An English degree from Saint Joseph’s University offers excellent training for a broad range of careers, from public relations to teaching to journalism and beyond. Employers continue to seek talented and articulate individuals who can analyze complex situations, and a degree in English will teach you how to write both creatively and persuasively.
Overview
Students at Saint Joseph’s University who major in English, mathematics, Spanish, Italian, French, classical studies, chemistry, biology, physics or history may add a double major in secondary education. The combination of these programs provides you with the background required to apply for certification as a high school or middle school teacher in your specialty area.
What is a Secondary Education Major?
The education major includes courses focused on adolescent development, the social context of schooling, linguistic and cultural diversity, instructional design and learning assessment and accommodating instruction to diverse learning challenges. As a secondary ed major, you will work with a primary advisor in your field of study and learn how to effectively educate students in grades 7 through 12. Additionally, you will have the opportunity to work with an advisor from the teacher education department. This allows you to pursue your passion in a particular subject while preparing you to teach after graduation. You will also complete a semester-long student-teaching experience in your final semester.
You have the opportunity to study as a dual major in secondary education and one of the following subject areas leading to certification:
What Can I Do With a Major in Secondary Education?
A major in secondary education from Saint Joseph’s University will prepare you for a successful career teaching grades 7 through 12.
Earn Your Teacher Certification
Students who successfully complete the program, maintain a GPA of 3.0 and pass the required PRAXIS exam (a knowledge and skills assessment exam required for certification) can apply for Pennsylvania Level 1 teacher certification. This certification is good for six years of teaching before renewal. With level 1 certification in secondary education, teachers can take the content exams for teaching other grade levels, in addition to other content areas. The certification exams for reading specialist, special education or health and physical education require completion of their respective programs.
How will Saint Joseph’s University Prepare Me for a Career in Secondary Education?
Field Experiences and Student Teaching
The Office of Student Teaching and Field Experiences coordinates field placement in K-12 schools, as well as full-time, 14-week student-teaching placement.
Many education courses at Saint Joseph's University involve a field component to prepare you for your student-teaching experience. In these courses, you will spend three hours per week in an elementary school classroom. Field experience requirements increase in responsibility from first observing teachers in their area of study, then assisting with small group work and finally preparing and teaching lesson plans.
Participating in a field experience in a local Philadelphia school or a lab exposes you to a variety of classroom experiences and teaching styles. Saint Joseph's teacher education and special education departments have strong relationships with local public, charter and private schools and manage this field component for students. These departments emphasize a strong commitment to urban education and a preferential option for low-income families.
Service Learning
As an education major, you will have the option to take service-learning classes. These classes combine academics with experience and reflection. Lectures, textbook reading and tests are augmented by service practice with schools and non-profit agencies in the Philadelphia area.
Study Abroad
The education department has a strong commitment to study abroad. Many of our students have the opportunity to study student education in an international context in such locations as Denmark, Ireland and Spain.
Student Organizations
- Kappa Delta Pi - The Saint Joseph's chapter of the international honors society in education
- Student Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA)
- Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)
Continue Your Study in Education
Saint Joseph's offers a variety of graduate options to help undergraduates further develop their skills after graduation to guide and advance their careers, including:
Related Programs
The Department of Mathematics at Saint Joseph's University trains students to be careful, precise and mature thinkers. Students are well-equipped with the preparation needed to apply the mathematical principles they have learned, communicate them to others and continue their education for the rest of their lives.
The history program at Saint Joseph’s University encourages students to become researchers, critical thinkers, clear writers and historically aware global citizens. Through coursework, students develop an understanding of the political, cultural and institutional advances that have shaped the world.