Skip to main content
Home / Academics / Programs

College of Applied Human Sciences: School of Education and Counseling

Elementary Education, BA

Be ready to lead your own classroom with confidence. Our Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education program prepares you to earn teaching certification (in West Virginia, grades K–6) and graduate with more than 900 hours of real classroom experience. From day one, you’ll learn how to apply what you study at WVU directly in local schools and work alongside experienced teachers who help you develop your skills and find your voice.

While certification is issued through West Virginia, our graduates teach across the country. The experience and preparation you gain here will give you the confidence to step into any classroom and make an impact.

You can also customize your path. Many students add a minor or begin a graduate degree (online options available) to deepen their expertise or expand their career options.

In addition to offering extensive experiences in classrooms, our program is committed to the highest standards set by the state and national levels. Our faculty help shape and uphold national accreditation standards, and they lead in areas like asset-based and culturally responsive teaching. Their work in research, teaching, and service ensures you’re learning from people who are moving the field forward.

Your Degree Plan The WVU Difference Learn by Doing Careers and Outcomes Meet Your Community Frequently Asked Questions Admission Requirements Tuition and Aid Take the Next Steps

Your Degree Plan

Intro

Teacher reads a handout to students.

This program prepares you to become a certified elementary teacher for grades K-6. You’ll build a strong foundation in educational theory and practice on campus, then apply what you’ve learned through real-world classroom experience during your junior and senior years. In your final year, you’ll take part in a yearlong residency in a local classroom. That experience gives you the confidence and preparation to step into your own classroom

The coursework in the BA in Elementary Education program prepares you through academic preparation and hands-on experiences in elementary classrooms.

Expanding Content Knowledge
You’ll take a wide range of courses to develop your content knowledge in the areas of mathematics, science, technology, history, humanities, composition, and the arts. You’ll also take classes designed specifically to prepare you to teach mathematics, science, and social studies to young students.

Professional Courses
Beginning in your junior year, you’ll begin the professional track focused on developing the knowledge and skills for teaching. These courses include teaching methods for mathematics, science, literacy, and social studies. You’ll also learn how to support diverse learners through social-emotional development, place-based education, and differentiated instruction. Throughout, you’ll apply what you’re learning during field and clinical placements in local elementary schools.

Tailor this major to your interests by taking one of these courses as you pursue your degree:

  • EDUC 304:
    Place-Based and Emotional Responsive Teaching

    Place-based and Emotionally Responsive Teaching involves working with local communities to support teaching and learning; this is one of the most challenging aspects of teaching. This course helps K-6 preservice teachers to understand the potential of seeing education as situated in the context of community, family, and collegial partnerships, yet recognizes the inherent debates and challenges of this work in unique contexts. The course addresses the importance of emotionally responsive teaching to support elementary school children experiencing traumatic stress responses.

  • EDUC 330:
    Math for Elementary Teachers (1)

    This course focuses on topics of mathematics in the elementary grades, how these concepts connect to mathematics on the horizon (grades 6-8 and beyond), and how teachers need to know the mathematical content they teach in specialized ways. The course includes topics in the domains of counting and cardinality, numbers and operations, algebraic thinking, and connections among mathematical concepts.

  • SPED 460:
    Differentiation of Instruction

    This course is designed to prepare prospective general and special education teachers to differentiate instruction to effectively meet the academic and social needs of the full range of students in inclusive settings within their schools.

Take advantage of special options related to this major:

The WVU Difference

What sets this program apart from its competitors?

  • Meets all CAEP standards for national accreditation at the initial teacher preparation and advanced preparation levels.
  • Teacher-in-Residency. Spend the entire last year of your academic program in the same classroom working with the same students and alongside an experienced mentor teacher to gain deep understandings of the breadth of the school year.
  • Expert faculty. You’ll learn from faculty with specialized knowledge of teaching and learning in their content areas. Our faculty stay current through their own research and use the latest findings in their fields to design the best learning experiences for students.
  • Complete over 1,000 hours of work in schools to practice your teaching and help prepare you as you enter the teaching profession.
  • Small class sizes. Each class is designed to maximize interaction with instructors, create closer connections with classmates, and provide more hands-on learning opportunities.
Scholarships

93% of WVU freshmen receive grants or scholarships (2023-24).

