways of developing competence in a language. In preparation for the proficiency exam, students seeking certification in a language must participate in an approved immersion experience that emphasizes prolonged and intensive interaction within the target language and culture. Applicants must complete and document a minimum one-year immersion experience.
Oral proficiency needs to be verified prior to student teaching. Students must pass this exam no earlier than one year before the student teaching semester. Consult the Department of East Asian Languages and Literature, 1212 Van Hise Hall, 1220 Linden Drive, 262-2291, for information regarding this requirement
Japanese Education students complete major course work and liberal studies courses. To be eligible for admission, students must complete 54 credits; earn a minimum 2.5 grade point average across all course work; submit scores on the Pre-Professional Skills Test; and apply to the Japanese Education program. Students are admitted to the program twice a year.
Students are encouraged to meet regularly with their advisor at Education Academic Services (EAS). All students interested in a School of Education program are assigned a specific EAS advisor. Contact an EAS advisor in Rust-Schreiner Halls, 115 North Orchard Street (call 608-262-1651 to make an appointment). Faculty in the Japanese Education program often want to meet with prospective applicants; find contact information above.
New freshmen discuss program options with advisors during the Student Orientation, Advising and Registration (SOAR) Program. At SOAR, advisors help students select courses and plan their first semesters at UW-Madison. Recognizing that students often have many academic interests and more than one possible career goal, School of Education advisors help students explore options and maintain academic flexibility. Prospective off-campus transfer students and on-campus students considering teacher education usually meet with an advisor in an individual advising session.
Once admitted to the professional program, students work closely with the Japanese Education program advisor.