About the Education program

The mission of the Professional Education programs at Tusculum College is to prepare teachers who are committed to excellence in education and who are confident in their abilities to assume leadership as educators and citizens in the communities where they live and work.

The program continues the College’s focus on civic and intellectual development of the students, while fostering the skills, knowledge, and habits of character (dispositions) vital to those involved in the education of the nations’ next generation of citizens.

The instructors are dedicated to close mentoring relationships with the students as they model appropriate behavior for a civic-minded classroom and challenge all students to strive for high standards of academic achievement and to examine critically their personal philosophy of education.

Professional development includes the study of current theory and practices in the students’ chosen area(s) of specialization. Field assignments in the community’s schools begin early in the students’ training and continue throughout all four years of the program, providing a rich experience base valuable in itself while enhancing learning in collaborative interaction with peers and faculty members.

While the Professional Education Department prepares teachers for the classroom, the students are also prepared for graduate study to progress into administration or continue in the public school classroom.

With the "No Child Left Behind" laws, students are encouraged to specialize in the content areas if they are interested in the middle-school curriculum.

Add-on programs are available to career teachers who also need to upgrade or add additional certifications. The department is preparing to extend the licensure program into the Professional Studies Program and offer night or Saturday classes to aid working students to become certified as teachers