Best Bachelor's in Secondary Education Programs in 2026

The University of Central Florida's Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education, offered through its School of Teacher Education, lets candidates specialize in a content area they intend to teach, with tracks in English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Science. A useful design choice is the split between a certification track for grades 6 through 12 and a non-certification lifelong-learning track, so students who want the classroom and those who want the subject knowledge follow distinct paths. Certification-track candidates complete two teaching internships in middle or high schools and become eligible for Florida teacher certification after passing state exams. The School notes that it was the first and only Florida institution to earn initial accreditation from AAQEP, which distinguishes its recognition among the state's programs. The undergraduate degree is delivered on campus, while UCF's fully online secondary offerings are graduate programs. Earning a bachelor's degree in secondary education is a common route toward becoming one of Florida's secondary school teachers.

The University of Maryland, College Park structures its secondary education program as a dual major: candidates complete a major in an academic content area such as English, mathematics, science, or social studies alongside a second major in secondary education, finishing in four years. Students apply separately to the College of Education's professional program and complete a professional sequence that culminates in a year-long teaching internship during the senior year. The on-campus program is accredited by the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation and leads to Maryland certification to teach grades 7 through 12. Graduates of this secondary education program at the bachelor's level often go on to work as secondary school teachers.

The Citadel's Zucker Family School of Education offers Bachelor of Science degrees in Secondary Education for grades 9 through 12, with concentrations in Biology, Chemistry, and Social Studies. Candidates combine subject-area study with professional education coursework and a student teaching placement, earning a baccalaureate degree and a recommendation for teaching licensure. The on-campus program serves cadet, active-duty, and veteran students. As a bachelor's degree in secondary education, it is one of the programs that lead to careers as secondary school teachers in South Carolina.

The University of Michigan-Ann Arbor offers an undergraduate secondary teacher education program through the Marsal Family School of Education. It is delivered in partnership with subject departments in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, so candidates study their teaching field alongside professional education coursework. The program prepares students to teach at the secondary level. Earning a bachelor's degree in secondary education is a common route toward becoming one of Michigan's secondary school teachers.

Clemson University's Secondary Education, B.A. is an initial teacher preparation program in the College of Education built for candidates who want to teach a specific subject in grades 9-12. Students choose a teaching area such as English, mathematics, social studies and history, or science, then pursue that content alongside professional education courses so their discipline and their teaching craft develop in tandem. Field experiences in local schools lead into a culminating full-time student teaching internship, giving candidates a real classroom of their own before they graduate. The program is listed among Clemson's CAEP-reviewed initial educator preparation programs and is taught on campus. For those who want to keep going, the college offers a combined bachelor's-to-MAT residency pathway that carries candidates into a master's degree. As a bachelor's degree in secondary education, it is one of the programs that lead to careers as secondary school teachers in South Carolina.

UNF's Department of Teaching, Learning, and Curriculum offers Bachelor of Arts in Education secondary majors for grades 6-12, including English, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Social Studies Education. The programs lead to Florida teacher certification in the chosen subject area. Candidates complete a supervised internship and must pass the Professional Education exam and the appropriate Subject Area exam to complete the internship and graduate. Instruction is on campus. This bachelor's-level secondary education program prepares graduates for work as secondary school teachers in Florida.

Virginia Tech's School of Education offers undergraduate secondary teacher preparation in subjects that include English Education, History and Social Science Education, and Mathematics Education, all for grades 6 to 12. Students complete their content coursework as undergraduates, then finish professional studies and student teaching through the school's graduate licensure pathway. Programs lead to Virginia teaching licensure, and instruction takes place on campus in Blacksburg. As a bachelor's degree in secondary education, it is one of the programs that lead to careers as secondary school teachers in Virginia.

