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B.A. in Education Studies Major

Program Details

Program Overview

The B.A. in Education Studies is designed to prepare students who understand and enjoy the importance of teaching and learning as a driver in successful organizations. Graduates of this program generally take on professional roles in community organizations, libraries, museums, corporations and more. This major also supports former teacher candidates who decide they no longer want to be teachers, but want to put their knowledge to work as professional educators in a different setting. Students in this major engage in the following concentrations: Introduction to Education, Classroom Management and Culture, Reading and Language Arts Integration, Secondary Curriculum and Methods, and Secondary Education Application.

Program Concentrations

This program is made up of the following concentrations. Learn more about concentrations.

Concentration Overview

The Introduction to Education concentration takes teacher candidates behind the veil of the teaching practice to explore how teachers plan for, instruct, and assess a diverse student body. Before teacher candidates can learn how to address specific students’ needs, they must first understand the personal, family, and cultural dynamics which lead to their individual senses of self. This concentration helps teacher candidates respond to the “Who am I?” question.

Concentration Overview

Building classroom community and culture is an essential component of effective teaching at all levels of instruction. Within this concentration, teacher candidates will explore the research-based techniques surrounding student engagement and building a student-centered classroom to maximize instructional time.

Concentration Overview

Elementary teachers must have deep knowledge of the development of language and literacy for children, from birth through early adolescence. At Stritch, elementary teacher candidates engage in strategically designed coursework and field experiences that bring reading, writing, speaking and listening to life. Stritch has a rich legacy of equipping teachers to utilize research based methods of instruction and assessment to grow the literacy skills of children in their classrooms.

Concentration Overview

Did you have a favorite teacher in high school? Chances are, this teacher really understood the importance of making you feel important. While secondary teachers are well-rounded in their understanding of their specific subject areas, they must also understand research-based practices for teaching adolescents. This concentration focuses on the teacher candidate’s understanding of adolescents’ physical, emotional, social, and psychological needs so that you will eventually become someone’s favorite teacher.

Concentration Overview

The highlight of this concentration is engagement with secondary students in PK-12 classrooms under the guidance of experienced practicing PK-12 teachers. At Stritch, we pride ourselves on providing teacher candidates with a scaffolded approach to field experience which begins during their first year of study and subsequently continues each year of enrollment within our program. Within these guided field experiences, teacher candidates will gradually learn to teach individuals, small groups, and the entire classroom. This concentration culminates with the student teaching semester in which teacher candidates take on the role of teacher under the leadership of an experienced practicing PK-12 teacher.

Concentrations on this page are required for this program. Additional courses or concentrations may need to be added to meet program or credit requirements.

Liberal Arts Core

The Liberal Arts Core Curriculum is rooted in the Liberal Arts and our Franciscan heritage. It is designed to create a framework to develop knowledge, skills, and responsibilities necessary to educate students so that they will be prepared to contribute to the world guided by a concern for issues of justice and ethical behavior.

LEADERSHIP:  4 credits
  • Freshman Seminar (1 cr.)
  • Spiritual & Ethical Literacy (3 cr.) 
FOUNDATIONAL LITERACIES/SKILLS:  12 credits
  • Personal Branding Communication (3 cr.)
  • Writing for the 21st Century (3 cr.)*
  • Quantitative Problem Solving (3 cr.)*
  • Language & Culture (3 cr.)
*For ‘Writing for the 21st Century’ (English) and ‘Quantitative Problem Solving’ (Math), you may need additional courses depending on your placement.

CORE LITERACIES:  15 credits – Student will take one (1) course from each broad theme. Broad themes are:
  • Narratives of Identity  (3 cr.) - select from three course options*
  • Science, Environment & Culture (3 cr.) - INTDS 221: Environmental Studies  
  • Social Tensions (3 cr.)  - select from three course options*   
  • The American Experience (3 cr.) - INTDS 240: Social Movements
  • Approving the Better Things (3 cr.)  - select from three course options*
*Course options can be found in the course catalog or on the academic advising page.

Professional Core

Culminating Experience

Giving students a culminating experience as well as practical teaching experience, the Professional Core is a graduation requirement for every Stritch student in a bachelor’s degree program. Education students must complete:
  • ED 260-Field Experience I,
  • ED 360-Field Experience II, and
  • 9  credits of student teaching (ED 480, 482, 486, or 488).
Contact admissions or the program faculty with questions about this program.

Admissions

Clavon Byrd, Sr.

Chair - Teacher Education|Faculty - Education Undergraduate

Teacher EducationTeacher Education

cbyrd2@stritch.edu

(414) 410-4363

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