Bachelor of Education

A Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) is an undergraduate professional degree which prepares students for work as a teacher in schools, though in some countries additional work must be done in order for the student to be fully qualified to teach.

North America

In North America this degree is awarded for coursework completed within a program lasting one to five years, depending on the requirements established by the place where the province or state in which the university is located. In Canada, a BEd degree is required for teaching certification.

A BEd program may have direct entry from high school; as a combined degree with another bachelor's degree (e.g., BA/BEd); or as an after-degree program where the candidate has obtained a bachelor's degree, usually, the field in which the student wishes to teach. A good rapport or previous experience with young children or teens is also a desired characteristic of applicants.

There are several streams to a Bachelor of Education, each corresponding to the particular level of instruction. In the United States, this includes elementary school education, middle school education, and high school education. Students in the elementary education stream generally study for a Liberal Studies degree. In the high school (secondary education) stream, the student specializes in one to two subject areas. Upon completion of the degree, they will prepare and eventually sit for the state's Board of Education certification examination.

A typical BEd program may include coursework in pedagogy, educational psychology, educational policy and leadership, assessment, curriculum development and lesson planning, social justice, special education, and instructional technology.

Australia

In Australia, a 4-Year Bachelor of Education degree combines practical/pedagogical study with a Major sequence in the academic discipline of Education. In the majority of Australian universities, there is usually 2 distinct types of the Bachelor of Education: Primary and Secondary. The subjects and degree programs are quite different in both degrees e.g. for a student studying the Bachelor of Education (Primary) the focus of their degree would lie in behaviour, children, basic literacy, how children learn etc. For a student studying the Bachelor of Education (Secondary) they would therefore be teaching roughly 11- to 18-year-old adolescents and their programs would have less focus on those kinds of areas by the Primary degree. Instead, the degree is based around the student's intending teaching subjects; usually 1 or 2. In NSW, these teaching areas provide the major focus for their degrees in their final years. They consist of: English, Mathematics, Science (Biology, Physics & Chemistry), Geography, History, Business Studies, Legal Studies, Economics, Society & Culture and Languages. The longer duration of the course allows for more practical experiences and greater personal or professional development before teaching service. Most Australian State Teacher-Certification bodies require either a Bachelor of Education, or a bachelor's degree in one or two subject areas, with a Graduate Diploma in Education as a minimum. A B.Ed. is not to be confused with the lesser degree Bachelor of Teaching, which is usually an 'End-On' course similar but slightly longer than a Graduate Diploma in Education.

Note: In Australia, the term Undergraduate Degree is used to describe all degrees undertaken by a first-time university student and usually no pre-requisite tertiary level studies are required, mostly just the completion of Secondary High School. Postgraduate degrees are used to describe the degrees completed with a Undergraduate degree as pre-requisite.

Bangladesh

In Bangladesh, Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) is an undergraduate professional degree for Hons.(4 years) and Diploma(1/2/3 years) in Education offered by the authorized Teachers Training Institutes or Colleges for those aimed their profession as a Teacher or as an Education and Curriculum Specialist or as an Educationalist in the government and non-governmental educational institutes or any educational organizations such as Save The Children,UNICEF,UNDP,BFES,SSUF,ASA etc. B.Ed degree is mandatory for the teaching profession in both of primary and Secondary school level. Without teaching profession, if anyone wants to go other professions such as education & curriculum specialist, researcher,administrator etc. in any educational or other sectors, he/she must have the minimum qualification of Hons.graduation degree in Education(B.Ed hons. degree). Every year many talent Hons. graduate students from this subject get international scholarship from well known universities of other countries like UK,USA,Japan,Australia,Canada etc. The minimum qualification required for entry into B.Ed Hons.(4 years) course is passed H.S.C or Equivalent and for entry into Diploma(1/2/3 years) course in education is Bachelor of Arts (B.A) or Bachelor of Science (B.Sc). The Hons. students of this subject have to read basic educational course contents as their major courses with some minor subject courses. In addition, usually for diploma (1/2/3 years) students from Arts faculty are trained to lecture subjects like history, civics, geography and languages and from Science faculty are trained to follow their lecture on mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology etc. whereas graduates from Commerce faculty trained up to lecture on accounting & finance, economics, management & marketing. After B.Ed hons., one can continue for Master in Education (M.Ed),M.Phil,PhD.D in Education in some universities of Bangladesh. National Council for Education and related Universities as well as their institutions is the constitutional authority to standardize courses for the educationalist and teachers in Bangladesh.