Learn more

Learn by Doing

Learning happens outside the classroom. Get involved.

  • Starting in your junior year, you’ll spend time in local elementary schools every semester. During your senior year, you’ll take part in a yearlong residency at one school. This gives you the opportunity to be immersed in the school and community culture, establish strong relationships, and to be considered a vital member of the school’s educational team.

Before graduating, all undergraduates in this major complete an academic project (or "capstone") to demonstrate their research, communication and critical thinking skills. Projects in WVU's Elementary Education major have included:

  • EDUC 484: Residency/Technology Capstone in Elementary Education.

    This course is the capstone experience for the Elementary Education program. It includes components that meet state required certification requirements including the submission for Performance Assessment exams required for certification. Students analyze their supervised teaching in an elementary school classroom (pK-6). The weekly seminar includes discussion of topics applicable to the classroom, technology, and analysis of planning, teaching, and assessment.

Connect with other students who share your academic interests as a member of:

View all of the student organizations you can join.

Network with professionals in your field as a student member of:

Live, study and pursue outside-the-classroom learning in a residence hall community that shares your interests:

Outside of the Evansdale Crossing building.

What you learn outside of the classroom is just as important as what you learn during class. We’ll help you follow your curiosity.

Careers and Outcomes

How does this degree prepare students for a career?

Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary

Plan, direct, or coordinate the academic, administrative, or auxiliary activities of kindergarten, elementary, or secondary schools.

May require a Graduate Degree

Median Salary: $104,070

Possible job titles include: Elementary Principal, Middle School Principal, Principal, Superintendent.

Explore Career

Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education

Teach academic and social skills to students at the elementary school level.

Median Salary: $62,340

Possible job titles include: Classroom Teacher, Elementary School Teacher, Elementary Teacher, Teacher.

Explore Career

Tutors

Instruct individual students or small groups of students in academic subjects to support formal class instruction or to prepare students for standardized or admissions tests.

Median Salary: $40,090

Possible job titles include: Academic Coach, Academic Guidance Specialist, Professional Tutor, Tutor.

Explore Career

Instructional Coordinators

Develop instructional material, coordinate educational content, and incorporate current technology into instruction in order to provide guidelines to educators and instructors for developing curricula and conducting courses. May train and coach teachers. Includes educational consultants and specialists, and instructional material directors.

May require a Graduate Degree

Median Salary: $74,720

Possible job titles include: Curriculum and Instruction Director, Curriculum Coordinator, Instructional Designer, Instructional Technologist.

Explore Career

Classroom Teacher, Education Consultant, Curriculum Designer, Workshop Facilitator or Trainer

Suggested WVU Minors for students seeking this career:

Required Certifications for this career
  • West Virginia Department of Education, Teacher Certification, Multi-subject K-6
Suggested Experiences and Résumé Builders
  • Kappa Delta Pi
  • Yearlong residency program in the senior year (250 hours in fall, full-time in spring)
  • Volunteer through iServe or at The Shack Neighborhood House.
Related Professional Organizations Alumni

  • Joni Jones
    2020 winner of a Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.

Further your education

WVU graduate programs to consider:

Where some of our graduates are studying:

  • MA, Educational Policy, Vanderbilt Peabody College
  • MEd, School Counseling, University of Virginia
  • MA, Literacy Education, West Virginia University

Meet Your Community

The Elementary Education family will inspire and support you.

