Bachelor of Arts in Education

Students in the BA major complete four core courses and then select a concentration. Concentrations include either Growth, Change and Learning or Educational Policy and Social Change. Regardless of concentration, all education majors should plan to complete a culminating experience for the major by graduation. This experience is also described below.

Major Concentrations

Growth, Change and Learning

This concentration is designed for students interested in fostering the academic, emotional and behavioral development of children and adolescents. Emphasis is on theoretical knowledge and practical applications of this knowledge, including implications for teaching and learning, considering cognitive, psychosocial and physical changes that occur over time. Students also gain exposure to a variety of theoretical orientations related to learning, including cognitive, behavioral, social, constructivist and humanistic perspectives. Graduates with this concentration may be interested in working within educational organizations, behavioral health or correctional facilities, and various social service agencies. This concentration also prepares students to enter graduate school in fields such as teaching, school psychology, applied behavior analysis and school counseling.

Educational Policy and Social Change

This concentration is designed for students who are interested in studying the foundations of public education and the political environment in which schools operate. This study is both historically and sociologically grounded, with significant attention to identity development, the various ways in which students interact with educational institutions and current developments in educational policy. This concentration aims to prepare students to engage in educational policy analysis and to think critically about educational change. Those pursuing this concentration may be interested in graduate studies in the social foundations of education, educational policy or a related subject area, or may be interested in entering work environments that focus on children’s issues, educational inequality and educational reform.

Culminating Experience

At the culmination of the BA program, each student will either complete an internship of 80 hours or more or complete an honors thesis in education.

• The internship is designed collaboratively by the student, their education adviser and the director of professional education. The internship should integrate the goals of the BA program (program competencies) with the student’s interests and future plans.
• The honors thesis is designed to encourage intellectual independence and to recognize academic excellence. The program begins the year before the student intends to graduate. Students will work under the supervision of an adviser to complete an in-depth research project that culminates in an oral examination by a faculty committee.