Chronicle
 The word "normal" used to be the name for the academic department that offered teacher education at what was then Christian University. According to the 1869-70 catalog, the Normal Department "is designed to prepare young ladies and gentleman for the profession of teaching. Lectures will be delivered n the subject of Didactus, and every advantage offered in the recitation room for the practical application of professional teaching."
In 1871, three women and one man (O.C. Clay, who became a mathematics and astronomy teacher at the college) became the first teachers to graduate. By 1882, the college was offering instruction at the AB, BS, or BL levels so that graduates could teach or manage schools. The catalog promised: "Every graduate of this school will be, in knowledge and experience, equal to a first-class teacher of three year’s experience."
The Normal Department became the School of Pedagogics from the late 1880s to 1913 when the term stopped being used, which was about the time that the state of Missouri began to require more education from would-be teachers. Specific courses in "education" were listed for the first time in the 1917-18 catalog, and Missouri was requiring applicants for teaching certificates to furnish evidence of having completed four years of high school or the equivalent. By Jan. 1, 1918, applicants were required to prove they had completed one year of college for a five-year certificate and two years of college for a two-year certificate. Culver-Stockton required 18 hours of education course work to receive the college graduate’s teachers certificate and 30 hours of coursework to qualify as a Teacher Training Teacher. The education program also included practice teaching.
State requirements continued to increase; and, by 1920, Culver-Stockton offered Saturday courses to teachers who wanted to obtain their degree and certification. The Missouri State Superintendent of Education began issuing three-year certificates to graduates with a bachelor’s degree and it was another 16 months before the teaching certificate could be made permanent. The state’s requirements became even stricter in 1930, with a college graduate being issued a five-year teaching certificate but needing three years of teaching experience before the lifetime certificate was offered. Culver-Stockton also increased its degree requirements, now mandating 30 credit hours in education and offering special certification to teach art, music, commerce, and physical education.
In 1949, C-SC reduced its requirements to 25 hours of education courses and recommended that students take their majors in the field in which they wanted to teach and just minor in education. Through 1960, C-SC continued to add certification options in such areas as elementary education, secondary education, special education, and even driver's education.
To see today's Education curriculum, click here.
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