Teacher Education | Intermediate / Senior program

You’ve dreamed about stepping in front of the classroom. Now, take your first step in a rewarding career. Apply to our Bachelor of Education – Intermediate/Senior program.

If you enjoy working with adolescents, our Intermediate/Senior program is for you. You’ll develop the skills and confidence to step into the classroom and teach Grades 7 to 12.

Spend half your time teaching

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What I like about my BEd program is the practicum. I like that we can shadow teachers and see how they handle themselves and how they build relationships with the students.

- Tianyi Yan

Intermediate/Senior program details

Admissions

Minimum Academic Requirements for Primary-Junior, Junior-Intermediate, and Intermediate-Senior Programs, September 2025 Entry:

For admission in September 2025, you must be on track to complete your undergraduate degree at an accredited university by August 31, 2025. The degree must be conferred no later than the Fall of 2025.
You must have successfully completed the equivalent of 10 full (or equivalent) university credits at the time of your application. Transfer credits from community colleges and CEGEP courses can’t be considered. Preference is given to those who have a four-year degree with the equivalent of 20 full credits.
You must have a minimum average of 70% in your best 10 full or equivalent undergraduate credits.
1. If you are completing a bridging program (two years at an accredited college and two years at an accredited university), you will need a minimum of 70% in your best 5.0 full or equivalent degree-level credits and must be on track to graduate with a university-level degree. (Condition only applies to programs at Fanshawe College).
2. If you’re applying to the Junior-Intermediate or Intermediate-Senior programs, you must also have a minimum average of 70% in those courses, which support your teaching subjects.
3. Courses taken after August right before the application cycle cannot be included in the calculation of overall and teaching subject averages. These courses will be counted in support of program requirements only. List these and other courses, which will be completed to meet final degree requirements in your OUAC/TEAS application under "Current Courses".
In addition to meeting the general admission requirements, you must also meet your program stream requirements:
1. For the Intermediate/Senior program, you must select two teaching subjects from the following: Economics, English (First Language), Environmental Science, Family Studies, French (Second Language), Geography, Health & Physical Education, History, Law, Mathematics, Music – Instrumental, Music – Vocal, Philosophy, Politics, Religious Education, Science – Biology, Science – Chemistry, Science – General, Science – Physics, Social Science – General.
2. For your first teaching subject, five (5.0) full or equivalent undergraduate or graduate credits, with a minimum average of 70%, are required. We'll accept no more than two (2.0) full or equivalent related credits.
3. For your second teaching subject, three (3.0) full or equivalent undergraduate or graduate credits, with a minimum average of 70%, are required. We'll accept no more than one (1.0) full or equivalent related credit.
4. Core and Related Courses: Core courses are those offered by a department directly related to your teaching subject (e.g., English 1020 in the Department of English). Related courses are those with significant content in your teaching subject area but offered through another department (e.g., Classical Studies for History). List of some acceptable courses (PDF).
Intermediate-Senior Program Requirements and Exceptions

English: Courses focused on literature or poetry best support this teachable subject. Courses in English culture, linguistics, essay writing, and writing for business or science are not acceptable.

Family Studies: Applicants with course credits in the following areas receive preference for admission to Family Studies as a first or second teaching subject: Child and Family Development, Housing and Interior Design, Clothing and Textiles, Foods and Nutrition, Family Resource Management (Consumer Economics).

French: For admission to French as either a first or second teaching subject, applicants must possess oral and written fluency in French and a thorough knowledge of grammar. Normally, five full French credits with a 70% average (or the equivalent), at least two of which should be language credits, are required. One or more full credit(s) equivalents in French literature is desirable for those hoping to teach in French-immersion settings.

Fluent French speakers who don’t have university-level French courses may apply for special consideration by emailing rcole22@uwo.ca. You will be required to either complete a DEFL B2 or our Faculty French proficiency test (the result must be within one year of the application cycle). A fee is required for testing. Successfully completing one of the tests will be equal to having the five(5) credits required for the French stream/teachable.

Geography: Applicants with course credits in Canadian Geography receive preference for admission to Geography as a first or second teaching subject. (It may not be combined with Economics, History, Law, or Politics.

Health and Physical Education: Courses offered through Kinesiology, Human Kinetics and Physical Education/Activity best support this teaching subject. Applicants with three or more activity course credits receive preference for admission to HPE as a first or second teaching subject.

History: Applicants with course credits in Canadian History receive preference for admission to History as a first or second teaching subject. (It may not be combined with Economics, Geography, Law, or Politics.)

Law: It may not be combined with Geography, History, Economics or Politics.

Mathematics: Applicants with at least one full course credit in senior (2nd year or above) Mathematics receive preference for admission to Math as a first or second teaching subject.

Music: Candidates are strongly encouraged to select either Instrumental Music or Vocal Music as teaching options, but not both. Strong preference will be given during the admissions process to candidates who choose one Music option and accompany it with a teaching option from another subject area.

Music – Instrumental: Credits should include at least one instrumental conducting course, several minor instrument courses in woodwinds, brass and percussion and one music theory course.

Music – Vocal: Credits should include at least one choral or vocal techniques course, one choral conducting course, and one music theory course.

