In an effort to address teacher shortages and help Roanoke students pursue their educational purpose, Roanoke College now offers 16 four-year undergraduate teacher education majors, pending approval by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
Two years ago, then-Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe signed an executive order that directed the state Board of Education to adopt regulations allowing colleges and universities the option of conferring four-year undergraduate majors in education for teacher licensure.
The move was seen as helping to curtail a statewide shortage of teachers by removing the fifth year of schooling students often needed to obtain a teaching license. Prior to McAuliffe’s directive, state regulations did not allow for undergraduate majors in teaching. Most colleges and universities in Virginia required a fifth year of school for students to get a teaching license. McAuliffe’s executive order made it possible for students to major in education and get a teaching license with just a four-year bachelor’s degree.
In June of this year, the Virginia Department of Education approved Roanoke’s elementary education major. The review process is underway for the new secondary and PK-12 majors after they were recently approved by Roanoke’s faculty.
Roanoke College students will be able to choose from two pathways within the Education major: Classroom Teaching and Professional Studies for both elementary and secondary education.
The Classroom Teaching majors will prepare students to teach in the classroom, and allow them to graduate with a teaching license. The Professional Studies pathway will assist students in developing the background needed to pursue non-teaching careers in education in fields such as counseling, curricular development, educational publishing, and more.
“The addition of these secondary and PK-12 majors will allow for more students to complete the major as well as teacher licensure which will help address the ongoing teacher shortages in the Commonwealth and beyond,” said Dr. Lisa Stoneman, associate professor, and chair of Roanoke’s Education Department. “As important as that is, we are most excited about our students’ ability to directly pursue their true educational interests.”
The new majors offered are:
- Art Education
- Biology Education
- Chemistry Education
- Computer Science Education
- Elementary Education
- Education Professional Studies
- English Education
- French Education
- Health & Physical Education
- Mathematics Education
- Music Education
- Physics Education
- Social Studies Education
- Spanish Education
- Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL)
- Theater Education.
The new minors are:
- Elementary Education
- Secondary Education.
Additional licensure endorsement areas include:
- Middle School English
- Middle School Mathematics
- Middle School Science
- Middle School History & Social Science.
For additional information about majoring in education or gaining a teaching license, contact 540-375-220.
- Submitted by Public Relations Department