Penn State's Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education lets candidates aim at a specific subject from the start, with teaching options spanning fields such as English, mathematics, and the sciences. Credit loads shift from 121 to 132 depending on that choice, reflecting the different content demands of each area. Completing an option satisfies the academic requirements for the Pennsylvania Department of Education's Instructional I certificate to teach grades 7-12 in the chosen field. The experience builds toward a full-time, 15-credit student teaching practicum, where candidates work under both a mentor teacher and a university supervisor. Alongside the coursework, students must clear the state's clearance and testing requirements, so the program keeps certification benchmarks in view throughout. As a bachelor's degree in secondary education, it is one of the programs that lead to careers as secondary school teachers in Pennsylvania.

JMU's Secondary Education is an undergraduate-only, double-major path in which students major in Secondary Education and their teaching content area at the same time, earning a Bachelor of Science and eligibility for a Virginia Teaching License in grades 6-12. Endorsement areas include English, History and Social Sciences (History or Political Science tracks), and Mathematics. Candidates apply for admission to teacher education early in the sophomore year. Graduates of this secondary education program at the bachelor's level often go on to work as secondary school teachers.

Northwestern University's Secondary Teaching concentration lives within the 42-unit Bachelor of Science in Education and Social Policy, and it is built for students who want to teach a subject they love at the middle and high school levels. The design pairs deep subject-area coursework, in fields such as chemistry, English, history, and mathematics, with teacher education in adolescent development and teaching methods, so content knowledge and pedagogy grow together. Candidates apply to the Teacher Education Program by the fall of their third year, then spend their final year in a linked practicum and student teaching experience that anchors the classroom side. That capstone year turns preparation into real practice. Graduates are eligible for the Illinois Professional Educator License for grades 5-12, and the teaching concentrations are approved by the Illinois State Board of Education. This bachelor's-level secondary education program prepares graduates for work as secondary school teachers in Illinois.

Vanderbilt's Peabody College offers Secondary Education as a Bachelor of Science in the Department of Teaching and Learning, preparing candidates to teach English, mathematics, natural sciences, or social sciences to grades 6 through 12. A defining feature is that all undergraduate teacher education students, except those in special education, complete a second, non-education content major, which deepens the subject expertise behind their endorsement. That subject focus carries through to licensure, where secondary endorsements span fields such as biology, chemistry, physics, English, mathematics, and history. Graduates earn Tennessee initial teacher licensure, and Peabody notes that its initial teacher education programs are approved by the Tennessee Department of Education and fully accredited by CAEP. Instruction takes place on campus in Nashville. As a bachelor's degree in secondary education, it is one of the programs that lead to careers as secondary school teachers in Tennessee.

Villanova University's Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Education is built for students who want to teach a subject they love, embedding teacher certification directly within the degree. Candidates pair the education major with a subject concentration in fields such as social studies, biology, English, mathematics, or a world language, so their preparation stays rooted in a discipline. The program moves through a deliberate sequence, taking students from foundational and methods courses through pre-practicum seminars before a full student teaching placement and a capping senior seminar. That structure gives future teachers a gradual build toward independent classroom work. Offered on-campus, the program recommends graduates for Pennsylvania Level I certification to teach grades 7 through 12. Graduates of this secondary education program at the bachelor's level often go on to work as secondary school teachers.

Connecticut College's Department of Education offers an Educational Studies major and minor examining educational systems and student experiences across the P-20 continuum. It is explicitly a non-certification degree: the department states it does not offer a teacher certification program, though the major and minor prepare students to enter graduate certification programs around the country and other professions and graduate programs in the humanities and social sciences. Community and school experiences are woven into coursework and program activities. Instruction is on campus. Students seeking an initial secondary teaching license complete graduate-level certification elsewhere after this degree. Graduates of this secondary education program at the bachelor's level often go on to work as secondary school teachers.

At the University of Arkansas, there is no one-size-fits-all secondary education major; instead, students earn initial 7-12 licensure through a degree tied to the subject they want to teach. Bachelor of Arts in Teaching programs cover fields such as English, social studies, and foreign languages, while Bachelor of Science in Education programs handle technology and business education. This subject-specific approach means candidates graduate as both content specialists and prepared teachers, ready for Arkansas initial licensure to teach grades 7 through 12. Prospective students should not confuse these with the separate, non-licensure B.S.E. in Educational Studies, which does not confer a K-12 classroom license on its own. All of these on-campus programs run through the College of Education and Health Professions in Fayetteville. This bachelor's-level secondary education program prepares graduates for work as secondary school teachers in Arkansas.

