College of Arts & Sciences 

A career in Education is rigorous, intellectual and ethical work.

We asked some of our current students why they decided to major in education. They emphasize the opportunity to touch the future:

• "I love to see the light in children's eyes as they are learning and when they smile as they complete the challenges they face."
• "I want to bring hope to the inner city schools."
• "I want to make a difference in the world."
• "It's amazing to watch a child learn."
• "It's an awesome experience, like none other, to touch the lives of special needs children."
• "I want to help students see their own potential and to help them be successful in life."
• "Every child deserves a great teacher."

Now is a very exciting time to undertake the study of education. The significance of education today cannot be overstated. As an education major, you join our distinguished faculty and hard-working students as they confront some of today's most difficult and challenging questions, such as: What does it really mean to be a good teacher? How can we adapt instruction for individual and special needs? How can we understand better how children learn? How can we empower students to be critical thinkers? How can we create culturally relevant pedagogy? How can we teach from a faith-based perspective and give priority to the development of social justice and equity in the classroom? What is the role of education in a democratic society? How can education be deployed to create moments of liberation for disenfranchised young people?

We connect theory and practice. As an education major, you will have several field experiences observing and working in real classrooms with real children beginning in your first year. You will also explore the role of the Scholar-Practitioner Model in education to understand how scholarly research guides the work of the practitioner.

What can you study?

The Department of Education offers the following four-year programs of study leading to the baccalaureate degree (B.S.) and Pennsylvania Level I Teacher Certification:

• A major in Elementary Education (grades K-6)
• A dual major in Elementary Education (K-6) and Special Education (K-12)
• A major in Art Education (K-12)
• A minor in Secondary Education (grades 7-12) to accompany a major in one of the following areas: biology, physics, chemistry, general science, English, French, German, Latin, Spanish, Italian, mathematics, physics, and history (citizenship education).

In addition, the Department offers a five-year B.S./M.S. program with certification in three areas: Elementary Education (K-6), Special Education (K-12), and Reading Specialist (K-12).

For graduate programs in Education, please visit our SJU graduate Education website.