Major universities which offer B.Ed. in Bangladesh are:-

• College of Tourism and Hospitality Management (CTHM), International University of Business Agriculture and Technology(IUBAT)
• Institute of Education and Research (IER), University of Dhaka
• Institute of Education and Research (IER), Chittagong University
• School of Education, Bangladesh Open University
• Institute of Educational Development (IED), BRAC University
• Department of Education & Physical Education, Uttara University
• Dept.of Education and Training, Asian University of Bangladesh
• Department of Education, Prime University
• Dept.of Education and Training, Darul Ihsan University

Israel

In Israel, Bachelor of Education(B.Ed) is a course offered Suitable for those interested in developing the field. Developed unique training programs tailored contemporary trends in professional training for teaching. In addition, there are plans Sitting studies of academics and teachers complete undergraduate studies. In Israel there are a number of colleges and universities offering B.ED studies as Levinsky College of Education and B.Sc.Ed at The Technion - Israel Institute of Technlogy

India

In India, Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) is a course offered for those interested in pursuing a career in teaching. The B.Ed. degree is mandatory for teaching at the secondary (classes 9 and 10) and higher secondary (10+2 or classes 11 and 12). The minimum qualification required for entry into B.Ed. course is Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) or Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.). While students from the Arts stream are trained to teach subjects like History, Civics, Geography, and languages, the students from the Science stream are trained to teach Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. Some of the reputed colleges offering B.Ed. course are ICFAI College of Education, Dehradun, Amity School of Education, Lady Irwin College – among others. The course is also offered by Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). The duration of the course is two years. After B.Ed., students can pursue Master of Education (M.Ed.) in any Indian university or teacher-training institutes offering the course. The National Council for Teacher Education is the statutory body which regulating teacher training courses in India.

The Right to Free and Compulsory Education for Children (RTE Act 2009) came into force from April 2010. The act emphasizes on quality education for every child. As such, with the view to bring about quality education in schools, it is required that the entry level percentage to B.Ed. be 50 for those candidates in the General Category and 45 for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

The Bachelor of Elementary Education (B.El.Ed.) programme is a four-year integrated professional degree programme offered after the higher secondary stage of school. B.El.Ed. is designed to integrate the study of subject knowledge, human development, pedagogical knowledge, and communication skills. Both professional and academic options are available to students who graduate with a B.El.Ed. degree.

Ireland

In the Republic of Ireland, a 4-Year Bachelor of Education degree combines practical/pedagogical study with a Major sequence in the academic discipline of Education. Modules in the Irish and English languages are compulsory.

Students study a range of Education-related subjects, including Psychology, Sociology, History, Social Policy, Professional Practice. Students also study subjects from another field or discipline as qualification for an intended teaching area or method.

The degree is available in several specialisations, including Primary, Secondary, Human Movement/Health, Music, or Early Childhood education. The longer duration of the course allows for more practical experiences and greater personal or professional development before teaching service. Teacher-Certification bodies require either a Bachelor of Education, or an Undergraduate/Bachelor's Degree in one or two subject areas, with a Diploma of Education as a minimum. A B.Ed. is not to be confused with the lesser degree Bachelor of Teaching, which is usually an 'End-On' course similar but slightly longer than a Diploma of Education.