For students who want to teach English and language arts to teenagers, Oklahoma State University's Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education offers an English option built around grades 6-12. The broader secondary program spans subjects from mathematics to social studies, but the English track focuses candidates on the reading, writing, and discussion at the heart of a language arts classroom. Coursework runs through the School of Teaching, Learning and Educational Sciences and moves from early observation courses into a full student teaching placement, with minimum grades required before a candidate can be recommended for certification. That recommendation goes to the Oklahoma State Department of Education, and graduates can also pursue certification exams in other states. OSU delivers the English degree fully online through its OSU Online program. As a bachelor's degree in secondary education, it is one of the programs that lead to careers as secondary school teachers in Oklahoma.

Indiana University Bloomington's B.S.Ed. in Secondary Education prepares students to teach a single content area at the junior high, middle, and high school levels under one Indiana license. What sets the degree apart is the breadth of subjects a candidate can specialize in, from language arts and mathematics to biology, chemistry, physics, social studies, and even journalism, so future teachers go deep in the field they love. Admission runs through a competitive application to the Teacher Education Program, a step that keeps the cohort focused and prepared. The major then builds toward a semester-long student teaching placement in a middle or high school classroom, where candidates take on real teaching responsibility. Delivered on campus, its educator preparation programs, secondary education among them, are accredited by CAEP. Graduates of this secondary education program at the bachelor's level often go on to work as secondary school teachers.

Offered through URI's Feinstein College of Education, this Secondary Education B.A. is deliberately a double major, pairing education with an academic content area so graduates know their subject as well as how to teach it. Certification areas span the sciences and humanities, in fields such as biology, chemistry, physics, English, mathematics, and social studies/history. Students move through a sequence of professional education courses that runs alongside their content major, and the two strands come together in an initial Rhode Island teaching certificate for grades 6-12. For those who want to widen their options, optional extensions are available in Middle Level certification and in English for Speakers of Other Languages. The program is delivered on campus. This bachelor's-level secondary education program prepares graduates for work as secondary school teachers in Rhode Island.

Rather than routing every future teacher through one generic major, North Carolina A&T State University builds secondary licensure for grades 9 to 12 around the subject a candidate actually wants to teach, offering concentrations in fields such as biology, mathematics, and music. Each track lives in its own academic department but is coordinated with the College of Education, so students go deep in their discipline while learning how to teach it. The path is structured and intentional: candidates apply to the Educator Preparation Program during their sophomore year, and state rules require formal admission at least a full semester before they can be recommended for a license. A criminal background check is part of that admission step. Because the educator preparation programs hold CAEP accreditation and meet North Carolina's licensure requirements, graduates finish ready to move directly into a 9 to 12 classroom. Earning a bachelor's degree in secondary education is a common route toward becoming one of North Carolina's secondary school teachers.

Adolescents need teachers who know their subject and know how to reach them, and the University of Dayton's Bachelor of Science in Education in Adolescence to Young Adult Education is built with both in mind, preparing candidates to teach grades 7-12 and leading to Ohio Resident Educator licensure. The degree runs at least 124 credit hours, includes the university's Common Academic Program, and asks each student to commit to one teaching field in subjects such as language arts, mathematics, science, or social studies. Field experience opens in the first year and steadily deepens, culminating in a full-time, 12-credit student teaching placement that leaves graduates with more than 800 hours in schools. Because content mastery matters as much as method, the teaching fields carry national recognition from NCTE, NCTM, and NCSS. The program is offered on campus in Dayton, Ohio. A bachelor's-level path in secondary education, it builds toward a career among secondary school teachers in Ohio.

