Those entering the teaching profession should note that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics expects average growth in the field over the next few years. Kindergarten, elementary, middle and secondary school teaching jobs are expected to grow 13 percent between 2008 and 2018. The bureau predicts that school enrollment will increase more slowly as the offspring of baby boomers leave the system. For aspiring teachers in South Carolina, more than 30 colleges and universities are available that offer an array of education degrees.
Clemson University
Formally established in 1893 as Clemson College, the university was originally an all-male military school. It changed to a civilian school in 1955 and became a coed institution. Renamed Clemson University in 1964, it is among the top research schools in the U.S., ranked the 23rd best public university by "U.S. News & World Report" in 2010. Located in Clemson and accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), the university's School of Education offers bachelor's, master's, doctoral and educational-specialist degree programs in education. It has a dozen subject areas to concentrate in, including administration, curriculum/instruction, adult/higher ed, business/vocational, counseling/psychology, English/language arts, foreign languages, history/social studies, math, science, reading/literacy and special ed.
South Carolina State University
South Carolina State University, in Orangeburg, was founded in 1896 and boasts a 160-acre campus. Its College of Education, Humanities, and Social Sciences offers teaching students bachelor's, master's, doctoral and specialist degrees. The College of Education has five departments, including Education, English and Modern Languages, Human Services, Social Sciences, and Visual and Performing Arts. Subject areas include administration, curriculum/instruction, art, music, theater, business/vocational, counseling/psychology, English/language arts, foreign languages, history/Social studies, math, science and speech/communications. All courses are NCATE-accredited.
Coastal Carolina University
Coastal Carolina University, located in Conway, prepares teaching students for work in pre-K through 12th-grade classrooms. Its Spadoni College of Education offers undergraduate programs in early-childhood education, elementary education, middle-level education and special education/learning disabilities. The university features both undergraduate and graduate degrees in education, with a master's program that includes a Master of Arts in Teaching degree and a Master of Education degree with specializations in early childhood, elementary and secondary education. There are five undergraduate programs as well as non-degree coursework for continuing education. All programs are approved by the South Carolina Department of Education and accredited by NCATE.
Furman College
Furman College's 750-acre campus is located in Greenville. Founded in 1826, Furman is a private liberal arts university, offering both bachelor's and master's degrees in education. Its NCATE-accredited undergraduate programs include elementary education (grades 2 through 6), foreign languages (grades pre-K through 12), music education (grades pre-K through 12), secondary education (grades 9 through 12) and a science-education concentration. The college's Master of Art degree offers concentrations in curriculum and instruction, literacy, early childhood (grades pre-K through 12), school leadership and special ed. Also available are teacher-to-teacher and educational-specialist graduate degree programs.
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