Post-Baccalaureate Education Program

Pursue a personalized pathway to licensure.

Do you have an undergraduate degree or are you currently working on an undergraduate degree? Do you feel called to be a teacher? Grove City College’s post-baccalaureate program will equip you with the courses, experiences, and certification you need to become an influential teacher and shaper of young minds!

Who Can Apply?

Students with a bachelor’s or advanced degree or students currently working on a bachelor’s degree are eligible for this program. Contact Marybeth Miller to begin the application process or to ask any questions.

Program Distinctives

• Rigorous education from a Christ-centered perspective.
• Personal access to highly accomplished Christian faculty mentors, all of whom have experience teaching in PK-12 settings.
• Real-world field experiences in a wide range of classroom environments, culminating in a semester of student teaching during your last semester. Through partnerships with area elementary and middle schools, you will gain hands-on experience and develop classroom management skills.
• Education Career Services (ECS) offering exceptional career development and networking opportunities for you as both a student and alumnus of Grove City College. The ECS fosters relationships with private, public, charter, and international schools and other education employers.
• Access to the impressive and dynamic Hamilton Curriculum Library, providing you with a wealth of education materials and expert guidance. Curated by a certified teacher in our program, this hub for education majors serves as an ideal space to collaborate with fellow students and work on lesson planning.

Career Opportunities & Outcomes

• If you are like 95% of Grove City College graduates, you will be prepared to compete for full-time jobs or seats in top graduate programs across the country.
  • Many education majors become certified and licensed teachers around the country at public schools and private schools, while others teach internationally or take unique teaching positions in mission work and other fields.
  • Some of our students go on to pursue graduate degrees in education and related fields.

Program Specifics

• Teacher certifications in Elementary Education (prek-4), Middle Level (grades 4-8), Secondary Education (7-12) or PK-12 programs.
• Individualized program, tailored to satisfy the Pennsylvania Department of Education requirements and competencies and Grove City College’s Education Core requirements.

Course Descriptions

The following courses are required, along with any other content-required coursework:

• PSYC 102 - EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY. A consideration of those aspects of psychology which form the basis for educational methods and their application in the school curriculum, including student characteristics, group and individual differences, cognitive and personality development, learning theory, measurement, and evaluation. This course satisfies the Information Literacy (IL) requirement for all education majors. Semester course, three hours.
• EDUC 202 - INTRODUCTION TO THE TEACHING PROFESSION. A study of the pedagogical framework of education with emphasis on the legal and organizational issues related to American institutions of education. This includes an analysis of the current reform movements and the impact upon the role of the professional educator.
• EDUC 203 - CULTURALLY RELEVANT PEDAGOGY. A study of the characteristics and educational needs of learners from diverse cultural backgrounds. The course is designed to equip educators with methods to address the educational needs of culturally diverse groups and students from limited English backgrounds. Semester course, three hours.
• EDUC 204 - TECHNOLOGIES OF INSTRUCTION. An introduction to educational media with an emphasis on applications of computer technology in education; general models for computer usage in education and educational institutions; and case studies of specific projects in terms of approach, effectiveness, and implications for the future. Emphasis will be on the application of educational media and technology within the K-12 school curriculum. For education majors only. Semester course, three hours.
• EDUC 215 - SECONDARY CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION I. This course provides an overview of all curriculum components essential for operating a secondary education classroom. Major curriculum approaches are explored, and students are expected to complete unit planning skills implementing these approaches. Additional focus will be on classroom management strategies, school setting and culture, selecting course materials, and introduction to professionalism/ethics Semester course, two hours.
• EDUC 371 - SECONDARY FIELD EXPERIENCE (FIRST LEVEL). An internship course designed to help pre-service secondary and K-12 teachers observe and collaborate with experienced teachers to gain the knowledge and practice necessary to effectively teach in a secondary classroom. Key components include actively observing and critically reflecting upon elements of successful planning and preparation, classroom environment, instructional delivery, professional conduct, assessment, and knowledge of diverse learners. Semester course, one hour.
• EDUC 316 - SECONDARY ENGLISH/HISTORY/FOREIGN LANGUAGE CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION II. This course provides English, History, and Foreign Language secondary education majors with an advanced implementation of planning and instruction in secondary classrooms. Topics will include literacy in the content area, motivation, management techniques, and English/history/foreign language-specific teaching strategies. Topics discussed will be implemented through an embedded field that will require English, History, and Foreign Language pre-service teachers to demonstrate the implementation of topics. Students will also complete an advanced examination of educational professionalism and ethics. Corequisite: Education 375. Semester course, two hours.
• EDUC 317 - SECONDARY MATH/SCIENCE CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION II. This course provides Math and Science secondary education majors with an advanced implementation of planning and instruction in secondary classrooms. Topics will include literacy in the content area, motivation, management techniques, and math/science-specific teaching strategies. Topics discussed will be implemented through an embedded field that will require math and science pre-service teachers to demonstrate the implementation of topics. Students will also complete an advanced examination of educational professionalism and ethics. Corequisite: Education 375. Semester course, two hours.
• EDUC 375 - SECONDARY FIELD EXPERIENCE (THIRD LEVEL). An internship course designed to help pre-service secondary and K-12 teachers actively collaborate with experienced teachers to gain the knowledge and practice necessary to effectively teach in a secondary classroom. Included in this collaboration is successful planning and preparation that meets the needs of diverse learners and is closely tied to assessment practices, the maintenance of an effective learning environment through the examination and implementation of successful classroom management strategies, the use of effective instructional delivery techniques, the demonstration of professional conduct, and the knowledge of professional development opportunities and requirements. Prerequisite: Education 215. Corequisite: Education 316 or 317. Semester course, one hour.
• EDUC 488 - SEMINAR: ISSUES IN EDUCATION. A capstone course for senior credential candidates that examines the major philosophical, historical, social, political, and psychological issues as they impact the teaching profession. Contemporary issues, successful practices, and curricular approaches will be studied as the student considers possible solutions to various crises facing American education. Semester course, three hours.
• EDUC 450 - STUDENT TEACHING. Pre-service teacher certification candidates are provided a one-semester course in student teaching at local public schools. The course runs five days per week for an entire semester. Additionally, student teachers must attend a student teacher practicum session per week as the course syllabus dictates. Prerequisites: Completion of all methodology courses required before student teaching. Departmental approval and permission required. One-semester course, sixteen hours.
• SEDU 102 - EXCEPTIONAL LEARNERS FOR 7-12 & K-12. This course is a foundational study of the characteristics, etiology, and psychological and educational needs of individuals eligible for special education services, focusing on the implication of such needs on the educator and meeting of individual needs in a standards-aligned system. The course also briefly introduces pre-service teachers to the processes, professionals, and strategies for identifying individual needs and the establishment and delivery of required special education services. A particular focus will be on the implementation of identification, implementation, and inclusion in the secondary classroom. Prerequisite: Education 215. Semester course, two hours.
• SEDU 103 - METHODS OF SECONDARY SPECIAL EDUCATION IMPLEMENTATION. The course is an expansion and implementation of previous coursework for K-12, 7-12 and Special Education Majors that will focus on co-teaching, full inclusion, assessment writing and modification, and co-curricular experiences. Prerequisite: Education 215. It is acceptable to take Special Education 102 and 103 concurrently. Semester course, one hour.

Contact Marybeth Miller to begin the application process or to ask any questions.