Elementary Education Degree

Pursue your passion for education and start making an impact on the lives of young children with an elementary education degree from Hardin-Simmons University. We emphasize the real-world application of the latest theories in teaching to prepare you to become a skilled and caring EC-6 classroom teacher who can inspire students to reach for greatness.

Elementary educators are more than simply teachers. They are models of leadership. They form future leaders and thinkers. For over a century, our interdisciplinary generalist program has provided elementary education majors with the skills and knowledge to succeed every day they enter the classroom.

Experiential Learning in the Elementary Education Degree

When you major in elementary education at HSU, you’ll have many opportunities to apply your knowledge in real classrooms working with young children. You’ll design and implement instructional activities to engage EC-6 children in one-on-one, small group, and large group instruction.

For example, every course you take as an elementary education major will offer you the chance to work with children in public classrooms, in workshops, mentoring and tutoring, and in pre-school classrooms. You’ll graduate with a robust resume and a multitude of stories to tell during interviews that speak to your strengths as a teacher.

Program Contact

Dr. Renee Collins

Professor of Education, Associate Dean of the Irvin School of Education

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Majors

Interdisciplinary Generalist (BSHS)

Minors

Why Earn Your Degree in Elementary Education at Hardin-Simmons?

Extraordinary Elementary Education Degree Faculty

As an elementary education major at HSU, you’ll benefit from small class sizes in which you work closely with our distinguished faculty and learn from their years of experience. Many have worked as middle school teachers, assistant principals, or public-school teachers for over 20 years.

Interdisciplinary Generalists smiling with their certifications

Building Community in the Elementary Education Degree

Most of our elementary education majors create lifelong relationships with each other, as well as with faculty and those in the community they work with. We encourage collaboration in group projects and classroom implementation—preparing you to work as a team member wherever you go in your career.

HSU student and young children staring up into the trees

Exceptional Career Preparation

As you earn your bachelor’s in elementary education at HSU, you’ll have access to the Hardin-Simmons University Educator Preparation Program (EPP) that prepares you to use technology and media effectively in the classroom to improve teaching and learning and increase student academic achievement. Our graduates boast a 100% first time pass rate on the Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities exam.

HSU student teacher and children playing in tub of dirt looking for worms

HSU Prepared Me to be an Educator

Hillary (McIntyre) Brown, 2010

“The classes and experiences from my professors at the Irvin School of Education have allowed me to be well prepared both in my profession and advancing my continuing education. In the 12 years since graduation, I have had the opportunity to teach 2nd-5th grades before teaching in the GT program. I have served on committees that have written curriculum for Grapevine-Colleyville ISD and Coppell ISD, have been a guest speaker at several universities discussing my experience in education. HSU has been the springboard that prepared me to become the educator I am today.”

What Can You Do With A Degree in Elementary Education?

Earning an elementary education degree from HSU is your key to a wide variety of careers working with young children in settings as diverse as daycare centers, tutoring and after-school programs, public schools, and private schools. Graduates who earn their bachelor’s in elementary education from HSU are sought-after both in Texas and around the nation for their experience and expertise.

You’ll also benefit from great job security after graduation. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), employment for kindergarten and elementary teachers is predicted to grow 7% over the next decade, adding more than 124,000 new openings each year.

Jobs for Elementary Education Degree Graduates

Early childhood educator
Elementary school teacher
Middle school teacher
Teacher assistant
Social worker
Librarian
Camp director
Education administrator
Education consultant

Salary for Bachelor’s in Elementary Education Graduates

According to the BLS, elementary education teachers earn an average salary of $61,350 per year, nationally. In Texas, the average elementary education teacher salary is $59,210.

Program Details

Through the bachelor’s in elementary education program at HSU, you’ll successfully complete the following elementary education degree certification exams:

Texas Examinations of Educator Standards (TExES) Core Subjects EC-6 (391) exams
Texas Examinations of Educator Standards (TExES) Science of Teaching Reading (STR) exam (293)
Texas Examinations of Educator Standards (TExES) EC-12 Pedagogy & Professional Responsibilities (PPR) (160)
Texas Examinations of Educator Standards (TExES) English as a Second Language (ESL) exam (154)

Graduate with your degree in elementary education prepared to step into the classroom and start inspiring young children.

Candidates for our Teacher Preparation Programs must meet certain requirements outlined in our Admission Requirements document.

When you choose to major in elementary education at HSU and dedicate your career to teaching young children, you make an investment in yourself and the students who will benefit from your leadership. That’s why we invest in supporting you financially on your journey to earn a bachelor’s in elementary education. The Irvin Teacher Preparation Program offers multiple teacher education scholarships to help you pay for your elementary education degree. You may also be eligible for general financial aid.

Learn more about university-wide financial aid at Hardin-Simmons University.

The State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) and Texas Education Agency (TEA) Office of Accountability has awarded Hardin-Simmons University Teacher Education Program a rating of “Accredited” under the Accountability System for Educator Preparation authorized by Texas Education Code 21.045 every year since the rating of teacher preparation entities has been awarded. Educator preparation programs are held accountable for the performance of their graduates on the state credentialing examinations required for certification. Programs must achieve a minimum pass rate on the tests by disaggregated subgroups (All, Male, Female, White, Hispanic, African American, Other) to receive a rating of “Accredited.”

TEA Complaint Process

Title II Data

Hardin-Simmons University Educator Preparation Program (EPP) begins teacher certification coursework with a freshman level educational technology course that introduces future teachers to the standards developed by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). These standards require students to apply the roles as a Learner, Leader, Citizen, Collaborator, Designer, Facilitator, and Analyst. Within the technology class, EPP faculty members utilize the SAMR (substitution, augmentation, modification, or redefinition of a task or product) and RAT (replacement, amplification, or transformation) models of instruction within the course applications while introducing real-world connections with the Google’s G-Suite for Education (i.e., Docs, Classroom, Sheets, Forms, etc.). Throughout the remaining EPP pedagogical classes for all certification programs, faculty members require future teachers to apply, analyze, evaluate, and create technological integrations within instruction and assessments for course requirements. Ultimately, all HSU education majors are given an opportunity to gain Level 1 Google Certification prior to graduation.

Hardin-Simmons University EPP prepares teachers to use technology effectively to improve teaching and learning for the purpose of increasing student academic achievement in various junior and senior level content and pedagogical classes. Future teachers focus on analyzing data from informal reading and writing assessments to determine differentiated instruction for diverse learners as well as analyzing sub-populations, frequency distribution, scaffolding TEKS in order to close the achievement gaps (i.e., Eduphoria, Lead4ward, IXL, MobyMax, iStation, Success Maker, Education Galaxy, Starfall, Pebble Go, and Formative Loop) during a senior level capstone course.

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