The College of Education offers top-ranked academic degree programs in teaching and learning, higher education, education policy, counseling, rehabilitation, exercise science, educational neuroscience, and measurement. Students in these programs have the opportunity to collaborate with world-renowned faculty and are prepared to become leaders, scholars, and innovators in their field.
Department of Curriculum and Instruction
The Department of Curriculum and Instruction prepares prospective teachers committed to ethical instruction and disciplinary expertise who advance the intellectual and social conditions of all learners and prepares researchers and educational leaders for careers in university settings and in any number of government and precollege school settings. The Department of Curriculum and Instruction is comprised of programs in early childhood/elementary education and secondary curriculum, teaching, and learning. Degrees are listed and certifications that can be obtained are listed below each degree.
Department of Educational Leadership, Policy, and Technology Studies
The mission of the Department of Educational Leadership, Policy and Technology Studies is to prepare ethical and reflective practitioners, researchers, and scholars for work in K-12, higher education, and other educational settings. Through teaching and outreach the Department strives to promote the values, knowledge, and skills needed to improve education in the state and across the region; and through the scholarly activities of its faculty and students, contribute to national research. Leadership, in all areas, requires an understanding of curricular, instructional, supervisory, and administrative processes as well as an awareness of the ever-changing social, philosophical, historical, political, cultural, legal, moral, and economic contexts of education. Programs offered through the Department meet this challenge by focusing on knowledge construction, learning, and pedagogy, and the development of professional practice that respects diversity, honors difference, and promotes social justice. The Department also maintains an ongoing, open dialogue about school improvement through its association with various federal, state, and local educational agencies and professional organizations. The Department of Educational Leadership, Policy, and Technology Studies is a full member of the University Council for Educational Administration.
Department of Educational Studies in Psychology, Research Methodology, and Counseling
The primary mission of the Department of Educational Studies in Psychology, Research Methodology, and Counseling is to offer quality graduate programs to an interdisciplinary array of students. The Educational Research program develops researchers for the public sector, private sector, and higher education. The Educational Psychology program provides exemplary graduate training in research, application, and practice related to learning, development, and mental well being of people of all ages. The Program in Counselor Education offers a quality program of teaching, research, and service for students enrolled for study and, ultimately, for the benefit of the publics they serve. The School Psychology program provides exemplary graduate training in research, application, and practice related to the learning, development, and mental health of children and youth as well as their families, teachers, educators and other professionals who work with them.
Department of Kinesiology
Kinesiology has as its mission the preparation of educators, researchers, and citizens who are professionally and academically prepared and are dedicated to addressing the physical activity needs of our society in school, community, work-site, health, medical, or athletic environments. In this regard, the Department of Kinesiology is committed to diverse cultural, educational, scientific, and cross-disciplinary approaches that emphasize the total person. One vital aspect of these efforts is to understand and educate our students and the public in the science and benefits of human movement. We support a broad multi-disciplinary, technologically sophisticated, integrative perspective that identifies exercise, sport, and skill acquisition as critical factors in preparing children and adults to become healthy, knowledgeable, culturally sensitive, and valued members of society.
Department of Music Education
Bringing music into school-aged people’s lives is an exciting and rewarding profession. The thorough music training offered by the School of Music, the mastery of skills required in music education courses, and the chance to participate in the finest ensembles in the region are opportunities which set the UA music education programs apart from all others. Graduates of the UA programs are leaders in the profession throughout their careers.
Department of Special Education and Multiple Abilities
The Department of Special Education and Multiple Abilities (SPEMA) prepares students to serve as reflective decision makers in instructional settings for exceptional learners. The SPEMA faculty believe that a teacher preparation program should emphasize roles and responsibilities that integrate the strengths of learners, parents, general education teachers, special education teachers, related service professionals, and the community. A combination of learning opportunities that include a coordinated knowledge base, diverse school-based practicums, and internship experiences are designed to facilitate the development of logical, critical, and reflective thinking skills. These skills will enable students to synthesize information and conceptualize knowledge that prepare them as future educators to effectively plan, develop, problem solve, and implement programs for diverse learners.
