Purposes

Point Loma Nazarene University’s undergraduate School of Education offers one academically rigorous Bachelor’s degree in an environment of vital Christianity in the Wesleyan tradition: Liberal Studies: Teacher Education.  Our commitment is to prepare thoughtful, culturally responsive, scholarly professional educators for a variety of teaching/learning environments who utilize the latest research and exemplary teaching methods to ensure learning and achievement. The faculty is committed to equip candidates to become influential moral and ethical leaders in a highly competitive, diverse, and ever-changing society.

Tradition of Excellence

The undergraduate degree in teacher education includes credential courses approved by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (California CTC) leading to the following preliminary teaching credentials: Multiple Subject and Single Subject. The School of Education also offers a preliminary teaching credential in Educational Specialist Mild to Moderate and Extensive Support Needs, which may be pursued through post-graduate coursework. The teacher education credential programs are offered in San Diego (Point Loma and Mission Valley), Bakersfield, and fully online. NOTE: The traditional undergraduate programs are only offered in-person through the Point Loma campus. Because undergraduates may take courses toward the teaching credential, the program described in this section refers only to that aspect of the program. Details of the broader education programs are found in the Catalog for graduate studies. Faculty in the School of Education are practitioners and specialists in teaching pedagogy, counseling, and leadership. The School of Education collaborates with all other academic departments and schools in the university regarding subject-matter preparation of Single Subject and Multiple Subject teacher candidates. While the primary focus of the School of Education is to prepare teachers, the degree is also of value to those who are interested in professions such as workplace instructors, social work, family advocacy, curriculum developers, religious studies, and early childhood education.

Career Opportunities

The Liberal Studies: Teacher Education coursework prepares candidates for success in a K-12 teaching career. Throughout the program, methodologies based on current practice and research are modeled and reinforced. The practice and application components of the methods courses are easily facilitated because the School of Education is field-based. Candidates are required to spend time in classrooms or other professional teaching venues for approximately 100 hours of documented and evaluated observation and participation prior to Clinical Practice (student teaching).

Admission to the third Education course in the major may be considered Level I admission to the School of Education, requiring passage of prior coursework and the satisfactory completion of the Basic Skills Requirement for the state of California. However, this neither implies nor guarantees approval for student teaching (Level 2 admission). If, in the opinion of the School of Education, a candidate fails to meet acceptable professional and personal standards, the candidate may be disqualified from attempting to complete preparation for a career in education. Candidates desiring to fulfill the requirements of a credential for public school service must declare their intentions. For both the Multiple Subject and Single Subject Credential candidates, this decision is often made during the candidate’s second year of enrollment at the university. Transfer candidates should consult with the appropriate departmental/school advisor immediately upon matriculation.

All prospective teachers should plan their major requirements and those set forth by the School of Education to establish the proper sequence of courses and the fulfillment of all professional requirements. The credential analyst acts as a liaison between the candidate and the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing.

Faculty

Dean - Deborah Erickson, Ed.D.

Kimberly Athans, Ed.D.
Sam Houston State University

Michael Corke, Ph.D.
Associate Dean, Assessment and Accreditation
Claremont Graduate University

Deborah Erickson, Ed.D.
University of the Pacific

Grace Fantaroni, Ed.D.
Director, Special Education
Alliant International University

Lori Kall, Ph.D.
Director, Educational Leadership and Curriculum & Instruction
California Coast University

Jennifer Kritsch, Ph.D.
Associate Dean, Instructional Innovation, Partnerships, and Communication
Capella University

Jennifer Lineback, Ph.D.
Director, Liberal Studies: Teacher Education
University of California, San Diego and San Diego State University

Yazmin Pineda Zapata, Ed.D.
Coordinator, Liberal Studies with an Emphasis in Education
San Diego State University

Ray Posey, Ph.D.
Director, Single Subject
Northern Arizona University

Ricardo Ramos, Ed.D.
Associate Dean, Advanced Programs
Bethel University

Dione Brooks Taylor, Ed.D.
Director, School Counseling
Northern Arizona University

Rachelle Wong, Ed.D.
Associate Dean, Teacher Education
Concordia University

To view requirements for majors, minors, and certificates, see the Degree Program Information page.