Education Studies

Education Studies Minor

Education Studies is an interdivisional minor designed for students interested in the study of learning from political, historical, cultural, and psychological perspectives, as well as for those students intending to pursue education-related careers after graduation. Allegheny has a 200-year history of sending its students into the world as educators and as advocates for the transforming possibilities of education.

Education Studies at a glance

16

Of all Allegheny alumni work in the field of education.

100

Of all Education Studies minors complete an internship in local schools.

A path that truly prepares you

The liberal arts foundation of the Education Studies minor seeks to enrich students’ ability to understand, to acquire, to disseminate, and to value knowledge about learning from different perspectives and experiences.

Time To Explore

Because Allegheny students complete a master's and certification program after graduation, our students have the time both to explore their potential teaching content area more deeply (taking significantly more courses in their content area than undergraduate certification programs allow) and to determine if teaching is really their calling. This translates to future teachers who are more richly prepared to teach.

After Graduation

While our students attend many different master's programs, Allegheny has a long-term relationship with the University of Pittsburgh's School of Education, which guarantees our students admission to their one-year master's and certification program with a minimum GPA. Students complete the prerequisites at Allegheny as part of our minor.

Exploring Education in the Classroom and in the World

Students begin with our interdisciplinary Introduction to Education Studies, the foundational course for the minor that explores education philosophy, teaching methods, and the history and politics of our current educational systems. Students can also begin exploring electives to prepare them for their teaching careers, such as Environmental Education, Elementary School Mathematics, or Teaching English Language Learners.

The second year allows further exploration of electives, such as Educational Psychology or Foundations of Special Education.

Students move into upper-level seminar courses focused on specific topics to prepare them to teach or use their education backgrounds in an increasingly diverse world. Topics include Multicultural Education, Children's Literature, Education Tests and Measures, and Education Methods and Design.

As students reach the completion of their Education Studies minor, they take our Internship Seminar, through which they spend four to five hours a week in local schools for the entire school year. Students are placed according to their own interests (so a student planning to teach Spanish would be placed with a local Spanish teacher). This experience truly gives students a taste of their own futures!

Education Studies Learning Outcomes

Provide coursework and fieldwork opportunities necessary for those students wishing to meet teacher preparation or graduate school requirements.

Provide opportunities for students to explore different domestic and international educational models and philosophies.

Encourage students to formulate their own educational philosophy and reflect on the connections between content knowledge and pedagogical approaches.

Teach students how individual learners develop and help students understand the impact of individual learning differences

Expose students to issues of privilege, power, and difference and their intersection with issues of education; Help students become aware of how learners are affected by environmental factors

Expose students to the ways different academic disciplines approach issues of education; Make students aware of codes of ethical conduct and professional organizations that advocate for learners and on behalf of educational policy and practice

Shoshana Robbins, Alumna

Class of 2019, Community and Justice Studies Major and Education Studies and Political Science Minors

“ The Education Studies minor has not only allowed me to explore my interest in the field of education to the fullest extent, but it has also given me the unique opportunity to find passions outside of the discipline. The minor recognizes how multifaceted the field is and gives students the freedom to both discuss and reflect upon their own educational experiences. ”