Educational Studies

Education changes lives – and it can change the world. We prepare you to do both!

Dr. Mulryan's EDUC 446 class enjoying a lovely fall day!

What is the purpose of education? What, and how, should students learn in school—and in what ways does education take place outside of school? What makes a great teacher? How does education shape—and how is it shaped by—politics, social inequalities, philosophical assumptions, and our culture and historical moment? How might education be changed for the better?

More so than many people realize, these and other questions about education are up for debate, with various possible answers depending partly on one’s values and on scholarship and research. In the Education department, that’s exactly what we do—ask important questions and apply our thinking and knowledge to educational problems and practices.

What we offer:

The Educational Studies major will not only enrich your own educational experience and understanding; it can set the stage for you to pursue various graduate school and career options, in fields such as higher education, education policy, school counseling, social justice, and teaching in settings such as Teach for America, Peace Corps, and museums. The major consists of 36 credits in a variety of core and elective courses as well as a capstone seminar.

The Teaching Certification Program enables you to earn state certification (transferable to over 40 other states) to teach a particular subject. You major in the subject you want to teach and also take 38 credits in Education, including the student teaching semester. Interested students can take two additional Education courses to earn Educational Studies as a second major. Our rigorous, liberal arts approach to teacher preparation not only prepares you to get a job; it helps you develop the deep thinking and broad vision you’ll need to become a teacher-leader who changes lives and changes the field.

Whatever option you choose, you’ll find yourself in small, discussion-based classes, supported by professors and staff who get to know you and help you reach your own goals, whether in a student teaching placement with a mentor teacher who was selected with your needs in mind; or in courses and independent research and internships that grow out of your coursework.

You—and the students and schools and institutions you go on to influence—will never be the same.