Are you going to college soon and know you want to pursue a career in education? Are you also unsure of where to go for this degree? Then this is the perfect blog for you! By reading this, you will not only be able to figure out what education majors do, but you’ll hopefully find the college of your dreams! You’ll also learn what types of courses you’ll need to take for this degree and approximately how long it takes you to get to your future job in education.
What Education Majors Do
The Education Can Vary Based On The Career You Choose!
During their time at school, education majors learn how to understand the learning process while also learning how to teach others different subjects and studies. They’re able to gain first-hand experience while student teaching, as well as learning in the classroom.
Education majors will have to take classes like education theory, child development, and contemporary issues in education. However, these classes vary based on the school and the program they’re looking to pursue. If students want to pursue childhood education or high-school education, these courseloads will also vary and depend on their future goals.
In addition, education majors can go to different career paths, not just one that involves teaching. These types of different paths can include:
- Careers in the nonprofit industry. Lots of education majors end up working for all different types of nonprofits. For example, they could end up helping nonprofits in their event plannings and even fundraising efforts.
- Being a school principal or superintendent. If education majors want to be higher up in their school system for their professional careers, they should look into being principals or superintendents. This will allow them to still be in a school setting and have more authority over their school systems if that’s what they’re looking to do in the future.
- Being involved in a governmental organization. Education majors can go on to work for a governmental organization anywhere they choose. Whether that’s for an organization right in their town or somewhere else, it’s a great career choice for those who may not want to teach!
- Being a school or town librarian. If students are interested in reading and books and maybe don’t want to go on to teaching students, this is a great career choice for them! They’ll be able to help students find resources for classes like databases and books for class research and won’t be in a classroom all day!
- Being a school counselor. If students with an education degree want to help students more on mental health aspects rather than teaching aspects, this is the job for them. As a school counselor you’ll be able to help students through any school related stress or any stress going on in their lives. If this seems like the type of career path for you, then go for it!
Either way, an education major will find many jobs based on their preferences and what they learned in their classes at school. Whether that’s teaching a classroom full of students or not, they’ll be able to put their learning to use! Now we’ll just have to figure out which schools are the best for an education degree, which is our next topic!
The Best Colleges For An Education Degree
A Guide To The Best Schools
There are many different colleges out there that have education degrees, but the key is finding one that fits all of your educational needs. Some of the best colleges for an education degree can include:
- Vanderbilt University. Here, students will be able to get lots of classroom experience, which gives them confidence and practice for their future careers in education. They offer many different programs for their education majors, including studies like K-12 educational leadership and policy, higher education leadership and policy, and leadership and learning in organizations. If you’re looking for a school with many different educational programs, this is the school for you!
- Northwestern University. At Northwestern, students are provided with practical experiences, research activities, and an interdisciplinary curriculum that’ll help them pursue their future careers in teaching. The school’s undergraduate program also has six different academic concentrations that students can choose from when they first arrive. These concentrations include elementary teaching, human development in context, learning sciences, learning, and organizational change, secondary teaching, and social policy. If these concentrations sound good to you, this may be the school you want to attend!
- University of Michigan (Ann Arbor). This school was ranked #1 in Education and Educational Research by various research articles in top-tier journals. Their undergraduate program in elementary teacher education has a strong emphasis on developing teachers’ instructional practices for the purpose of disrupting inequities in schools. Their secondary teacher education degree prepares students to teach grades 6-12 and allows them to teach subjects about which students have a deep understanding. If these programs sound like great ones to pursue, this is the school you’ll want to apply to right away!
Best Colleges Continued…
A Guide To More Of The Best Colleges For An Education Degree
- Brown University. Here at Brown University, their education program is designed with America’s greatest educational needs in mind and helps students work at all educational system levels. They also offer many educational courses for those passionate about fighting for equal access to education and allow students to explore issues of race, class, identity, and poverty through the lens of America’s schools. If these studies and programs sound great to you, you’ll want to apply now!
- University of Florida. At UF, undergraduate students can pick from majors like early childhood education, elementary education, or educational sciences. Some of the programs like the early childhood education program, provide students with everything they’ll need to know to be an early childhood educator for a diverse group of children in inclusive programs. If these types of majors and programs sound like a good fit for you, be sure to apply!
- Boston University. At Boston University, students who are pursuing educational degrees can explore high-impact approaches to studying real-world challenges such as climate change, systematic racism, or our global community. The teaching and learning department programs are designed to help students acquire the content knowledge and skills that set great educators apart. Students will also have field-based experiences and research opportunities in the greater Boston area. If this sounds like a good program to you, be sure to apply!
- University of Wisconsin. Here, students can expand their perspectives, develop their own sense of connection, and open their minds to their community and the world around them. This school offers ten departments in the arts, education, and health with top-ranked programs as well. Graduates can lead fulfilling careers in visual arts, dance, and theatre as well as physical and special education.
Education degrees are great for any type of job students may be looking for after they graduate. Since professionals will see that you’re capable of teaching others, there are many great opportunities for you to find with this type of major and degree program! Be sure to apply to any of the colleges you like above and wait for an acceptance letter!
