Education

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Education

Faculty

Maria Oreshkina, Ph.D., Chair
Jennifer Kaschak, Ph.D.
Tata J. Mbugua, Ph.D.

Programs

The Education Department offers degrees in Early and Primary Teacher Education, Middle Level Teacher Education, and Secondary Education, each leading to Pennsylvania teacher certification. Programs in Middle Level Teacher Education contain concentrations in English/Language Arts and Reading, Mathematics, Social Studies, and Science.  Secondary Education Programs include:

Dual majors or the equivalent of a dual major are part of all Secondary Education programs at the University.

Educational Studies Minor 

The Minor in Educational Studies is a six-course undergraduate program of study open to students of all majors.  The minor allows students to study education both as a liberal arts discipline-furthering student interests in the foundations of education, child and adolescent development, and the science and art of teaching; as well as a professional resource, suited especially for careers in corporate training, human resources development, child advocacy and policy, and university research and teaching. The Minor in Educational Studies requires completion of 18 credits.  For more information about the Educational Studies Minor please visit the Educational Studies Minor  site.

Student Teaching Requirements

The Education Department ordinarily does not permit students to take courses concurrently with the student-teaching sequence.  Students seeking deviations from this policy must complete a form requiring the approvals of the advisor, the appropriate program director, the department chairperson, and the dean.  Student teaching requires application, which must be submitted to the Field Placement Director via Taskstream and approved by the Teacher Education Committee, prior to registration for the student teaching semester. Detailed directions for student teaching application are available in the Education Department Undergraduate Student Handbook.  Current PA Criminal Records, PA Child Abuse and ACT 24 Clearance forms, FBI fingerprint clearances indicating “no record,” and TB test results are required previous to receiving a field assignment.  Students must comply with field and student teaching application deadlines.  Students are responsible for their own transportation to and from the student teaching site.

Accreditation

The Department’s programs are approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE). Note: Graduates of the University of Scranton’s teacher education programs may be eligible for certifications offered by other states.  Pennsylvania has signed an Interstate Agreement through the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification which facilitates certification in other states.  States’ requirements vary and are subject to change without notice, therefore; it is strongly recommended that students who wish to obtain certification in a state other than Pennsylvania, obtain certification requirements for the state(s) in which they wish to pursue certification by reviewing the respective state department of education’s website(s). We encourage you to contact the appropriate state licensing agency to seek guidance and verify requirements before beginning a program and during your program of study. 

Field Experiences/Student Teaching Requirements

In order to enter Pennsylvania schools or be placed at any field experience site that would place students in direct contact with children, including any and all University of Scranton clinics or tutoring sessions, all students must have a valid PA Criminal Record Check (Act 34), PA Child Abuse Clearance (Act 151), Federal Criminal History Record Information (Act 114), TB test results and Arrest/Conviction Report and Certification Form (Act 24) on file with the Education Department. Any citation on the Act 34, Act 151, or Act 114 will prevent students from participating in field experiences and student teaching, or admission into Teacher Education Programs. In no case will a student be provided with placement information previous to the instructor’s acknowledgment of current clearances or TB test results.  Students are responsible for their own transportation to and from the field experience site.

Teacher Candidacy

Students are accepted to the University as Education Majors, but students are not formally accepted in the Education Preparation Program until they have been accepted into Teacher Candidacy.  For students admitted as Education Majors, enrollment in 300 level Education courses may occur only upon successful completion of application for Teacher Candidate Status.  From the freshman year, students are strongly urged to become aware of Teacher Candidacy requirements.  Students are encouraged to take the Pre-Service Academic Performance assessment (PAPA) or the Praxis I Core Exam in their freshman year and to attend the teacher candidacy informational seminar, which is offered each semester.

Semi-Annual Review of Student Dispositions

The professional demeanor of education majors is evaluated each semester at a meeting of the Education Department faculty and professional staff. This determination is based on professional behaviors as outlined in The Education Undergraduate Student Handbook (available from the Education Department Web site). Students whose professional behaviors are unsatisfactory are subject to departmental probation and may be recommended to the dean of the college for dismissal from the Education program. The department’s probation policy and other information are presented in the Education Undergraduate Student Handbook.

Community-Based Learning

The Panuska College of Professional Studies embraces a community-based learning experience to better prepare its students for professional careers that are service oriented. Education majors are required to perform 40 hours of community-based learning in order to graduate.  In the Freshman year, community-based learning requirements are earned through the PCPS T.A.P.E.S.T.R.Y. Program.  Community-based learning is aligned with designated courses throughout the remainder of the program of studies and is related to the content of the courses (see the Education Undergraduate Student Handbook available on the Education Department website). 

Exit Interview

Upon completion of the student teaching experience, students are required to participate in an exit interview with faculty members.  During the exit interview, students are asked about the strengths and weaknesses of the program.  Students may also be asked about Jesuit education.  Education majors are required to participate in the exit interview in order to graduate.

edTPA

The Education Department has selected edTPA as its capstone assessment.  All undergraduate student teachers will be required to complete edTPA as part of the requirements for the Professional Practice Seminar.  

Academic Advising

Students will confer with their academic advisors in order to plan the sequence of courses that will be taken for each term. Incoming first-year students will be given the new program requirements prior to orientation.  Following this narrative, all the courses mentioned are a part of the programs of study.

Title II

Federal regulations in the Higher Education Act of 1998 require that departments of teacher education report their students’ performance on the PAPA/PECT and Praxis Series examinations.

Course Information

Courses for Education are listed under the prefix EDUC.  For more information on these courses, visit our Education Department Courses  page.  For more information on all courses offered, visit our Course Descriptions  page.

For more information about an Accelerated Master’s Degree please visit the University of Scranton Graduate Studies Catalog.   

For more information about the Education department, visit its website.

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