At the University of Missouri, secondary licensure for grades 9 through 12 is organized around subjects rather than a single generic degree, so students earn a Bachelor of Science in Education tied to a specialty such as biology, chemistry, mathematics, language arts, or social studies. Through the College of Education and Human Development, that subject focus is matched with intensive field experience that begins in the sophomore year and deepens over time. The capstone is a year-long Senior Year On-Site Program internship, an immersive stretch that lets candidates grow into the role of teacher inside a real school. All programs are accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation, and DESE fully approves the certification programs for state licensure. The design keeps subject mastery and classroom practice tightly linked. A bachelor's-level path in secondary education, it builds toward a career among secondary school teachers in Missouri.

St. John Fisher University's Bachelor of Science in Inclusive Adolescence Education is built for students who want to teach a subject and support students with disabilities at the same time, a combination reflected in its dual outcome. The 40 to 43 credit major leads to New York State initial certification to teach grades 7 through 12 in a content area, paired with students with disabilities generalist certification and an optional middle childhood extension for grades 5 and 6. Candidates choose a content concentration such as biology, English, history, mathematics, or Spanish, grounding their teaching in a genuine discipline. Clinical experience is substantial, with at least 150 hours in schools before student teaching, 50 of them focused specifically on students with disabilities. Delivered on campus, the program is accredited by CAEP. Earning a bachelor's degree in secondary education is a common route toward becoming one of New York's secondary school teachers.

The University of Alabama's Bachelor of Science in Education in Secondary Education asks candidates to commit to a teaching field, whether English language arts, a foreign language, mathematics, general science, or general social studies, and shapes the degree around that choice. Requiring a minimum of 120 semester hours, the program leads to the Alabama Class B professional certificate for grades 6 through 12. The heart of it is the internship, most often placed in Tuscaloosa-area schools, though candidates can instead student teach abroad through the Consortium for Overseas Student Teaching. Admission is competitive, with minimum GPA thresholds overall, within the teaching field, and in professional studies, signaling a program that expects readiness before candidates reach the classroom. All coursework is delivered on campus. A bachelor's-level path in secondary education, it builds toward a career among secondary school teachers in Alabama.

Salve Regina University's Secondary Education (B.A.S.) is structured as a double major, so every candidate also majors in a content discipline such as biology, chemistry, history, mathematics, or music. That design prepares graduates to apply for Rhode Island certification for grades 6-12, with a world language route certified K-12. The program is notable for how early it puts students in front of learners, with field experience beginning sophomore year and giving candidates three full years in classrooms before they graduate, capped by student teaching with full teaching responsibilities. The university notes that its education programs are approved by the Rhode Island Department of Education, a state approval rather than programmatic accreditation. Instruction is delivered on campus in Newport. Graduates of this secondary education program at the bachelor's level often go on to work as secondary school teachers.

Stonehill's Secondary Education B.A. is for students who want to teach a specific subject at the middle and high school levels, leading to Massachusetts initial licensure in a chosen content area such as biology, chemistry, mathematics, English, history, or Spanish, with grade bands of 8-12 or 5-12 depending on the field. Because deep subject knowledge matters, candidates double major, pairing education with their licensure discipline so they graduate as both teacher and specialist. The program is structured as a multi-phase clinical sequence, placing candidates alongside general and special education teachers as early as the first semester and building toward a full-semester senior-year practicum in their content area. It is delivered on campus. Earning a bachelor's degree in secondary education is a common route toward becoming one of Massachusetts's secondary school teachers.

Drake University offers a Bachelor of Science in Education in Secondary Education, requiring 120 total credits with 41 to 43 credits in the major. Candidates complete at least one teaching endorsement chosen from more than 30 areas, including special education, literacy, and ESL. Fieldwork begins with a 40-hour first-year practicum and includes five practicum assignments, culminating in a 15-week student teaching placement leading a 7-12 classroom. Completion prepares graduates for Iowa 7-12 teacher licensure. All certification and endorsement programs are approved by the Iowa Department of Education. Delivered on campus. As a bachelor's degree in secondary education, it is one of the programs that lead to careers as secondary school teachers in Iowa.