The Bachelor in Science in Educational Studies is a degree with multiple concentrations, such as Early Childhood Education and Special Education, that degree candidates can choose from. This degree does not provide an opportunity for teacher certification; however, as a pathway to the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree, students who eventually want to teach can earn certification at the graduate level.
See this brochure (pdf - 7.3M) for more information.
Yes, you can come back to get a Masters of Art in Teaching (MAT) degree to become certified to teach. You may have to take some content courses before enrolling in the MAT program. There are two tracks in the MAT program.
The deadline to apply for graduate school is July 15 in order to enroll for the fall semester. You will need to take and pass the subject area Praxis before moving on to Internship II (last semester of the program).
To apply for the MAT Accelerated program, you would need to apply by February 15 of your senior year. In order to be accepted to the MAT Accelerated program, you need to take and pass the subject area Praxis, have no remaining required coursework in the area in which you wish to teach, and be admitted to Teacher Education as an undergraduate. Please note, due to course sequencing, an MAT Accelerated degree in ECED, ELEM, or SPED isn’t always feasible.
Not necessarily. For example, you might major in elementary education and choose to get a Master’s degree in another area such as literacy, technology, leadership, etc. You then have certification at the undergraduate level as well as another area of expertise.
There are a variety of career options for students who choose to get an Educational Studies degree. For example, you could work at a museum (such as Discovery Place) or you could work in training in the corporate world.
Are you a junior or senior who started as an education major, but have now changed your mind about wanting to spend your career in the classroom? Have you found the traditional pathway to teacher certification fraught with obstacles? The BS in Educational Studies might just be for you! After meeting with an advisor, you may find that switching to Educational Studies will allow you to graduate on time.
Refer to the undergraduate catalog, and speak with your advisor, to determine the concentration (ECED, ELEM, ML- ELA, ML-Math, ML- Science, ML- SS, SPED) specific courses to take. If you are admitted to the Teacher Education Program, you have a wider variety of education courses to choose from. Be mindful of getting enough 300 level and above courses (must have a minimum of 40 hours at the 300 level to graduate).
Yes, you can have two concentrations in the Educational Studies program. For example, you could select to have both ECED and ELEM as the two concentrations.
In order to use the SC Teachers Loan as an Educational Studies major you would need to be admitted into the Teacher Education Program with the intention of continuing in the MAT program.
No, none of the required courses in the Educational Studies degree are restricted for admission into the Teacher Education Program. Therefore, you do not need to take/pass the Praxis Core exam to complete the program.
Check out the Degree Checklists and Transfer Tools on the CESHS SAS website. Watch these videos on the landing page and feel free to contact Dr. Barger or Ms. Oxley with any questions you might have.
Bettie Parsons Barger, Chair of Education Core
Kimberly Oxley, Program Director for Educational Studies