Philosophy: It may not be combined with Social Science - General.

Politics: It may not be combined with Geography, History, Economics or Law.

Religious Education: As a first or second teaching subject, five full credits, or the equivalent, are required. Applicants with course credits in the following areas receive preference for admission to Religious Education as a first or second teaching subject: Old and New Testament studies, Catholic Church teachings in morality and social justice, sacraments, sexuality and marriage in the Catholic tradition, and Vatican II theology.

Science: Candidates must select only one teaching option from among the senior science courses of biology, chemistry, environmental science and physics. A senior science choice may be accompanied with either Science-General or a teaching option from another subject area.

Science General: Applicants with course credits in the following areas receive preference for admission to Science General as a first or second teaching subject: Biology, Chemistry, Earth and Space Science, Environmental Science, Physics.

Social Science – General: A full credit in each of the following areas is preferred: Anthropology, Psychology, Sociology. This is an optional subject in the secondary school curriculum, and entry to this teaching subject is limited. Applicants are advised to select this as a second teaching subject only. (It may not be combined with Philosophy.)
English Language Proficiency: If applicable, English language proficiency tests must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar before an offer of admission can be made.

Offers

Offers of admission will be made online via the Student Center mid February. Access to the Student Center requires the activation of your Western identity. Account activation instructions are available here (PDF)

Equity Admission Application

Western’s Faculty of Education is strongly committed to equity, diversity and inclusivity in all that we do. One of the ways that we do this is through recruiting and supporting applicants to our initial teacher education program who reflect the student population in Ontario schools.

Specifically, it is our goal to admit and support more Indigenous and Black teacher candidates, women teacher candidates, teacher candidates living with disability, and LGBTQ2S+ teacher candidates and other equity deserving or underrepresented groups. We recognize that this starts with recruitment of a diverse range of applicants into our initial teacher education programs and we enthusiastically encourage individuals from all equity deserving groups to apply.

We aim to support our commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, accessibility, and decolonization by using responsible collection and consideration of personal information and data that accurately reflect the unique characteristics of those applying to our initial teacher education program. The information that we invite you to share will help to inform us of the effectiveness of our recruitment efforts and, more importantly, will enable us to approach our admissions in a more holistic manner, taking into consideration the characteristics of each applicant as a whole person rather than limiting our admission decisions to reliance on standard academic criteria.

Completion of each part of this application is entirely voluntary.

Those who choose to apply for an equity admission will be considered both under the general admission and the equity admission processes. Information gathered in this document will be considered alongside other factors, including ensuring all program prerequisites are met, and applicants have achieved the minimum grade point average of 70%. Equity applicants will also be required to complete the CASPER assessment.

To be considered under the equity admission process, applicants need to provide a sufficiently detailed explanation of their experience and personal circumstances as they relate to systemic barriers in education and life and reasons they should be considered for admission to the teacher education program. Equity Applications will be reviewed by members of the Equity Committee who make recommendations to the Teacher Education office.

Those wishing consideration under the equity admissions process must submit the Equity Admission Application Survey by the application deadline.

Direct Pathway Admission

Western offers several opportunities for a direct pathway to the Faculty of Education, capacity for each pathway is limited. For more information, please contact your faculty’s direct pathway coordinator.

1. Western Main Campus

The Faculty of Music's Bachelor of Music with Honours in Music Education program offers a direct pathway to Junior/Intermediate and Intermediate/Senior with a Music-Instrumental or Music-Vocal teaching subject.
School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences' mathematics, actuarial science, financial modeling, data science and statistics programs offer a direct pathway to Intermediate/Senior with a Mathematics teaching subject.
Western University-Main Campus French program offers a direct pathway to Primary/Junior French as a Second Language or Junior/Intermediate and Intermediate/Senior with a French as a Second Language teaching subject.

2. Kings' University College:

Catholic Studies for Teachers program offers a direct pathway to Junior/Intermediate and Intermediate/Senior with Religious Education as a teaching subject.
Social Justice and Peace Studies program offers a direct pathway to Intermediate/Senior with Social Science-General as a teaching subject.
French program offers a direct pathway to Primary/Junior, Junior/Intermediate and Intermediate/Senior with French as a Second Language teaching subject.
The Childhood and Youth Studies program offers a direct pathway to the Primary/Junior stream only.

3. Huron University College:

Huron University College’s French program offers a direct pathway to Primary/Junior French as a Second Language or Junior/Intermediate and Intermediate/Senior with a French as a Second Language teaching subject.

*CASPer Assessment is a mandatory requirement for all applicants including direct pathway applicants.

Tuition

The University decides tuition fees and they’re updated annually each July. For the most up-to-date tuition information, please visit the Office of the Registrar's Fee Schedule page. Here, you'll find PDFs that outline program fees as they relate to you (such as international vs. domestic student). Please note that all fees are annual amounts and must be paid in both year 1 and year 2 of the program.

Intermediate/Senior Teaching subjects

Intermediate/Senior

Our Intermediate/Senior program prepares you with the skills and confidence to teach Grades 7 to 12. Select two teaching subjects from the following list: