Program Overview

Education Studies

Students interested in the Education Studies Concentration must take four full courses in a variety of liberal arts areas that explore educational foundations, issues, and pedagogical strategies. Students must also complete two experiential components—academic year and or summer internships, practica, or projects during winter term—that connect their pedagogical and conceptual understandings to local and off-campus educational environments. The Education Studies Concentration Committee advises students regarding course sections, internships, graduate schools, and potential employment.

professor in large classroom teaching about 8 adult learners
Conservatory Professor of Music Education Jody Kerchner instructs future music educators.
Photo credit: Yevhen Gulenko

Program Facts

  • Program Type: Integrative Concentration

Program Director

Katherine Thomson-Jones,
Professor of Philosophy

children sitting on floor with student teacher singing.
Children in the SITES program mimic their SITES instructor as they play a game together.
Photo credit: Courtesy of Kim Faber

Spanish in the Elementary Schools

Oberlin College students of any academic major can apply to teach in the Spanish in the Elementary Schools (SITES) program. It‘s designed for children in kindergarten through second grade who attend Oberlin‘s Eastwood Elementary School. To prepare for this work, students are required to take EDUA 301 Language Pedagogy, which includes the SITES practicum.

Explore SITES

Winter Term

Oberlin’s four-week winter term in January encourages students to discover the value of self-directed education. You may pursue individual or group projects that are directly linked to your field of study or explore opportunities unrelated to your major. Complete your project on or off campus.

Student Clubs and Organizations

Student Senate, Chess Club, Solarity, the Oberlin Review—these are among the more than 175 student groups and clubs available to you. From politics to faith and identity, and from special interest to sports, Oberlin has an array of clubs eager for new members, new ideas, and new leadership.

Sample Courses

  • EDUC/PACE 300 - Principles of Education (4 credits)
  • PSYC 216 - Developmental Psychology (4 credits)
  • EDUA 301 - Language Pedagogy: The Theory & Practice of Teaching and Learning Languages (4 credits)
  • RHET 401 - Teaching and Tutoring Writing Across the Disciplines (4 credits)
Curriculum and requirements

Education Studies News

Chloe Lai Receives Fulbright to Taiwan

June 8, 2022

An art history and East Asian studies double major with an education studies concentration, Lai is constantly striving to learn more about pedagogy and language acquisition.
Chloe Lai.

Sarah Wong ’22 Receives Fulbright to Taiwan

June 7, 2022

A musical studies and law and society major, Sarah Wong applied for the Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to honor her Taiwanese heritage while becoming more fluent in her family’s ancestral languages.
Sarah Wong '22
View all Education Studies news

Educational Opportunities

Oberlin’s Career Exploration and Development and the Bonner Center for Community-Engaged Learning, Teaching, and Research provide information about educational internship and employment opportunities in education and related fields.

Career Exploration and DevelopmentBonner Center
young woman shows student how to string a necklace.