The Colorado College Education Department is pleased to announce the launch of a new Education Major, as well as a new Education Minor for Secondary and K-12 Teaching.
What Students Want
The major is designed first and foremost to meet the needs and desires of students. In 2009, 24% of alumni considered themselves in the field of education. A 2010 Education Department survey of 161 undergraduates revealed that 77% were interested or very interested in “social justice through education,” and 83% in “educational policy.”
Empirical Support and Legislative Trends
Peer institutions such as Skidmore, Brandeis and Beloit offer education as a discipline to study the political, historical, psychological and cultural forces that shape perspectives on learning and development. These institutions are aligned with 2012 Colorado standards that embrace the idea of future teachers majoring in education. The education major will help Colorado College to align with this important legislative shift: providing a liberal arts context to the study of how people learn, while supporting students who want to get a license after graduation.
Positioning for Graduate Research and Teacher Preparation
By increasing the efficiency and consistency of the Education Department course offerings, the education major complements the department’s goal of increasing access to post graduate programs that prepare students to engage in a wide variety of issues in education. The varied course offerings are designed to meet the needs of students wishing to engage in the practical applications of education (by taking additional blocks to fulfill licensure requirements) as well as students who want to engage in educational theory and research.
Increasing the Accessibility of Teaching
With the new major and minor, the Education Department recognizes the need to increase the accessibility of teaching as part of an overall strategy addressing the current trend of Colorado College students pursuing alternative licensure programs such as Teach for America. Students wishing to obtain licensure through the Education Department will have more readily available options, including the eventual establishment of a reduced cost 5th year MAT program.
Click here for the Education Major course requirements.
Education Minor
The minor supports students who wish to study the complexities of education ranging from his historical, social, philosophical and psychological bases to modern day issues and applications. Students interested in teaching at a secondary or K-12 level will need to major in their content area and minor in Education.
