Bluefield State College’s Education school prepares students to be both informed teachers and gifted mentors at the elementary and middle school levels.
The program is small and close-knit, designed to be supportive for both students beginning their careers and professionals reimagining their path.
Experiential
Through content, general education, and professional education courses, students absorb the knowledge they need to educate and inspire young people. Students then put that knowledge into practice through field experience opportunities and a semester of full-time student teaching.
Student-Centered
Bluefield State College's Teacher Education program is student centered. Courses and field experiences focus on active learning and value student engagement. Faculty members partner with students as they prepare for the national Praxis exams, arrange their student teacher placements and anticipate leading their own classroom.
West Virginia Proud
Many Education students aim to invest their talents back into regional and state schools. Field experiences are conducted in diverse regional pubic school classrooms in southern West Virginia and southwest Virginia. Students learn how to nurture young learners coming from this social, cultural and economic background.
In order to apply for admission to the Teacher Education program, you will need to complete the following steps:
- Declare a major in Education at any time through the counseling center.
- Complete a minimum of 24 semester hours of the required coursework with a GPA of 2.75 or higher. At least two of these hours must be taken through one of the following Education classes: EDUC 110 Foundations of Education, EDUC 160 Diversity and Education, EDUC 200 Child/Adolescent Growth & Development, EDUC 280 General Methods, READ 270 Reading Process, SPED 310 Introduction to Special Education or SPED 311 Teaching Special Needs Students in Inclusive Classrooms.
- Successfully complete Education 110: Foundations of Education including the 20 hour field experience with a favorable evaluation.
- Complete 40 additional documented volunteer hours. A minimum of 10 must be in a public school setting.
- Pass the reading, writing and math portions of the Praxis Core, a national test (administered off-campus) that evaluates teacher preparedness. (Students with an ACT composite score of 26 or higher are exempt from taking the Praxis Core.) Must have a score of 1170 or higher on the SAT.
- Before taking the test, it’s recommended that you take a foundation of 24 credit hours, including at least one of course in English, Math and Foundations of Education.
You will be responsible for paying for the tests, and you can register online. When you sign up, indicate that you’d like to have the scores reported to the Bluefield State Department of Education. - Complete a formal application, which you can obtain from an Education faculty member or from the Teacher Education Handbook, and return to the Education office.
- Submit three completed Faculty Evaluation of Student forms (two from education faculty and one from general studies), which can be obtained from a faculty member or from the handbook.
- Once the above requirements are met, an interview with Education faculty will be scheduled.
