Advantages to Majoring in Education at Furman University

Hi everybody! My name is Caroline Stemple and I am a rising junior from Charleston, SC.

Coming into my freshman year at Furman, I told my summer advisor about my interest in Education. With that in mind, she put me into the intro education course called Perspectives on American Education. I thoroughly enjoyed the content of the class and was even able to complete one-on-one tutoring with students in the Greenville area through the class. By the end of my sophomore year, I had completed all of my GER (general education requirement) credits and was in a full Education block with all 4 of my classes  in the education department. I had so much fun being fully immersed in my major and was able to be in Greenville schools for a big chunk of time each week! All of the higher-level education courses have teacher-shadowing requirements that need to be completed throughout the semester. These experiences have been the most formative time for me to narrow down what grade level and subject matter I may want to teach in the future. I have been to middle school classrooms and decided that environment is not for me. I also shadowed a Special Education environment during my favorite course here at Furman, Students with Exceptionalities. This course is mandatory for education majors and exposes all students to a unique variety of learners in classrooms around Greenville. I was able to shadow an elementary resource teacher which helped me develop a passion for special education.

One of the major reasons that I chose to come to Furman was because of our Teacher Education’s accelerated Masters Program. It was the first of its kind in South Carolina and continues to be nationally recognized. For those considering it, after you graduate from Furman, you will be certified to teach grades 2-6 with many different options in undergrad to add both elementary or higher education certifications. Furman’s education department also has options to receive a Masters degree in a few different areas of study. These programs will be completed in 1-2 years. Most Education majors leave Furman and immediately go into their first-year teaching in Greenville. In conjunction with your first year of teaching, taking graduate courses can be difficult, but the opportunities that will arise for teaching with a Masters will be well worth it.

In addition to general teaching, Furman has a music education major, a science education minor, and concentrations in other subject areas.

There are so many paths to take within Furman’s Education program and I would recommend it as is a major to look into!

🙂 Caroline