Elementary and Secondary Education
What is it about teachers that make them so special?
It's a profession of caring people who inspire students of all ages, backgrounds and interests in their journey for knowledge. It's a profession guiding students to discover who they are, and helping them shape their life's view. It's a profession that can make a difference in our communities and in our world.
In the education program at Bay Path you'll understand and develop the critical skills, processes and strategies that link teaching and learning. The curriculum incorporates a strong liberal arts foundation in history, math, science and other disciplines, and you'll learn how to present these subject areas to children that will encourage their interest and curiosity. In the special education courses, you'll examine the best practices for teaching children with disabilities or challenges. After successfully completing your prerequisites, you build on your theoretical base with pre-practicum experience. Throughout your development as a teacher, you'll be encouraged to define your own educational philosophy and style of teaching that can be integrated into a classroom, school and community.
Our Programs
We offer the Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies/Early Childhood Education: Teacher of Students With and Without Disabilities (grades PreK-2), Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies/Elementary Education (grades 1-6) and The Baccalaureate of Science Initial Licensure Program in Biology/Secondary Education, Grades 8-12.
Our education programs prepare you to be teachers and leaders in the elementary schools and/or the private preschool sector. You prepare for licensure granted by the Massachusetts Department of Education and the Massachusetts Office of Child Care Services (early childhood education students only). The goals of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education are to ensure that you are of excellent academic caliber and that you become exemplary teachers.
The education programs have a strong liberal arts base as their foundation. This foundation provides you with in-depth knowledge of the academic disciplines necessary for successful teaching.
You will be given ample opportunity to participate in classrooms as part of your teacher training. Public schools within the city of Springfield and surrounding communities, private preschools and childcare centers, all support and enrich our education programs.
Licensure Programs:
Both the Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies/Early Childhood and Elementary Education Programs, when combined with the liberal studies major, lead toward initial licensure as a public school teacher with the Massachusetts Department of Education and, subsequently, with other states that negotiate through the Interstate Agreement. The liberal arts major helps prepare you in subjects that you will teach, including English, history, mathematics, science, government, and geography. In addition to electing liberal arts courses, you elect a sequence of education courses that prepares you to teach using the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks. In your last year of study, you will enter your senior year experience in Education which consists of two intensive field experiences: pre-practicum and practicum (student teaching). The Liberal Studies/Elementary Education Program is offered in both the Traditional and One-Day-A-Week Saturday - for adult women, formats.
The Baccalaureate of Science Initial Licensure Program in Biology/Secondary Education, Grades 8-12, students will graduate with a biology major and an education program leading to licensure by the Massachusetts Department of Education as a biology teacher, grades 8 through 12. Bay Path College’s education programs are approved by the Massachusetts Department of Education. The teaching credential student earn will comply with NASDTEC’s Interstate Contract which facilitates reciprocity between participating states.
Teaching in States Outside of Massachusetts
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education at Bay Path College are approved by the Massachusetts Department of Education. When a student graduates and earns Massachusetts licensure, she can use her teaching credential to apply for licensure in other states, as determined through NASDTEC, the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification. NASDTEC facilitates the movement of professional educators from state to state. Currently over 40 states have signed the Interstate Contract through NASDTEC. In order to qualify for a teaching license in the state of choice, the candidate will have to pass all exams as required for licensure by that state.
