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Education (ED)

Professors: G. A. DiLisi (Chair); Associate Professors: J. L. Rausch, D. Reynolds, Y. Shang, D. Shutkin (Assistant Chair); Assistant Professors: M. M. Schauer, Sara Parrish, L. M. Shoaf (Assoc. Dean Prof. Studies CAS)

Mission

The mission of the Department of Education is to provide educational leadership for a more just society in schools and community agencies. This mission is grounded in the Jesuit mission of the University and Jesuit history. The meaning and scope of the mission reflect all professional preparation programs housed within this academic unit.

To achieve its mission the department is committed to the following goals:

  • To provide professional education in a liberal arts context.

  • To foster a respectful, inclusive learning community sensitive to all dimensions of diversity.

  • To focus on personal as well as professional development of the individual.

  • To emphasize teaching that is anchored in a strong research base.

  • To instill the Jesuit ideal of an educator in our candidates.

Undergraduate Programs

The department offers an undergraduate major in education. Students who successfully complete a teacher education program in Early Childhood (Primary) or Middle Childhood earn a Bachelor of Arts degree. Students who successfully complete a teacher education program in Adolescent Young Adult earn a Bachelor of Arts with a primary major in English, History, or Teaching of Mathematics with a secondary major in Education. Students who successfully complete a teacher education program in Adolescent Young Adult earn a Bachelor of Science with a primary major in Biology, Chemistry or Physics. The education major consists of the teacher education program, which is designed to prepare students to meet the standards for Ohio teacher licensure. It is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP); nationally recognized by the various Specialized Professional Associations; approved by the Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE). The teacher education program prepares candidates for careers in one of three teaching licensure areas, offered as three concentrations within the education major:

Early Childhood (Primary) (EC), Pre-K to 5th grade (P-5), ages 3-11

Middle Childhood (MC), 4th grade to 9th grade and ages 9 through 14

Adolescent/Young Adult (AYA), 7th grade to 12th grade and ages 12 through 21. (For candidates in the AYA concentration, the academic subject area is the primary major, and Education is the secondary major.)

Program coordinators, faculty, and administrative staff counsel all undergraduate students interested in education as a major and/or license. Prospective education majors may be assigned an academic advisor in the Department of Education as their first-year/sophomore academic advisor. Prospective students interested in AYA licensure have an advisor in education and in their major field. Candidates must work closely with an advisor to complete a licensure program and/or a major in four years of full-time study. Those who declare an education major later in their academic program may expect to spend additional time completing requirements. Advisement forms, Four Year Plans, and the Teacher Education Handbook are available at https://jcu.edu/academics/education/student-resources

Graduate Programs

The mission of the Department of Education is to provide educational leadership in schools and community agencies for a more just society.

To achieve that end, the unit embodies four goals: to provide professional education in a liberal arts context; to uphold traditional values, yet be responsive and sensitive to society’s changing needs; to focus on personal as well as professional development of the individual; and to emphasize teaching that is anchored in a strong research base and the Jesuit ideal of an educator. The five characteristics of the Jesuit ideal of an educator are:

  • Formation of the total person.

  • Personal influence of the educator.

  • Educational settings as communities of personal influence.

  • Education as a vocation.

  • Integration of the disciplines to extend and synthesize knowledge.

These characteristics are operationalized within academic course sequences constructed around four curricular strands for advanced professional preparation: contexts; learner development; practice; and person. These advanced programs are designed to prepare individuals as leaders in human service and educational contexts. The advanced graduate programs are aligned with the unit’s mission, University and departmental outcomes, conceptual framework, academic strands, and Specialized Professional Associations (SPAs).

The Department of Education academic unit is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) and approved by the Ohio Department of Higher Education.

The Department of Education offers a variety of graduate programs:

  • Master of Education degree programs designed to prepare candidates for:

    • Specialization in such areas as literacy (through the M.Ed. Advanced Studies program)

    • Initial Teaching Licensure areas: Early Childhood (Primary), Middle Childhood, Adolescent/Young Adult

    • School Counseling

    • Educational Leadership

  • Master of Arts programs designed to meet the needs of students primarily interested in research study in an area of specialization.