New Zealand

The 3-year Bachelor of Education prepares graduates to teach in early childhood centres, primary and intermediate schools. With the Bachelor of Education one can specialise in Primary, Early Childhood, Physical Education and Huarahi Māori. The qualification is designed to equip students with the skills and knowledge they need to be effective teachers, and to gain provisional registration with the New Zealand Teachers Council. Teaching practicums allow students to gain invaluable experience in diverse education settings as they study. The Bachelor of Education can lead on to further postgraduate study.

Sri Lanka

The Bachelor of Education degree was first introduced by the University of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) in 1963. Prof. J. E. Jayasuriya, then Professor of Education at University of Ceylon introduced the course to meet the growing demand for professional teacher qualifications. Then the practice was to join the teaching profession with a bachelor's degree either in Arts or Sciences and after four years of teaching in a Secondary school teachers get the One year Post-Graduate Diploma in Education.

The University of Ceylon used to take only 50 -60 Post Graduate Diploma candidates at a time in an annual program. The B.Ed degree was introduced combining the bachelor's degree and the Post Graduate Diploma in Education. B.Ed was introduced as a four-year special degree and in contrast with the 9 - 10 3hr papers at the final degree examination, a B.Ed degree required a candidates to sit for 19 - 20 papers for the finals. This happened due to combining of the bachelor's degree and the Post-graduate Diploma in Education. Only the top performing students were admitted to B.Ed degree at University of Ceylon, Peradeniya. The first batch graduated in 1967. Following this Australia introduced the B.Ed degree. Upali M Sedere was the first First Class holder of the B.Ed degree from University of Ceylon, Peradeniya in 1969. Subsequently in 1973, the B.Ed program at the University of Sri Lanka changed in its scope and character.

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, where both the university system and school system are very different, the degree is awarded after a three or four-year course (the course length depends on the university) which is specifically tailored to either primary education or for a limited range of secondary education subjects. It leads to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) in England and Wales and is a teaching qualification in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

As a result of the Robbins Report on higher education (1963), the teacher training colleges were reformed as Colleges of Education. Such colleges, as in the case of those in London, became 'constituent colleges' of the Institute of Education, with their academic award being from the University of London. Students were offered an extra year of study, bringing the course up to four years in length and resulting in the award of the Bachelor of Education degree. The first Bachelors of Education graduated in 1968.^[1]

The BEd became more widespread in the early 1980s, when a bachelor's degree became a requirement for new teachers in the whole of the United Kingdom, replacing the old Certificate in Education (Cert Ed).

The BEd is not the only way of gaining Qualified Teacher Status or gaining a teaching qualification. Other routes are as follows:

Bachelor of Science Education (B.Sc.Ed)

Bachelor of Science Education is a degree awarded to students who complete the four to five-year course of study in the field of science (major and minor in biology, chemistry, physics, math) with major Educational courses, it is the combination of degree in science and education course (sometimes referred to double degree programs B.Sc + B.Ed = B.Sc.Ed). Although notionally B.Sc and B.Ed are two degrees, they must be taken together. There are very few universities that offer this course because it requires collaboration between the Faculty/School of Science and that of Education, to ensure that the teacher not only can work in an education institution but also in an industrial area related to science.

In Malaysia, it is one of the most difficult admittance degrees for the students to get into. Students not only need a distinction result but also need to go through a psychology test, rigorous interviews and demos of teaching. Students who already get these courses will be given a full scholarship by the Minister of Education. Upon graduation, the students will get job offers from government and private institutions (mostly to teach for matriculation, foundation or high school students) due to deep understanding of specific science and professional teaching training. Graduates also can work in other science related industries. Bachelor of Science AND Education is totally different from Bachelor of Science IN Education.

In Singapore, the National Institute of Education, an autonomous institute of Nanyang Technological University, offers a 4year undergraduate programme, offering BSc(Ed) or BA(Ed) in its initial teacher training programmes. Students are taught pedagogical theories and principles, alongside their chosen subject majors (and minors).

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