Undergraduate Education Degrees & Programs | Cleveland, Ohio

Undergraduate Education Degrees

An Education degree leads to more than a job; it opens the opportunity to inspire learners, strengthen futures, and make a real change. At ��ֱ��, our commitment to whole-person education, dedication to social justice, and Jesuit mission unite to develop educators that transform lives.

Professor's POV of Education at JCU

Education at ��ֱ��

A catalyst for change.

Our grads are well-prepared to teach and inspire students from pre-K to 12 grade—and make a difference in their schools and communities. By combining deep content knowledge and pedagogical skills with expert faculty and valuable in-school experience, JCU ensures that our students graduate ready for their own classrooms.

Through our program, you will master key concepts, skills, and insights, such as:

An understanding of central concepts, tools of inquiry, competing perspectives, and structure of the disciplines taught.
The ability to plan instruction based on knowledge of subject matter, students, the community, and curriculum goals.
Knowledge of how children and youth develop and learn, and differ in their approaches to education.
A recognition of the value of understanding the interests and cultural heritage of each student.
Proven ability to create a learning environment that encourages social interaction, active engagement, and self-motivation.

Student teaching will be the capstone of your JCU experience. Working alongside mentor teachers and school administrators will enhance your development, confidence, and abilities. Every JCU teaching degree culminates with an Ohio Initial Teaching License.

Education and Related Degrees

The Education Department offers undergraduate and graduate programs in teacher licensure in Early Childhood, Middle Childhood, and Adolescent/Young Adult (AYA). To grow further, additional graduate programs in educational leadership, advanced studies, and endorsement programs are available.

Through our AYA program, you’ll earn a teaching license in one of the language arts, social studies, math, or science fields. This subject focus is essential to teachers working in grades seven through twelve, and it allows you to explore multiple interests and passions.

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Preparing to work with children grades four through nine means preparing to teach multiple subjects. In our middle childhood education program, you’ll be ready to teach two of four content areas: language arts/reading, math, science, and social studies.

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Through this program, you’ll develop expertise in working with children age three to eight, or pre-kindergarten through grade three. Because environments play such an important role in a child’s development, you’ll participate in fieldwork and site visits.

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If you’re adept at mathematics, have a passion for teaching, and want to make an impact on adolescents and young adults, our Teaching Mathematics program may be the right answer for you and your career.

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85+%

Of ��ֱ�� Education students had teacher jobs within 9 months of graduation

#2

US News ranked JCU 2nd nationally for its “Strong Commitment to Undergraduate Teaching” (2017)

60+

JCU has strong partnerships with over 60 schools in Northeast Ohio

Education Program Highlights

Go to the Head of the Class

At ��ֱ��, student teaching is a full-time, one-year commitment involving teaching, planning, and other in-school responsibilities. During the first semester or pre-student teaching, you’ll complete a minimum of 90 hours of classroom teaching experience. During the second semester or student teaching, you’ll gain a minimum of 360 hours of full-time teaching. Afterward, you’ll complete the Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA), a national performance assessment of education candidates designed to answer the question, “Is a new teacher ready for the job?” Over the past three years, JCU students met or exceeded the benchmark for Assessment and Task scores.

A Clear Path To Credentialed

Whether you want to teach in a public or private school, at the elementary, middle, or high school level or specialize in a certain subject area, all teachers in Ohio must complete the following certification requirements:

Complete an approved teacher preparation program
Earn your bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution college or university
Pass a content area exam(s) and a professional knowledge exam

CAEP Accreditation

Since 2019, ��ֱ�� has received CAEP accreditation. As Dr. Catherine Rosemary, Professor Emeritus, who led the accreditation process explained, “We’ve set a very high bar for our teacher preparation program and CAEP Accreditation validates our diligence and commitment to excellence. Our candidates and their families are investing in an outstanding education program that has continually achieved national accreditation for teacher preparation.”

Experience Counts

Our education students want to make a real impact on the world. What better way to start than by exploring the world itself? JCU’s study and work abroad programs span five continents, including locations like Madrid, Beijing, Lima, and Rome. Our annual international and national immersion trips expose our students to communities facing overwhelming challenges, changing lives and perspectives. Each summer, our students forge a greater relationship with our community and its youth through the Center for Service Learning and Social Action.

Featured Faculty

"Our department mission is "Preparing educational leaders for a more just society" and that's exactly what drives our JCU classes, our curriculum, and our hands-on field experiences. Our graduates are teachers, curriculum leaders, principals, presidents, and superintendents in public, Catholic, and charter schools. Drawing on the 500-year tradition of Ignatian education and almost 100 years of JCU education in Northeast Ohio, our students and graduates are prepared to lead classrooms and schools well into the 21st century."
—Dan Reynolds, PhD, Assistant Professor of Literacy Education

Featured Courses

ED 2110 School & Society

A prerequisite for admission to teacher education, this course examines education through historical, sociological, and philosophical perspectives. Through it, you’ll receive a comprehensive understanding of American education and educational issues in a diverse society.

ED 4534 Literacy Assessment and Intervention

In this upper-level course, you’ll examine the formal and informal tools used to assess literacy development with a deep emphasis on planning, implementing, and evaluating intervention strategies. Field experience is part of this course.

Education Alumni Across the Region

��ֱ�� 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.

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