Bachelor of Education

A Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) is an undergraduate professional degree which prepares students for work as a teacher in schools, though in some countries additional work must be done in order for the student to be fully qualified to teach.

In North America, this degree is awarded for coursework completed within a program lasting one to five years, depending on the requirements established by the place where the province or state in which the university is located. In Canada, a B.Ed. degree is required for teaching certification.

A B.Ed.program may have direct entry from high school; as a combined degree with another bachelor's degree (e.g., B.A./B.Ed.); or as an after-degree program where the candidate has obtained a bachelor's degree, usually, the field in which the student wishes to teach. A good rapport or previous experience with young children or teens is also a desired characteristic of applicants.

There are several streams to a Bachelor of Education, each corresponding to the particular level of instruction. In the United States, this includes elementary school education, middle school education, and high school education. Students in the elementary education stream generally study for a Liberal Studies degree. In the high school (secondary education) stream, the student specializes in one to two subject areas. Upon completion of the degree, they will prepare and eventually sit for the state's Board of Education certification examination.

A typical B.Ed. program may include coursework in pedagogy, educational psychology, educational policy and leadership, assessment, curriculum development; and lesson planning, social justice, special education, and instructional technology.

In Australia, a 4-Year Bachelor of Education degree combines practical/pedagogical study with a Major sequence in the academic discipline of Education. In the majority of Australian universities, there is usually 2 distinct types of the Bachelor of Education: Primary and Secondary. The subjects and degree programs are quite different in both degrees e.g. for a student studying the Bachelor of Education (Primary) the focus of their degree would lie in behaviour, children, basic literacy, how children learn etc. For a student studying the Bachelor of Education (Secondary) they would therefore be teaching roughly 11- to 18-year-old adolescents and their programs would have less focus on those kinds of areas by the Primary degree. Instead, the degree is based around the student's intending teaching subjects; usually 1 or 2. In NSW, these teaching areas provide the major focus for their degrees in their final years. They consist of: English, Mathematics, Science (Biology, Physics & Chemistry), Geography, History, Business Studies, Legal Studies, Economics, Society & Culture and Languages. The longer duration of the course allows for more practical experiences and greater personal or professional development before teaching service. Most Australian State Teacher-Certification bodies require either a Bachelor of Education, or a bachelor's degree in one or two subject areas, with a Graduate Diploma in Education as a minimum. A B.Ed. is not to be confused with the lesser degree Bachelor of Teaching, which is usually an 'End-On' course similar but slightly longer than a Graduate Diploma in Education.

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