Educational Studies, B.A.

The B.A. in educational studies major offers two specializations: (1) Education and Children and (2) Education and Adolescents. The educational studies major is offered only to students with exceptional circumstances. Students who graduate with this major are not immediately eligible for certification with the Florida Department of Education. The educational studies major prepares students for employment with agencies and educational institutions that do not require graduation from an initial certification program as a term of employment. Students with this major will be qualified for vocations with a variety of community service agencies and mental health organizations. Graduates might pursue further study in the areas of education, social work, sociology, psychology, and/or multicultural/international studies.

The educational studies major provides opportunities for students to explore the ways in which young people construct knowledge within both informal and formal settings. Specializations are available for students with interest in the education of children (grades K–6) or adolescents (grades 5–9). In each specialization, students will explore the social, cognitive, psychological, and physiological domains related to building conceptual understanding. The education studies major combines courses from the School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Education and Social Services. Students choosing the specialization related to children (K–6) will enroll in a variety of methods courses pertaining to the content disciplines that are present in current educational systems. Students electing the specialization related to adolescents will be required to choose a concentration of courses in one of the following disciplines:  mathematics, science, English, and social science.

 
Entrance into the program requires students to

1.  meet the University Explorations (General Education) requirements or transfer in with an Associate of Arts degree from another accredited institution;

2.  pass the General Knowledge (GK) portion of the Florida Teacher Certification Exam prior to or during the first semester in the junior year;

3.  enter with and maintain a GPA of 2.5 throughout the program;

 
To graduate with a degree in educational studies, students must

1.   maintain a 2.5 GPA;

2.   satisfactorily complete all requirements for the educational studies major;

3.   satisfactorily complete all requirements for a bachelor's degree as set forth elsewhere

      in the catalog.