Education is a wonderful field to pursue. Typically, teachers have good job stability, benefits and retirement. Online education is a convenient way to earn your degree. Schedules for online courses are flexible and conducive to people who work or have families. Here are several education degrees that are available online.
Bachelor in Elementary Education
This is a program that helps prepare teachers for certification at the elementary level. The elementary level is grades one through six. Some elementary schools have grades one through five and some have grades one through six. Courses one can be expected to take are child development, pedagogy, and all levels of subject matter. Additionally, learning about cultural, ethical and legal issues will be in your coursework. Typically, students will be required to have field experience. This is something that cannot be done online. To be a teacher, you must have experience with children. Some schools call this a Bachelor of Science in Education. The University of Phoenix is one online school that has this degree available.
Preliminary Multiple Subject Credential
This is the type of credential needed to teach elementary school in California. It authorizes the recipient to teach multiple subjects in “a self-contained classroom.” It is called a preliminary credential because one must receive a clear credential within five years of getting a preliminary. When I received my credential, it took me a year to complete this credentialing process. During this process, I participated in several months of student teaching. National University is one school that has a good program. My husband received this credential here. Although it is online, one may not receive a grade of a D or F. Additionally, one must pass the Basic Skills Test before student teaching. About sixteen courses are taken during the course of this credentialing process. Other states have similar credentials programs but may be called a provisional certificate.
Preliminary Single Subject Credential
This is the type of credential needed to teach secondary school in California. Like the multiple subject credential, this credential is good for five years. One must then take a few more classes to get a clear credential. This subject is different than the multiple subject credential in that the teacher needs to become educated in a single subject, like math or science. National University also has a good Preliminary Single Subject Credential with a BCLAD option. BCLAD stands for Bilingual Cross Cultural Language and Academic Development. According to the commission on teacher credentialing, “BCLAD course work is only available through a California college or university with a BCLAD Emphasis program.” This type of credential is helpful in getting a job that works with English Language Learners. At National, the requirements for this credential are 17 courses and 72.0 quarter units. Some of the courses to take include, History & Culture of Latinos, Educational Psychology, Literacy for Content Areas and The Diverse Classroom. Other states have similar credentials but may be called a permanent certificate
Masters of Science in Special Education
This is a degree one would receive after completing a credentialing program. Typically, a Masters in Education or a Masters of Science in Education gives you a raise or stipend on the teacher pay scale. Additionally, some colleges may allow you to teach education courses with this degree. There are different types of Masters. One is the Master’s of Science in Special Education. One of the schools this can be obtained at is Drexel University online. According to the website, this school is ranked as one of “America ‘s Best Graduate Schools 2010” by U.S.News & World Report. This masters further educates those in the Special Education field on how to better teach students who are at risk or have special needs. The program is a “part-time graduate program consisting of 49.5 credits.” There are some pre-requisites for this program like having a Bachelor’s degree and an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher. This program is good because it has core classes but then let’s the student pick a concentration such as autism or technology in special education.
Different states have different requirements for becoming a teacher. Note that many of these programs require fieldwork so they are not entirely online. To learn more about the requirements for becoming a teacher go to alleducationschools.com.
Sources:
Drexel University Online
University of Phoenix
National University
alleducationschools.com.
Commission on teacher credentialing