  • “This program, in comparison to others, does a great job of getting you in the field to get experience. We get to make some mistakes and learn while we’re in the field, which is really important because you’re going to make mistakes. Also, the faculty here have great, practical experience and are willing to work with students. Our classes are small, and we can have discussions about the material rather than just being lectured.”
    Zane Collings
  • “I come from a long line of educators. My parents are both involved in the education world to varying degrees, my grandmother was a teacher, and my great-grandfather was an administrator. The profession has surrounded me my entire life. Both of my parents and grandparents graduated from WVU, so applying here felt natural and like the right next step. Not only that, but WVU is a leader in a lot of ground-breaking research, which makes it a great institution to learn from and experience amazing opportunities.”
    Karoline Colucci
  • “I think this program is extremely special simply because of the great professors. I’ve gotten to know several professors on such a genuine and authentic level, and it’s made learning so much more fun and special. The professors who are a part of this program have taught me so much, even outside the classroom.”
    Rachel Ratliff
  • “I did a lot of research on WVU’s education program and loved that it was a four-year program where I could get hands-on teaching experience in classrooms. Everything just felt like a perfect fit — between the education program and being able to dance, WVU had everything I was looking for.”
    Brooklyn Slade
  • Johnna Bolyard

    Johnna Bolyard

    Professional highlights:

    • Outstanding Teaching Award, College of Human Resources and Education, WVU, 2021
    • Mathematics Teacher of the Year - College Level, West Virginia Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 2015
    • Outstanding Teaching Award, College of Human Resources and Education, WVU, 2010
  • Portrait of Carla Brigandi taken outside Allen Hall

    Carla Brigandi

    Professional highlights:

    • Early Scholar Award, National Association for Gifted Children, 2021
    • Principal Investigator, Project Appalachian Coders, U.S. Department of Education Jacob K. Javits Gifted Education Award, 2019-2024
    • Chair elect, the National Association for Gifted Children Research and Evaluation Network, 2022-2024
  • Matthew Campbell

    Matthew Campbell

    Professional highlights:

    • Research emphasis on teacher education, teacher recruitment and retention, and teacher leadership
    • Principal Investigator, Mountaineer Mathematics Master Teachers (M3T)
    • President, West Virginia Council of Teachers of Mathematics (WVCTM), 2022-2024
    • Associate Vice President, AMTE STaR Fundraising Committee, 2023-2026
    • Editorial Panel Chair, Mathematics Teacher Educator, 2021-2022

  • Jeffrey Carver

    Professional highlights:

    • 20 years' experience in the educational field
    • Directs STEM Education Initiatives at the College of Applied Human Services
    • Research interests focus on the improvement of teaching and learning in the STEM disciplines at all levels (p-20)

  • Sharon Hayes

    Professional highlights:

    • Coordinator of Action Research Faculty, 2008-2020
    • WVU National Writing Project, 2008-2011
    • Program Coordinator, 5 Year Teacher Education Program, 2020-2021
    • Program Coordinator, Elementary Math Specialist Master’s, 2021-2023
    • Licensed teacher in New Jersey: Elementary Education, Middle School
    • 10 years public school experience (K-8)
    • Former preschool teacher and childcare provider

  • Melissa Luna

    Professional highlights:

    • Journal of the Learning Sciences Reviewer of the Year, 2022-2023
    • CAHS Associate Dean for Research and Engagement, 2022-2023
    • CEHS Associate Dean for Research, 2019-2022
    • WVU CEHS Outstanding Researcher Award, 2018
    • National Science Foundation CAREER Award, 2016
  • Sarah Selmer

    Sarah Selmer

    Professional highlights:

    • Research emphasis: responsive noticing of student mathematical thinking
    • Completed a Fulbright specialist program in Lesotho, Africa (Summer 2023)
    • Department Editor for Mathematics Teacher: Learning and Teaching PK-12

  • Melissa Sherfinski

    Professional highlights:

    • Chair, American Educational Research Association (AERA) Early Education and Child Development Special Interest Group
    • Board Member, Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education and Journal of Research in Childhood Education
    • Licensed teacher in West Virginia and Wisconsin, areas: Elementary Education, Early Childhood-PK-K Special Needs, Intellectual Disabilities, Autism
    • 6 years public school experience (K-5)
    • Former preschool teacher and childcare provider

