Educational Studies, B.A.

Educational Studies is a non-certification option for students who wish to pursue work in fields related to education and child development, but who do not necessarily want to be a classroom teacher or pursue the requirements for teacher certification.  Features of the Bachelor of Arts degree in Educational Studies include an 18-credit special education minor with the opportunity to obtain an additional minor in any area of the student’s choice and internships in a variety of educational settings. 

Career options include work for programs that prefer candidates with education degrees, but do not require state certification, such as Head Start or private preschools, and positions in education-related agencies, children’s hospitals, child welfare agencies, non-profit child advocacy organizations, zoos/aquariums, children’s museums, and other children’s educational programs. The degree would also support employment as a child life specialist, education-based paraprofessional, educational lobbyist, curriculum writer, educational sales representative and further studies in educational research, policy, and more.

Progression in the Educational Studies major leading to a Bachelor of Arts degree requires students to:

• Achieve a minimum grade of “C” for all major and allied requirements.  Students earning lower than a “C” must retake the course; courses may be retaken one time only.
• Maintain a minimum 2.5 cumulative GPA.

List of Courses for Educational Studies Non-Certification Track:

• ECE 101   Teaching as Profession
• ECE 204   Child Development and Cognition I
• ECE 205   Child Development and Cognition II
• ECE 214   Language Development
• ECE 240   Engaging Young Children in the Learning Process: Integrating Curriculum and
• Instruction
• ECE 245   Integrating the Arts for the Developing Child
• ECE 402    Family Collaboration and Community Relationships
• EDU 215   Teaching English Language Learners
• EDU 230   Intro to Exceptionalities
• SPEC 212   Assistive Technology
• SPEC 222   Learning Disabilities 
• SPEC 320   Assessment Methods: Summative, Formative, Diagnostic, Benchmark
• SPEC 322   Foundations of Autism
• SPEC 380   Behavioral Disorders & SEDs
• SPEC 424   Collaboration and Communication 
• EDU 461   Senior Seminar I
• EDU 462   Senior Seminar II
• EDU 498   Internship

List of Courses for Educational Studies Minor:

• ECE 204   Child Development 1 (3 credits)
• ECE 205   Child Development 2 (3 credits)
• ECE 402   Family Collaboration and Community Relationships (4 credits)
• EDU 215   Teaching English Language Learners (3 credits)
• EDU 230   (3 credits) Intro to Exceptionalities
• ECE/EDU/SPEC elective (3 credits)
• EDU 125   Field Experience (0 credits)*

*This course is tied to each course and is graded pass/fail based on students having met the requirements for completion of field experience, including required amount of attendance at their field site.