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The mission of the Department of Education is to develop - through research, service, and innovative teaching - reflective teachers and school leaders who are competent and caring lifelong learners. In addition to the mission statement, the Department of Education has four guiding principles that are used in development and delivery of all courses and programs.  These principles are:

• Rigorous mind
• Compassionate  heart
• Competent demonstration
• Reflective stance

"Rigorous mind" and "compassionate heart" are overlapping principles we want to build in our students. Tasks may require primarily one principle-describing a theory in leadership-yet many times an overlap occurs when one applies knowledge to the school setting-how can a theory in leadership be used to benefit the school environment and impact student learning? Hence, as these two principles "rigorous mind" and "compassionate heart" are played out, the essence of both is our commitment to requiring "competent demonstration" from our students whether they are aspiring to be teachers or school leaders or are presently teachers or school leaders pursuing an advanced degree. The fourth principle, "reflective stance," encompasses the first three principles, since it is critical that our students are continuously reflective in all aspects of their work. These four principles work with our mission statement to define our commitment to our students.  Since programs in the Department of Education are aligned with state teacher certification standards, only individuals who demonstrate that they possess the knowledge, skills, professional attitude, and commitment to future students will be recommended by the institution for certification. The goal of the Department of Education and the University is to graduate teachers who reflect rigorous minds, compassionate hearts, competent demonstrations and reflective stances.  That is, we seek students who are suitable to contribute to the teaching profession.

The Education Department minor meets the needs of the students who wish to consider an education role as a career as well as those who wish to work in a teaching role outside of K - 12 school settings.  Numerous institutions need teacher expertise to:  Train new workers, inform patients/clients of services provided by the institution, work with immigrant agencies, design curricular materials for government, environmental, or charitable agencies,  or work overseas in an educational capacity.  There are numerous alternative settings that use educational skills: health care, museums, environmental programs, social agencies and with children or teens in group homes, non-profit associations and human resource departments.  Specialized academic areas such as mathematics combined with computing skills may lead to a career in designing software utilizing educational principles.  An Education minor validates professional skills to qualify for such career opportunities.

We offer qualified students the option of participating in our Honors Program (  ) and graduating with Honors. This includes significant research, scholarship or creative activity under the direction of a faculty member.

Eighteen credits are required for the Education Minor. The four 3-credit courses listed below are required. The additional six credits may be taken from any of the remaining education courses (with the exception of intern teaching).

Tuition and Fees

Tuition and fees for subsequent years may vary. Other expenses include books and housing. For more information regarding tuition and fees, please consult the Financial Information section of this catalog.