School of Education

The Preschool-Kindergarten Education program is for students seeking state licensure for private school nurseries and kindergartens, as well as certification for early childhood education in Christian schools. This program emphasizes early childhood development and teaching methods, as well as curricular integration.

Students completing the program receive a BS in Bible degree, state private school licensure for nursery/kindergarten teaching, and the Standard ACSI Early Childhood (nursery/kindergarten) teaching certificate.

Focused on early learning, the Elementary / Early Childhood Education (PK-4) program allows students to focus on the education and development of young children. Coursework places emphasis on integrating a biblical worldview with all subjects.

Upon successful completion of the program, students earn the BS in Education degree, the PK-4 Pennsylvania Instructional I certification for public school teaching, and the Standard ACSI Elementary certification for teaching in Christian schools. Students may pair this degree with a BS in Bible in a double-degree option. Students may also choose to add Special Education certification to their program.

Cairn University offers Secondary Education programs in a variety of subjects.  Faculty who are scholars in their field of study and experienced educators work closely with students in these programs helping them to develop the skills and knowledge necessary to teach secondary level students. Students in the education programs at Cairn spend up to 200 hours observing, tutoring, and teaching in classroom settings, beginning in the freshman year and prior to student teaching.

In the Secondary English Education program students earn the BS in Education degree, the 7-12 Pennsylvania Instructional I certification for public school teaching, and the Standard 7-12 ACSI certificate for Christian school teaching. Students may pair this degree with a BS in Bible in a double-degree option.

Cairn University offers Secondary Education programs in a variety of subjects.  Faculty who are scholars in their field of study and experienced educators work closely with students in these programs helping them to develop the skills and knowledge necessary to teach secondary level students. Students in the education programs at Cairn spend up to 200 hours observing, tutoring, and teaching in classroom settings, beginning in the freshman year and prior to student teaching.

In the Secondary Mathematics Education program students earn the BS in Education degree, the 7-12 Pennsylvania Instructional I certification for public school teaching, and the Standard 7-12 ACSI certificate for Christian school teaching. Students may pair this degree with a BS in Bible in a double-degree option.

Cairn University offers Secondary Education programs in a variety of subjects.  Faculty who are scholars in their field of study and experienced educators work closely with students in these programs helping them to develop the skills and knowledge necessary to teach secondary level students. Students in the education programs at Cairn spend up to 200 hours observing, tutoring, and teaching in classroom settings, beginning in the freshman year and prior to student teaching.

In the Secondary Social Studies Education program students earn the BS in Education degree, the 7-12 Pennsylvania Instructional I certification for public school teaching, and the Standard 7-12 ACSI certificate for Christian school teaching. Students may pair this degree with a BS in Bible in a double-degree option.

Cairn University offers Secondary Education programs in a variety of subjects.  Faculty who are scholars in their field of study and experienced educators work closely with students in these programs helping them to develop the skills and knowledge necessary to teach secondary level students. Students in the education programs at Cairn spend up to 200 hours observing, tutoring, and teaching in classroom settings, beginning in the freshman year and prior to student teaching.

Students in the Secondary Bible and History Education program earn the BS in Bible degree with a major in Bible and minor in History.  The program leads to the Standard 7-12 ACSI certificate for Christian school teaching.

Students seeking public school certification for History should consider the Secondary Social Studies Education program.

Cairn’s Bible Education program is built upon the quality biblical and theological studies available at the University and the solid foundation in pedagogy provided by the School of Education. The program gives students the opportunity to develop their professional teaching skills in conjunction with their biblical studies, preparing them to teach Bible in Christian schools around the world.  Successful completion of the program leads to a BS in Bible degree and the Standard K-12 ACSI Bible certificate for teaching in Christian schools.

In conjunction with the School of Education, Cairn’s School of Music offers a Bachelor of Music degree with certification in Music Education to prepare students to teach music at all levels, preschool through grade 12, in public and private schools. 

