Skip to: Navigation | Content | Sidebar | Footer

Best Online Degrees in: Secondary Education

education degree

Explore a Bachelor's Degree in Secondary Education

Educating the youth of our nation is one of the most respected and rewarding careers you can have. If you want to teach classrooms full of students in middle or high school, have a significant impact on their lives, and prepare them for college and beyond, you may want to consider earning an online bachelor's degree in secondary education. Typically, a bachelor's degree can be earned in around four years, though the amount of time it takes can vary. Factors like the number of previously-earned credits you're able to transfer toward your degree, the specific requirements placed on your program, your ability to pass each class, and whether or not you're able to attend school full time will affect the amount of time it takes you to earn your bachelor's degree in secondary education online.

Class Curriculum

A bachelor's degree program in secondary education will teach you how to manage a classroom full of students, evaluate each one's performance, and find a way to ensure each of your students reaches their full learning potential. No two secondary education programs are exactly the same, but here are a few of the more common courses that you can expect to find:

  • Methods of Teaching at the Secondary Level. This course will teach you methods used to select, organize, and use materials and educate students at the secondary level. Topics covered in this course include discipline, developing and implementing lesson plans, and evaluating students and meeting their individual needs.
  • Curriculum Development and Instruction. This course will teach you how to develop curriculum and design programs to instruct and educate students. You will learn about past and present practices and techniques, student and curriculum assessment, teaching philosophy, special needs, and instructional strategies.
  • Classroom Management. This course will teach you various techniques that can be used to manage a classroom and how different techniques apply to different situations. You will also learn about factors that can influence student behavior, as well as correction, discipline, and preventative techniques.

As a secondary education major, you will spend a significant amount of time researching topics such as teaching techniques, laws pertaining to education and the classroom, and child development. Many programs may have assignments laying out a scenario and requiring you to determine the proper technique to use in that particular situation. Programs that lead to teacher certification will require a prescribed amount of student teaching, in which you gain hands-on training in classrooms at local middle and high schools under supervision.

Building a Career

Once you earn your bachelor's degree in secondary education, you should know how to manage a classroom full of students, adapt to different situations and students, assess and evaluate your students, develop curriculum and lesson plans designed to meet each student's needs, and allow students to acquire knowledge that will benefit them for the rest of their lives. Some programs will cover all subject areas that can be taught at the secondary level, while others will allow you to select a particular subject to focus on. While many school districts throughout the country have a need for middle and high school teachers, earning a degree does not guarantee employment. Also, licensing and certification requirements for secondary teachers vary by state, so you may want to contact your state's department of education and learn what will be required of you before you can start your teaching career.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), middle school teachers are expected to have an increase of 17% in employment through the year 2020 and earn an average of $51,960 a year. The BLS shows that high school teachers are expected to have an increase of 7% in employment and earn an average of $53,230 a year. Keep in mind that your income will depend on several factors, including whether you teach at a public or private school, what school district you work for, and your level of experience.