Office of Educational Field Experiences

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Student teachers at Southern Miss have the opportunity to student teach locally, regionally, or internationally. The teacher candidacy experience consists of two separate six-hour courses. Each six-hour course represents a student teaching placement in a K-12 school. Each student teacher is assigned a University Supervisor for the entire semester and a Cooperating Teacher for each placement.

Local Area Placements (within a 60-mile radius of the Hattiesburg or Gulf Park campuses)

Teacher Candidates:

Complete the Application to Begin Teacher Candidacy on TK20.
Enroll in the two student teaching courses.
Prepare for student teaching semester.

Courtesy Placement

For students who would like to student teach outside of the 60-mile radius of a USM campus, they must apply for a courtesy placement. The courtesy placement request must be approved by the EFE Director before it is finalized. Additional fees may be incurred depending upon placement location.

International Placement

Are you interested in completing half of your student teaching experience internationally? USM is a part of the Consortium for Overseas Student Teaching (COST), which provides opportunities for students to have quality student teaching experiences in overseas settings. Through COST, teacher candidates are placed in public and private institutions in various locations around the world where English is the language of instruction. The placement period ranges from six to seven weeks. Student teachers complete their first half of student teaching stateside, then go abroad for the second half.

All participants return to the United States having gained firsthand knowledge and experience with professional peers, students, and their families within another cultural setting; having an increased sense of confidence and improved self-efficacy; and having a greater sense of how to integrate an international perspective into their profession as a teacher.

Click here to learn more about COST