Education and Social Services

Some careers are more than just a job. Some careers are a calling, a passion to change the world, one life at a time. Through your commitment and dedication, you can spark a child's curiosity, help troubled young people turn their lives around or guide adults in finding, then achieving, their goals. If you can listen with your heart and accept others, regardless of the lives they have lived, and if you care enough about social issues to dedicate yourself to improving your community, then you may want to explore a career in social service or education.

Imagine yourself making a difference in the lives of others. Chemeketa can take you there.

With a career in social service or education, you will work with people of all ages and backgrounds in a variety of settings from schools to day care facilities to governmental human service agencies to service agencies that deal with addiction. Chemeketa offers several programs to help you achieve your career goals.

Chemeketa's Human Services program includes two options: Social Services and Addiction Studies. Degrees and certificates are also offered in Early Childhood Education, Education and Professional-Technical Teacher Training. Chemeketa is developing a new program in Speech Pathology, and if this field interests you, you may call 503.399.2694 to find out when classes will begin. These programs require field experience in a practicum, as well as coursework.

Social Services

Associate degrees/certificates

The Human Services program prepares you for an entry-level position in the following types of careers:

• Chemical dependency treatment
• Services for the elderly
• Child protective services
• Juvenile and adult corrections
• Employment services
• Crisis intervention
• Services to people with physical or emotional challenges

You can work toward one of these certificates or degrees or, if all you need is a class or two to increase your skills for the job you have now, you can do that as well. Many classes are offered in the evening or on the Internet, to fit your busy schedule.

A few of the typical courses you might find in Chemeketa's Human Services program are:

• Addiction pharmacology and physiology
• Community resources
• Family addiction
• Aging and society
• General psychology
• Interviewing and intervention

You are also required to take five terms of supervised fieldwork with social service agencies or organizations. This fieldwork gives you valuable work experience and professional contacts for helping you find employment after graduation.

If you have a bachelor's or master's degree and wish to work in the field of addiction treatment, you may enroll in the Addiction Counselor Certification Preparation program, a one-year certificate program that prepares you to sit for the Oregon level 1 Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor exam.

Through an agreement with Portland State University, graduates of Chemeketa's Human Services program may go on to PSU to complete a degree in either Social Science or Child and Family Studies. If you are interested in earning your bachelor's degree, contact the PSU Salem Center at 503.315.4587.

Education

Education Transfer

Chemeketa Community College can be your first step toward a future in education. We can help you explore a career as a licensed K-12 teacher, an instructional assistant, or an early childhood educator.

For students interested in teacher licensure, we offer efficient pathways that lead to university transfer. Western Oregon University, Portland State University and Oregon State University encourage students to gain as much teaching background and experience as possible at Chemeketa before transferring into their teacher licensure programs. Chemeketa is also where you will develop much of the content knowledge necessary to become a successful classroom teacher.

Each university has a preferred set of course requirements to make the transfer process work smoothly, so please get in touch with an Education Advisor early in the year.

Western Oregon University recommends that Elementary and Middle School education majors attending Chemeketa pursue a specific course of study leading to the Associate of Arts Oregon Transfer Degree. Copies of this degree plan are available in the Advising Center. This transfer plan is particularly efficient in that every course is accepted as part of the WOU core curriculum or teaching major. In addition, by completing Chemeketa's ED100, ED229, ED113 and ED235, you can fulfill the requirements for the first term of the Education Core at WOU. Please see one of the Education Advisors for details.

Portland State University and Oregon State University also recommend that Education majors pursue an AAOT, though the requirements are slightly different. Please see an education advisor for the most current requirements.

Other Courses of Interest to Education Majors

Your Chemeketa program will vary depending on the level and subject you want to teach and the university you plan to attend. However, certain courses are common to almost all Education majors. For example, our Math 211/212/213 sequence is required by all three public universities for elementary and middle school teachers. Math 111 is also a requirement for those who wish to teach math at the middle school or high school levels. Phyllis Leonard, Program Chair for Mathematics, would be happy to advise you further on a teaching career in mathematics (503 399.6067; leop@chemeketa.edu).

