Thiel College

With a bachelor’s degree in education from Thiel College, students graduate well prepared to begin a teaching career. 

With small classes and amazing field experiences at local schools, education majors at Thiel gain the skills and knowledge needed to prepare them to support and inspire the next generation of students. We’re proud that our Education Department boasts 100% placement within 6 months of graduation.

Explore our pathways
A Thiel College early childhood/special education major will prepare you to become a teacher of general education Pre-K to fourth grade, and special education for children from Pre-K to twelfth grade. As you pursue your undergraduate degree, you will examine theories of child development, motivation, and learning and master the skills needed to encourage students to learn new material and to take responsibility for themselves and one another. 

Thiel also offers secondary education certificates with the following majors: biology, chemistry, English, mathematics, and social studies. You’ll work closely with faculty to develop your leadership skills, hone your ability to work with young adults from seventh through twelfth grade in public, private, and alternative school systems, master the latest educational technologies, and study the subtleties of lesson planning, classroom management and human growth and development. In a curriculum rooted in the liberal arts, you’ll take a deep dive into your chosen field of study, explore a variety of teaching styles, prepare to support and challenge students who learn in different ways, and gain a deep understanding of the profession’s key values of scholarship, leadership, and service. 

Each of these degrees qualify you for initial Pennsylvania teaching certification.

Classroom experience
Each of our programs culminates in a semester long student teaching experience that will allow you to practice your new skills in classroom settings. Before student teaching, education majors are required to complete at least 190 hours of field experience within various classroom settings in one of the local school districts. What’s more, students also can participate in many different internships across the country and abroad. 

Quality instruction
Our professors are trained, certified, and have many years of experience as teachers, principals and administrators. Thanks to their instruction, our students have had an 93% summary pass rate on state-required tests in the past three years. 

Thiel’s education curriculum is based on highly regarded research about effective teaching, and our faculty works together to help students sequence through their courses and integrate their learning to produce highly qualified, highly prepared and highly employable teachers. Our professors are always staying up to date on emerging trends and philosophies. What’s more, classes are designed to get students interacting with each other and experiencing what teaching techniques do and don’t work for different situations. In this way, students apply teaching strategies to their own classrooms.