An elementary school teacher not only helps children learn, but prepares tomorrow's leaders. Our bachelor's degree in elementary education prepares you to teach kindergarten through sixth grade.
As an elementary education major, you'll have multiple opportunities to work with children and teachers in local schools and community organizations. While gaining a foundation in a wide range of subjects, you'll also choose a specific area of emphasis.
What you'll study as an elementary education major.
Coursework addresses subjects such as:
- child growth and development
- educational psychology
- lesson and unit planning
- classroom management
- literacy and language arts instruction
- mathematics, science, and social studies methods
- assessment of student learning
- inclusive education
- educational foundations
- teaching students from varied backgrounds
The curriculum also includes content coursework in areas such as art, biology, history, mathematics, music, and physical science. For a full list and specific coursework visit the course catalog or speak with an academic advisor.
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Student Teaching
You'll participate in a semester of student teaching when you major in elementary education. This experience will give you a planned, supervised environment where you will demonstrate the knowledge, performance, and dispositions you learned in your Ball State classes. You may choose to student teach here in Indiana or pursue an opportunity throughout the U.S. or abroad. Learn more.
Why Choose Elementary Education?
You'll learn from and work directly with dedicated faculty members who have at least three years of professional experience in classrooms and other school settings.
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You'll begin working in the field, directly with students and professional teachers, and this will continue through student teaching to graduation.
Through Ball State's Professional Development Schools program, we partner with a number of elementary schools and early childhood centers to provide placements for our practicum students and student teachers.
Our Urban Experience, which has been running for more than 20 years, will allow you to take all of your courses off campus at a school in the Indianapolis area. This program is during the first semester of your senior year, which allows you stay in the district to student teach, if you wish.
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Our programs offer real-world applications and immersive learning projects, in which you'll gain valuable, hands-on experience working alongside community organizations such as museums, childcare centers, and community agencies.
You also have a variety of opportunities to travel and learn, including studying abroad in England and student teaching in Texas or Germany.
Study Abroad SCC Immersive Learning
Elementary Education Majors will have access to the Instructional Technology Design Studio (iTDS) program to gain hands-on experience in integrating technology into teaching. iTDS empowers educators and students through workshops, project support, and a creative space that fosters critical thinking, collaboration, and innovation. This program builds valuable skills in technology adoption, instructional planning, and leadership for success in today’s dynamic learning environments.
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As a freshman, you’ll live in Palmer/Davidson Halls with other Early Childhood, Youth, and Family Studies students.
Our Living-Learning Community will allow you to get to know your classmates and connect with our campus through team-building activities that promote higher academic achievement.
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Department Scholarships
On top of the dozens of scholarships the university offers its students, our department gives awards every year to its own students to recognize them for their achievements. Learn more.
Concentrations
If you're passionate about communication and culture, the American Sign Language (ASL) concentration allows you to build fluency in ASL while gaining a deeper understanding of Deaf culture, linguistics, and interpretation.
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If you're interested in supporting individuals with autism and developmental disabilities, our Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)/Autism concentration offers training in evidence-based strategies to build communication, social, and academic skills.
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If you’re fascinated by the ancient world, the Classical Languages concentration allows you to study Latin and Greek while exploring classical literature, history, and language structure.
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The Differentiation concentration equips future educators with strategies to meet individual learning needs.
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Our English as a New Language concentration will prepare you to work with non-native speakers in English. This includes helping them with listening, writing, reading, and speaking skills.
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This concentration will enable you to better meet the needs of the youngest elementary school children, particularly those in kindergarten through grade 2.
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You'll explore, in depth, the theory and content of the study of literature, writing, and language as they relate to the elementary classroom with our Language Arts concentration.
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Gain an understanding of content standards for the K-12 math curriculum.
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Focus your interest in a language, while at the same time earn a departmental minor in that language.
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Understand the psychology of children-their thinking, feelings, behavior, development, and learning-as well as the measurement of these characteristics and the environments where they occur.
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Learn to use scientific knowledge, skills, and habits of mind to solve problems and think critically about the natural world. You'll take a broad range of courses that cover life, earth, and physical sciences.
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In our Special Education concentration, you’ll gain the knowledge and skills to support students with disabilities in inclusive and specialized settings.
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Expand your understanding of literacy curriculum development, gain many extra hours of teaching in an elementary school, and learn how to tailor literacy instruction to diverse learners by completing a reading concentration that also leads to a license.
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Help lead to the development of solutions that help and extend our capabilities as people with our concentration in Technology. You'll acquire specialized professional knowledge beyond the minimum technical benchmarks expected of all future teachers.
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Understand the relationships among wellness, nutrition, and the family environment with our Wellness concentration. You'll be prepared to identify children at risk and apply problem-solving skills by using appropriate community resources.
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Frequently Asked Questions
An elementary education degree helps you develop the knowledge, teaching strategies, and leadership skills needed to support the academic and personal growth of young learners.
You'll build skills in:
- Lesson planning and curriculum development
- Classroom management and student engagement
- Reading, writing, mathematics, science, and social studies instruction
- Child development and learning theory
- Differentiated instruction for diverse learners
- Educational technology and digital learning tools
- Assessment and student progress monitoring
- Communication with students, families, and colleagues
- Critical thinking and instructional problem-solving
- Collaboration and teamwork
- Cultural responsiveness and inclusive teaching practices
- Leadership, professionalism, and ethical decision-making
To become a licensed elementary teacher, you'll typically earn a bachelor's degree in elementary education, complete supervised classroom experiences and student teaching, and meet your state's teacher licensure requirements.
For more information visit
Ball State's Office of Teacher Education Services.
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Take the Next Step
If you’d like to learn more about our Elementary Education Major, please contact us. Experiencing Ball State firsthand is the best way to get a true feel for our campus; schedule a visit today! If you’re ready to apply, review our admission requirements and complete our online application.