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 Overview

Education Studies

Program Type: Integrative Concentration

Students interested 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—such as summer and or academic year internships, practica, or winter-term projects—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.

Program Director

Jody Kerchner Professor of Music Education

Educational Opportunities

Oberlin’s Career Development Center 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 Development CenterBonner Center for Service and Learning
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 Kaber

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 Faculty

Education Studies News

3 school-age girls hold a sign that reads SITES Spanish in the Elementary Schools

SITES Set on Education

June 12, 2015
The Spanish in the Elementary Schools program celebrates its 10-year anniversary of college students teaching elementary school students to speak Spanish.
View all Education Studies news