As an Primary educator, you can provide a stronger, brighter start and a lifelong love of learning to young students. What better place to start than at a college ranked #1 in the region for Best Undergraduate Teaching.
Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Primary Education
Primary Education
Make a big difference for little learners.
Children are complex individuals with multiple influences, unique personalities, and different ways of reaching their potential. Our Primary Education program helps you develop expertise in working with children age three to eleven and acquire a deeper understanding of childhood development and innovative, proven pathways to success.
Through ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥â€™s liberal arts core curriculum, you’ll improve communication skills and hone your critical thinking. Your Primary Education major program offers courses specific to grades pre-kindergarten through fifth grade and provides the academic, collegiate, and personal support you need to thrive.
The breadth of knowledge and depth of experience you’ll gain will matter to your future students and your career. The Primary Education program can lead to a job as a preschool, kindergarten, or elementary school teacher, a Head Start teacher, a curriculum specialist, or a child development educator.
Our Primary Education program will nurture you as you learn to nurture others. Expect a 13:1 student to faculty ratio; engaged, caring professors; and small, supportive classes.
Primary Education Program
¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥â€™s Department of Education meets rigorous national standards for educator preparation set by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). CAEP promotes excellence in educator preparation through quality assurance and continuous improvement. The Department of Education at JCU has earned national accreditation by demonstrating excellence in the areas of content pedagogy, clinical experiences, selectivity, program impact, and capacity for continuous improvement.
Top Employers
96%
JCU’s Pass rate for Initial Licensure-Early Childhood (2019-20)
1,620,029
3 to 4 year-olds enrolled in Pre-K in the USA in 2020
Top 4%
Cleveland Metro Schools are in the top 4% for Performance Index Growth
BA in Primary Education Program Highlights
Exploring a Child’s Environment
A child’s environment plays a significant role in their development. To really understand these environments and the impact they make, our students participate in multiple field experiences in homes, preschools, service agencies, and elementary schools. These hands-on, real-life engagements will deepen and broaden your education, provide invaluable insights, and help you translate content and pedagogical knowledge into practice.
The Shepherd Internship Program
Part of Shepherd Higher Education Consortium on Poverty, which seeks to prepare students for lives aimed at diminishing poverty and enhancing human capability, this internship is ideal for education majors. Through this eight-week summer internship, you’ll work directly with disadvantaged communities and develop meaningful connections with other students, faculty, and alumni.
Featured Faculty
"At ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥, our early childhood students learn more than just the foundations of early childhood literacy and effective reading instruction. They are equipped with the tools to consider other perspectives, incorporate multiple cultures and viewpoints into their classroom, and think critically and reflectively about their daily practices and decisions that will impact their students as learners."
—Sara Parrish, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Literacy Education
Featured Courses
ED 2311 CHILD AND YOUNG ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT
In this course, you’ll gain a greater understanding of child development, from birth through age 11. You’ll explore the role of home and early childhood environments on development and, possibly, participate in fieldwork in various settings.
ED 3211 CHILDREN'S LITERATURE
Designed for primary education students only, this upper-level course delves into the various genres of children’s literature with a focus on multicultural literature. You’ll also analyze literature’s relevance to child development across disciplines.
Notable Alum
Brian Sinchak, M.Ed. ‘03
Status: President, Lakewood Catholic Academy Focus: Educational Innovation Honors: Fulbright Fellowship Study/Research Award, 2018
“As a school leader, some of the very best teachers I have hired have been ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ graduates. Their professional training is second to none and their background in liberal arts education sets them apart from other applicants. Their well rounded formation has equipped them with intelligent curiosity, strength of character, and compassionate concern for others. Carroll graduates see a wider world and then make the world a better place through inspiring the minds and touching the hearts of their students.â€
Early Childhood Education Alumni Across the Region
¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ alumni live, work, teach and support communities throughout the region from Northeast Ohio to Chicago, Indianapolis, Detroit, Columbus, Buffalo, Rochester, Pittsburgh, New York City, Washington D.C., Maryland and Virginia.