  • Courtney Shimek

    Professional highlights:

    • Research interests: confluence between play and literacy, multimodal responses to literature, use of nonfiction in elementary classrooms and literacy teacher preparation

  • Yuanhua Wang

    Professional highlights:

    • Areas of expertise: Science teacher education and computational thinking
    • Research interests: Science inquiry and inquiry teaching, teacher's knowledge in STEM education and computational thinking in science teacher education
  • Taylor Bleigh
     BA, Elementary Education
    “WVU provided me with the academic knowledge and classroom experience for me to be prepared for my first year as a teacher. Throughout my time at WVU, I have had the privilege of working with some of the best professors on campus. They went the extra mile to create relationships with me and my classmates — they honestly made it feel like a little family. The elementary education program has a built-in student teaching experience that has helped me take knowledge from my courses and put it into practice in the classroom.”
  • Laura Brock stands outside Allen Hall on the WVU campus.
    Laura Brock
     BA, Elementary Education, 2022
    “My coursework from my methods and inquiry classes have influenced my classroom practice by giving me multiple perspectives to help relate to my students. I have found that my relationship with the entire class has flourished as I apply strategies taught by our professors, in and outside of the classroom.”
  • Joni Jones
     BS, Management; MA, Elementary Education
    “It is an honor to receive this award, especially during a unique school year. This proves that great teaching and authentic learning can happen in any setting. This award validates the importance of student inquiry in the classroom and creating a positive learning environment where students can feel confident in their mathematical ability. I am so grateful for my students, colleagues and mentors who have supported me and ignited my passion for mathematics education.”

    • FAQs

    Common questions and answers about Elementary Education.

    1. No. Once students earn their West Virginia license, they can transfer that license to other states. We have graduates who are teaching in Arizona, Colorado, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and beyond.

    2. Yes. One example is the Underwood-Smith Scholarship, which provides $10,000 each year for four years.

      There are also University scholarships and CAHS scholarships to support your studies on campus.

    Admission Requirements

    To be admitted to WVU's Elementary Education major, first-time freshmen must meet WVU's first-time freshman admission requirements. They also must meet one of the following admission requirements. Interested in transferring? Review the transfer admission requirements.

    Tuition and Aid

    How much does Elementary Education at WVU cost? And how can you save?

    Tuition and Fees

    Estimated rates are available on our tuition website. Anyone who is not a current West Virginia resident, including international students, will be charged non-resident rates.

    View Tuition and Fees

    Scholarships

    Estimate your eligibility for merit scholarships at WVU Morgantown.

    Find Scholarships

    Net Price Calculator

    Estimate your cost of attendance and eligibility for financial aid and scholarships at any WVU System campus.

    Visit the Net Price Calculator

    Ways to Save

    Here are a few ways for you to save on the cost of attending WVU in addition to university scholarships.

    Financial Aid

    The most important step toward funding your future with financial aid for the Elementary Education major is submitting the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA.

    How to Complete the FAFSA

    Ohio Tuition Reciprocity

    As the result of a special agreement, students from Ohio who are fully admitted to Elementary Education can enroll at WVU and pay in-state tuition rates. Students must be admitted to both the University and this major.

    Learn More

    Start at Another WVU Campus

    In addition to our transfer articulation agreements, you can start your career with WVU at another campus and transfer to WVU Morgantown.

    Transfer Articulation Agreements

    To simplify the transfer process, we have formal agreements with certain institutions. These agreements outline the courses you should take to prepare for transferring to WVU.

    Review the full list of transfer articulation agreements to see if your institution is listed.

    Learn How to Transfer Course Credits

    Ready to take the next step?

    Learn how to join the WVU family.

    Request Info

    Want to know more about Elementary Education at WVU? Fill out our request form to receive more information.

    Request Info

    Visit

    ​​Experiencing campus is the best way to see if WVU is the right fit. Choose from in-person and virtual options.

    Visit WVU

    Apply

    Your first step to becoming a Mountaineer is applying for admission using our convenient online application.

    Apply Now