Students in this program follow a rigorous curriculum of classically based music study in conjunction with learning methods for pedagogy in the classroom. Successful completion of the program leads to a Bachelor of Music degree, as well as the PK-12 Pennsylvania Instructional I certification and the Standard K-12 ACSI Music certificate for Christian school teaching. Students may pair this degree with a BS in Bible in a double-degree option. 

Students at Cairn can earn a degree and certification to teach Health and Physical Education for all levels, Pre-K through grade 12. Students in the Health and P.E. program at Cairn examine pedagogies and trends in education and physical health issues.

The successful completion of the Health and Physical Education (PK-12) program leads to the BS in Education degree, the PK-12 Pennsylvania Instructional I certification for public school teaching, and the Standard PK-12 ACSI Physical Education and Health certificate for Christian school teaching. Students may pair this degree with a BS in Bible in a double-degree option.

Through Cairn’s dual-level degree programs, students can earn a Bachelors and Masters degree in as little as five years. The dual-level programs offer student all the benefits of the dynamic undergraduate university student life and programs.

Students can apply for the Dual-Level program after completing 60 credits of undergraduate study.  Admission is based on GPA, extracurricular experience, Christian character, and demonstration of potential to be successful in graduate counseling studies.

Dual-level Bible + Education

• BS in Bible + MS Education: Elem./Early Childhood Ed. (PK-4)
• BS in Bible + MS Education: Health & Phys. Ed. (PK-12)
• BS in Bible + MS Education: Secondary English Ed.
• BS in Bible + MS Education: Secondary Mathematics Ed.
• BS in Bible + MS Education: Secondary Social Studies Ed.

Dual-level Special Education (Applied Behavior Analysis)

• BS in Ed. + MS in Special Ed: Elementary/Early Childhood Ed. (PK-4)
• BS in Ed. + MS in Special Ed: Health and Physical Ed. (PK-12)
• BS in Ed. + MS in Special Ed: Secondary English Ed.
• BS in Ed. + MS in Special Ed: Secondary Mathematics Ed.
• BS in Ed. + MS in Special Ed: Secondary Social Studies Ed.

Dual-level Special Education (Instruction)

• BS in Ed. + MS in Special Ed: Elementary/Early Childhood Ed. (PK-4)
• BS in Ed. + MS in Special Ed: Health and Physical Ed. (PK-12)
• BS in Ed. + MS in Special Ed: Secondary English Ed. 
• BS in Ed. + MS in Special Ed: Secondary Mathematics Ed.
• BS in Ed. + MS in Special Ed: Secondary Social Studies Ed.

Students at Cairn have the opportunity to earn a minor along with their bachelor’s degree. Students can add an Education or Special Education minor regardless of their major. (The TESOL minor is available only in conjunction with the TESOL add-on certification.) In some majors, students can add a minor without adding credits to their program, but most professional programs require the addition of credits to existing program requirements. Speak to your admissions counselor for more information.

Minors offered through the School of Education:

• Education minor
• Special Education minor
• TESOL minor (available only in conjunction with TESOL add-on certification)

View our full list of minors

Available only to Education majors.

Pennsylvania certification as an ESL Program Specialist may be added to any undergraduate program in the School of Education. A TESOL minor will appear on graduates’ transcript.

Available only to Education majors.

Students choosing the international specialization take part in an integrated set of experiences and seminars designed to prepare students for teaching in a cross-cultural setting such as an international or missionary kid school in another country. The program includes pre-student teaching experiences in schools that are diverse in population and over 300 hours of teaching in a mission school in one of several regions of the world. A minimum of six weeks will be spent out of the country.

Available only to Education majors.

Students choosing the urban education specialization take part in an integrated set of experiences and seminars designed to prepare students for teaching in an urban context. The program includes over 200 hours of pre-student teaching experiences in the city and well over 300 hours of student teaching in urban private and public schools.

Available only to Education majors.

Special Education certification can be taken in conjunction with the PK-4, any 7-12, or any PK-12 program.

Available to all majors.

Students enrolled in any undergraduate major can add coursework leading to Pennsylvania’s Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) endorsement and the internationally recognized Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst (BCaBA) credential. Additional requirements for both the ASD endorsement and the BCaBA credential apply.