English Education

Yes, the School of Education at University of the Cumberlands has received state accreditation through Kentucky's Educational Professional Standards Board (EPSB – part of the KDE, Kentucky Department of Education) and national accreditation through Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) at the initial-licensure level and advanced-level. 

Per the standards set by Kentucky EPSB, “Candidates [for student teaching] in Kentucky are required to complete a minimum of 200 field experience hours prior to student teaching.”  Each education course contains a prescribed number of field experience hours. Some courses will have more than others, and courses with more hours are distributed toward the end of the program. Before student teaching, the hours completed in courses will be 200 or more. It's hard to measure an average per semester, since it will depend on the courses you take, but rest assured that you will be able to complete all your necessary hours by the time you graduate. 

You will likely need to pass a state test for whichever state in which you hope to teach. Upon passing the exam, you should apply for a teaching license. Once you’ve obtained that, you can apply to open teaching positions!  

Since all workplaces value good written and verbal communication skills, the possibilities are endless when it comes to careers that benefit from a degree focused on English. Some jobs are more English-specific, such as writing, editing, or teaching, but strong reading comprehension and writing skills are an asset in many other careers as well. 

In an English education degree, you will be taking many education courses and English courses. All classes will be relatively small; the largest classes (often those that meet general education requirements) will be between 30-40 students, but most of your major-specific classes will have between 15-20 students. English classes are located in the Bennett Building, and education classes are held in the Luecker Building. 

All programs at University of the Cumberlands are offered at some of the lowest rates in the nation. For more information on how affordable this program would be for you, visit our Financial Aid page.