Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Adolescent/Young Adult Education

As a teacher of 7th to 12th-grade students, you have the opportunity to touch lives and transform futures. A strong emphasis on your primary subject matter coupled with extensive, real-world experiences strengthens your ability to spark academic interests and help adolescents transition to adulthood.

Adolescent/Young Adult (AYA) Education Program

Teaching. Leading. Growing.

When you enroll in the AYA Education program at ��AV, you’ll enter a warm, caring environment that’s wholly focused on helping you develop professionally and personally. Through our expert education faculty, first-hand experience, and supportive classmates, you’ll be poised and ready to make a difference for your students, school, and community.

A few pertinent details and plusses of the AYA Education program:

Because you’ll have two majors, an academic subject area and Education, you’ll have two advisors. This means double the insight and double the support.
Social Justice is integral to ��AV and our education program. This better prepares you to address the challenges young adults may face and be a leader for positive change.
You’ll be prepared to meet the standards for Ohio teacher licensure. All ��AV’s Education Majors are accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) and approved by the Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE).

Adolescent/Young Adult Program

In the AYA concentration, your academic subject area is your primary major and Education is secondary. Choose from Integrated Language Arts, Integrated Social Studies, Integrated Mathematics, Integrated Science, and Mulit- Age World Languages (Spanish or Latin). It’s a great way to combine your interest in a specific subject with your passion for teaching.

Top Employers

1.1 million

High school teachers (2019)

85%

High school teachers work in public schools

3,000

Number of students impacted by 1 teacher

BA in Adolescent/Young Adult Education Program Highlights

In-Class Experience

Because the best way to learn is to do, our education students participate in a full academic year clinical experience in one school. During the first semester, Pre-Student Teaching, you’ll work with a mentor teacher; gaining understanding, confidence, and 90 hours of teaching experience. In the second semester, Student Teaching, you’ll spend more time leading the class, teaching for a minimum of 360 hours.

A Deeper Educational Experience

During an immersive week-long trip to Ecuador, our students get an in-depth look at one country’s struggle to educate their young. Here, free education is guaranteed, but schools are so underfunded they must charge fees, which the very poor cannot afford. Our students spend their time in the city of Duran, visiting after school programs, daycare centers, social service centers, and talking with those in the community. It’s a tremendous opportunity to understand the value of education for all.

Featured Faculty

“Our focus on seeing and educating the whole person has a ripple effect. Our students tend to embrace this approach and bring it into their own classrooms. At ��AV, you learn to be a great teacher who affirms, respects, and furthers your students.”
— Gregory DeLisi, Associate Professor

Featured Courses

ED 4073 ADOLESCENT EDUCATION SEMINAR

Through this seminar, you’ll continue with your study of adolescent development, learner achievement, and assessment. At the same time, you’ll receive real classroom experience, develop a professional portfolio, and prepare for job interviews.

ED 3215 ADOLESCENT LITERATURE

During this critical analysis of adolescent literature genres and major authors, you’ll explore intellectual, social, cultural, and political issues, and the role of adolescent literature in the traditional language arts curriculum.

Notable Alum

Chad Miller, PhD ‘00

Status: Specialist, University of Hawaii's Manoa's Institute for Teacher Education and Director of Teacher Development, Uehiro Academy for Philosphy and Ethics in Education Focus: Bringing Philosophy into the classroom

“At ��AV, school wasn’t about finding the right answers. It was about asking the right questions and trying to understand why we believe what we believe.”

Adolescent/Young Adult Education Alumni Across the Region

��AV alumni live, work, teach and support communities throughout the region from Northeast Ohio to Chicago, Indianapolis, Detroit, Columbus, Buffalo, Rochester, Pittsburgh, New York City, Washington D.C., Maryland and Virginia.

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