Bachelor of Education
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A Bachelor of Education (BEd) is an undergraduate academic degree which qualifies the graduate as a teacher in schools.
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[edit] North America
In North America the degree is awarded for courses taken that generally lasts two years (one year in some Canadian universities). To gain the qualification the student is required to have a previous or substantial progress towards a bachelor's degree, usually in the field that the student wishes to teach in, as well as a good rapport with young children or teens. There are several streams to a Bachelor of Education, each corresponding to the particular level of instruction. For the US, this includes elementary school education, middle school education, and high school education.
Students take a majority of their courses (usually 7/8) in pedagogy.
[edit] United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, where both the university system and school system are very different, the degree is awarded after a three or four year course (the course length depends on the university) which is specifically tailored to either primary education or for a limited range of secondary education subjects. It leads to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) in England and Wales and is a teaching qualification in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
[edit] History
As a result of the Robbins Report on higher education (1963), the teacher training colleges were reformed as Colleges of Education. Students were offered an extra year of study, bringing the course up to four years in length and resulting in the award of the Bachelor of Education degree. The first Bachelors of Education graduated in 1968.[1]
The BEd became more widespread in the early 1980s, when a bachelor's degree became a requirement for new teachers in the whole of the United Kingdom, replacing the old Certificate in Education (Cert Ed).
The BEd is not the only way of gaining Qualified Teacher Status or gaining a teaching qualification, other routes are as follows:
| Country | First degree | Teaching qualification | Sector |
|---|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | - | Bachelor of Education | Mainly primary |
| Bachelor of Arts | Postgraduate Certificate in Education or Graduate Teacher Programme | Primary and Secondary | |
| Bachelor of Science | Postgraduate Certificate in Education or Graduate Teacher Programme | Primary and Secondary | |
| - | Bachelor of Arts with QTS | Primary and Secondary | |
| - | Bachelor of Science with QTS | Secondary | |
| Northern Ireland | - | Bachelor of Education | Mainly primary |
| Bachelor of Arts | Postgraduate Certificate in Education | Primary and Secondary | |
| Bachelor of Science | Postgraduate Certificate in Education | Primary and Secondary | |
| Scotland | - | Bachelor of Education | Mainly primary |
| Master of Arts or Bachelor of Arts | Professional Graduate Diploma in Education | Primary and Secondary | |
| Bachelor of Science | Professional Graduate Diploma in Education | Primary and Secondary | |
| - | Master of Arts (Concurrent) | Secondary | |
| - | Bachelor of Science (Concurrent) | Secondary |
[edit] Australia
In Australia, a 4-Year Bachelor of Education degree combines practical/pedagogical study with a Major sequence in the academic discipline of Education. Students study a range of Education-related subjects, including Psychology, Sociology, History, Social Policy, Professional Practice, etc. Students also study subjects from another field or discipline as qualification for an intended teaching area or method. The degree is available in several specialisations, including Primary, Secondary, Human Movement/Health, Music, or Early Childhood. The longer duration of the course allows for more practical experiences and greater personal or professional development before teaching service. Most Australian State Teacher-Certification bodies require either a Bachelor of Education, or an Undergraduate/Bachelor's Degree in one or two subject areas, with a Diploma of Education as a minimum. A B.Ed. is not to be confused with the lesser degree Bachelor of Teaching, which is usually an 'End-On' course similar but slightly longer than a Diploma of Education.
