Education
VCU’s School of Education is one of the most comprehensive on the East Coast. Students of diverse interests and backgrounds are attracted to the school’s broad-based program and well-qualified faculty.
The School of Education provides professional preparation for students planning careers in both education and community settings. The first two years of all degree programs focus on a general education foundation. The second two years focus on professional preparation and a concentration in a chosen field that incorporates a variety of clinical experiences, including a full semester in a professional setting.
The School of Education’s undergraduate and graduate programs meet a variety of accreditations and state approvals. All teacher education programs are approved by the Virginia Department of Education and accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education.
These accreditations assure graduates their degrees will be recognized by their chosen professions and employment settings.
Degree requirements
All initial preparation programs in education require a sound liberal arts background. Community college students who plan to transfer into the teacher education in health, physical education and exercise science program should take only general course requirements.
Transfer students pursuing extended teacher preparation programs in secondary education should refer to the requirements for particular majors in the College of Humanities and Sciences. Those pursuing the Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies for early and elementary education should refer to requirements offered by the college.
In order to transfer course work from the community college, students must earn grades of “C” or better. Students should be aware that all teacher preparation programs include professional education course work and clinical requirements that must be completed at VCU.
Internships and field experiences are important components of all programs. The metropolitan Richmond area offers a wide variety of quality locations to provide the pre-professional experiences required of all students.
Degree program
Health, physical education and exercise science is a four-year undergraduate program that culminates in a Bachelor of Science degree awarded by the School of Education.
Exercise science
The concentration in exercise science prepares students to serve as leaders of fitness, health and conditioning programs in corporate, commercial, university and clinical settings that provide exercise programming for apparently healthy individuals and those with chronic disease. Career paths include exercise physiologist, corporate fitness director, cardiopulmonary rehabilitation specialist, strength and conditioning specialist and wellness director. Additionally, the concentration prepares students for graduate study in exercise science or athletic training and offers an excellent option for those students who want to obtain the prerequisites for postgraduate study in physical therapy, occupational therapy or medicine.
Community health education
The community health education concentration prepares students to assist in the development of healthy communities through implementation of dynamic and ongoing health education and promotion programs; students enter careers in health promotion, public health and health education.
Teacher education
Students concentrating in teacher education are prepared to teach health and physical education in the public schools in grades K-12; accredited by NCATE, NASPE and DOE.
Extended Teacher Preparation Program
The School of Education, in cooperation with the College of Humanities and Sciences, offers extended teacher preparation programs in early education (nursery school/kindergarten through fourth grade) and secondary education (grades eight to 12), in accordance with the GAA-TEPA agreement.
Prospective secondary school teachers earn their bachelor’s degree in the specific field in which they plan to teach — English, a foreign language, a science, mathematics or history.
For students planning careers in early or elementary education, the appropriate major choice for freshmen is the liberal studies concentration for early and elementary education in the Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies program.
The successful completion of the extended program results in the simultaneous awarding of both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree. The program requires a minimum of 153 credits, at least 33 of which must be at the graduate level.
In the extended program, a student generally begins work on the professional studies component in his or her third year of study. All students in the program, upon completion of 60 hours of undergraduate course work and prior to completion of 90 hours, must apply for admission to teacher education. To be accepted, a student must have a minimum GPA of 2.5 and must have passed the Praxis I test or have the requisite scores on the SAT. Admission to graduate study requires a GPA of 2.8. For more information on the Extended Teacher Preparation Program, refer to the College of Humanities and Sciences recommended courses.
Additional information
Each program has specific requirements unique to its professional emphasis. Potential students are strongly encouraged to contact the following departments to obtain specific program curriculum contract/worksheets to follow while taking community college courses.
Virginia Commonwealth University
School of Education
P.O. Box 842020
Richmond, Virginia 23284-2020
Department of Health and Human Performance
Phone: (804) 828-1948
Fax: (804) 828-1946
Department of Teaching and Learning
Phone: (804) 827-1305
Fax: (804) 828-1323
Student Services Center
Phone: (804) 827-2670
Fax: (804) 828-1323