All three public universities also require that Education majors have a strong background in science. Courses such as Biology 101, General Science 104, General Science 105 and General Science 106 target the needs of elementary and middle school teachers in the general classroom. If science is your passion, instructor Doug Ure can advise you about a teaching career in science at the middle or high school levels (503.399.6511; ured@chemeketa.edu)

Finally, teachers must demonstrate strong skills in writing, literature, and the social sciences. The Writing 121/122/123 sequence, courses from the English 104-109 sequence, Psychology 201, History 201/202/203, Geography 105 and Geography 106 are common to most Education transfer programs. Please see your advisor for details.

Paraeducator Certificate Program

The Paraeducator Certificate Program targets the needs of those who wish to work as instructional assistants in the public schools. In this comprehensive 51-credit program you will learn how children learn, how to manage a classroom, how to help children with learning and language challenges, how to use technology to support learning, and how schools function in our society. This certificate program is endorsed by the Oregon Department of Education as evidence of having met the requirements of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (No Child Left Behind) for instructional assistants.

The Paraeducator Certificate is a statewide program. Students who do not reside in the Chemeketa district may complete some or all of the certificate requirements at their local community college. You may then transfer your local coursework to Chemeketa and complete the remaining certificate requirements through our distance education program.

Students pursuing the Paraeducator Certificate take a core of required courses including both general education and Education-specific courses. The general education component assures that the candidate has a foundation of basic skills in reading, writing, mathematics and technology. The Education component offers instruction in teaching strategies, human relations, communication, and non-instructional support skills. Also included are at least two practicum experiences at local school sites.

Early Childhood Education

If your main interest is in working with young children in preschools, day care centers, kindergartens and Head Start programs, you should explore Chemeketa's Early Childhood Education Programs. Chemeketa offers both certificate and degree programs in Early Childhood Education. For more information, visit the program website at http://ece.chemeketa.edu or see your advisor.

Career and Technical Education (CTE) Teacher Preparation

If you are an experienced professional who wants to share your skills by teaching at the high school level, Chemeketa's Career and Technical Education Teacher Preparation program can give you the skills you need. After about one year in the program, you can be eligible to apply for a special, renewable teaching license to teach in your subject area in Oregon public high schools.

To be accepted into this program, you will need to verify 4000 hours of work experience in a CTE field. Currently, these include:

• Agricultural Science and Technology
• Communications/Journalism
• Computer Technology
• Design and Applied Arts
• Engineering Technology
• Family/Consumer Services
• Financial Services
• Forestry/Natural Resources
• Health Sciences
• Hospitality and Tourism
• Integrated Environmental Technology
• Marketing/Management
• Mechanical Systems
• Manufacturing Technology (metals)

Speech Language Pathology Assistant

The Speech Language Pathology Assistant (SLPA) program is a comprehensive certificate and degree program of both theory and practical experience designed to prepare students to become certified speech language pathology assistants (SLPAs).

Getting Started

If you haven't been to Chemeketa recently, your first step should be a visit to the college. While there you can talk to an advisor and learn what the college can do to help you reach your goal. You can arrange a time to take the college's free placement tests, which will help determine whether or not you need to take some basic skills classes in mathematics, reading or writing before enrolling in the program.

Through Chemeketa's Credit for Prior Learning program, you may be able to earn credit for learning acquired through job, community or volunteer service, non-credit classes or individual study.

Certain high school classes may be applied toward an associate degree, so talk to a career and college counselor at your high school about earning college credits while still in high school.

Because of the nature of these careers, some will require background checks and other special requirements.

Human Services — 503.399.6236
Education and Professional-Technical Teacher Training — 503.399.2694
Early Childhood Education — 503.399.6071

Updated October 2007 by the College Advancement Department.