Major in Educational Studies

Education Major

The educational studies major consists of two tracks. The first track, Teaching and Learning, supports students interested in entering the teaching profession as teachers or administrators. Teacher certification is required for students teaching in public schools. Students seeking teacher certification through Rhodes College would additionally apply for the licensure program within this track. The second track, Policy and Social Change, supports students who are interested in education outside of traditional educational settings. It provides opportunities for interdisciplinary explorations of pressing social and educational issues on local, national, and international levels. It prepares students to advocate for equity and diversity in civic education, youth development, educational work in non-profits, and the media.

Core Requirements

The core requirements consist of 20 credit hours required of all education majors, regardless of which track they are on.

  1. EDUC 201 - Foundations of Education (F8)
  2. EDUC 222 - Educational Psychology 222
  3. Philosophy, Policy, & Equity Elective - two of the following:
    1. EDUC 220 - Urban Education (F9)
    2. EDUC 225 - African American Experiences in U.S. Schools (F9, F11)
    3. EDUC 230 - History of Education (F3)
    4. EDUC 240 - Urban Education Policy (F8)
    5. EDUC 265 - Special Topics
    6. EDUC 270 - Philosophy of Education 
    7. EDUC 320 - Race, Class, Gender, & Sexuality (F9)
    8. EDUC 330 - Education and Immigration (F9, F11)
    9. EDUC 335 - Social & Community Contexts of Education
  4. EDUC 485 - Education Senior Seminar

Teaching and Learning

The Teaching and Learning track consists of an additional 24 credits, for a total of 44 credits. 

  1. EDUC 355 - Principles of Curriculum and Instruction*
  2. EDUC 300 - Educational Technologies*
  3. EDUC 310 - Reading, Writing, and Urban Schools (f2i)
  4. Content Area Teaching Methods Course (one of the following)
    1. EDUC 370 - Elementary Literacies* (for elementary candidates)
    2. EDUC 380 - Teaching Science and Math* (for secondary science and math candidates)
    3. EDUC 390 - Teaching Humanities* (for secondary English/history/government candidates)
    4. LANG 240 - Language Acquisition and Pedagogy* (for world languages candidates)
  5. EDUC 410 - Inclusive Education*
  6. EDUC 360 - Clinical Field Experience (4 credits; 1 credit each with co-requisite courses above marked with *)

If you enroll in two courses requiring a Clinical Field Experience co-requisite in the same semester, you must enroll in two credits of Clinical Field Experience.

Teacher Licensure

The licensure program consists of an additional 18 credits—taken at the end of one's college career and in some cases after graduation in a "ninth semester"—for a total of 61 credits. Students who wish to teach at the secondary level must also major in the discipline in which they plan to teach.

  1. EDUC 450 - edTPA Preparation* (1 credit, typically taken the semester prior to EDUC 499)
  2. EDUC 360 - Clinical Field Experience (1 credit co-requisite)
  3. EDUC 499 - Clinical Practice: Student Teaching (16 credits; typically taken either in the 8th semester or in a post-baccalaureate 9th semester)

You may combine your Clinical Field Experience required for edTPA Prep with one of the four Clinical Field Experiences required in the teaching and learning track. For example, you can take Inclusive Education and edTPA Prep in the same semester and enroll in one credit of Clinical Field Experience to serve as the co-requisite for both courses. You may, however, need to increase your time spent in the classroom by a few hours to accommodate the assignments for both classes (e.g. 35 hours instead of 30 hours in the classroom).

Policy and Social Change

The Policy and Social Change track consists of 45 credits.

  1. EDUC 240 - Urban Education Policy
  2. EDUC 395 - Qualitative Methods in the Social Sciences*
  3. EDUC 360 - Clinical Field Experience (1 credit; co-requisite with EDUC 395)
  4. One of the following:
    1. PSYC 250 - Community Psychology
    2. ANSO 241 - The City
    3. ANSO 243 - Social Movements
    4. URBN 340 - Nonprofits in the City
    5. PLAW 205 - Introduction to Public Policy
    6. PLAW 206 - Urban Policy and Polities
    7. PLAW 207 - Race and Ethnic Politics
    8. PLAW 230 - Black Political Thought
    9. PLAW 320 - Health Care Policy
  5. One additional EDUC course
  6. Two additional Education Studies Electives