New Undergraduate Major for Aspiring Educators Announced

The School of Education and Human Development has announced Fairfield University's first-ever four-year undergraduate program in Curriculum and Instruction.

Responding to the nation’s critical need for highly trained educators, the School of Education and Human Development (SEHD) has launched its first-ever undergraduate major in curriculum and instruction. Simultaneously, SEHD has reformatted Fairfield's four-year track for secondary education, allowing those pursuing careers as middle school and high school teachers to also become certified in four years.

The curriculum and instruction major offers students the opportunity to pursue one of two distinct tracks: elementary education or special education, exemplifying SEHD’s mission of responding to society's critical teacher shortage crisis by preparing students to serve in the field of education in a timely and sensitive manner.

“We are thrilled to be able to offer an undergraduate major in curriculum and instruction — leading to teacher certification in elementary or special education — beginning in fall 2024,” said director of the Curriculum and Instruction program, Alyson Martin, EdD. “Teacher shortages across the country are at an all-time high. We aim to prepare enthusiastic and well-trained educators to fulfill these critical positions and begin to address the teacher shortage crisis.”

Interim Dean of the School of Education and Human Development, Evelyn Bilias Lolis, PhD, explained that the undergraduate major and the revision to the four-year track in secondary education is a result of the innovative and copious efforts of the faculty of the Department of Educational Studies and Teacher Preparation, who hope to attract students passionate about teaching and earning a degree from an institution committed to Jesuit education.

"This has been a long-time goal of the Department of Educational Studies and Teacher Preparation in the School of Education and Human Development, and we are grateful for the support of the University, for understanding the need to prepare pre-service educators for work in K-12 settings," said associate professor and co-director of the Special Education program, Emily Shamash, PhD.”

As of the fall 2024 semester, prospective students will be able to complete their certification for teaching in Connecticut in four years, which according to Dr. Bilias Lolis, “allows SEHD to place students into a workforce that direly needs qualified and competent professionals teaching our K-12 youth.” 

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