The education major at Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky, is an intellectually vibrant community committed to the liberal arts and to preparing students for a fulfilling personal and professional life. Whether you choose one of the teacher preparatory education degrees or the non-teaching education and social change degree, you will learn to examine the many problems and issues of education in a critical, open-minded spirit. You’ll reflect on what it means to be an educated person, and explore diversity and equity issues in all your courses.
Teacher preparation majors are theory based rather than just technique driven. Primary, middle grades and secondary preparation students must be actively involved in their own learning, participating in a variety of interactive classes and seminars on campus and in P–12 classrooms. Most courses include labs and fieldwork, and the major includes a professional development component.
During their first course, students observe in the classrooms of local schools. Throughout their course work they participate in a variety of teaching experiences, including a four-week May term practicum that allows them to spend full days in a P–12 classroom. This hands-on approach is capped by a semester of student teaching completed in a public school during the senior year. Many of these opportunities are made possible by Transylvania’s location in downtown Lexington, which puts students in close proximity to both public and private elementary, middle and high schools.
If you’re not interested in teaching but rather the discipline of education and knowledge, you may find the education and social change a good fit. The major appeals to students who plan to study educational philosophy or policy studies at the graduate level and serves as a good second major for pre-law, psychology or sociology majors, among others.
Courses of Special Interest
- Enculturation in Non-Western Cultures
- Race, Ethnicity, and Social Class
- Schooling in American Culture
- The Immigrant Child
- Young Adult Literature
Internships Our Students Have Completed
- Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning
- Due West Education, Beijing
- Nerd Squad STEM Tutoring Program
Possible Career Options
- Teacher, public or private school
- School administrator
- Curriculum specialist
- Educational policy analyst
Where Our Graduates Have Studied
- Florida State University
- Harvard Graduate School of Education
- High Point University
- Winthrop University
- Vanderbilt University
Semester Study Abroad Opportunities
- Australia I
- Australia II
- England II
- Fiji
- Ireland
- Italy
- New Zealand
- Scotland
These GlobalTransy programs have at least two courses related to the major.
Interested in studying abroad for a summer? Take a look at our summer study abroad opportunities.
Contacts
Amy Maupin
Associate Professor of Education
Program Director
Jennifer Sagan
Education Certification Specialist
(859) 233-8608
Transylvania University
300 North Broadway
Lexington, KY 40508
More Information
Education for certification programs will no longer be offered at Transy and are being phased out over the next 3 years.
No students entering Transy after Winter 2025 term will be able to major in the following:
- Elementary Education: P-5 Certification, BA
- Middle Grades Education: 5-9 Certification, BA
- Teaching Art, BA (P-12 Certification)
- Music Education, BA (P-12 Certification)
- Teaching Chemistry, BA (8-12 Certification)
No students entering Transy after Winter 2025 term will be able to minor in the following:
- Education Minor for P-12 Certification for French and Spanish
- Education Minor for Secondary Certification (8-12) for History/Social Studies, English, Mathematics, Biology, and Physics
Students who enrolled prior to Winter 2025 will be able to pursue majors/minors in these provided they declare the major/minor no later than July 1, 2025.