School of Education

Thomas More’s education faculty are all certified teachers and have experience in all levels of teaching. Several faculty have served as principals and superintendents as well. The faculty collaborate with many local schools through clinical partnerships and practices to provide diverse learning experiences for all students from multiple community members.

Education graduates typically teach in Kentucky, Ohio, or Indiana. A Thomas More graduate can teach almost anywhere in the U.S., although some states have additional requirements that need to be fulfilled.

The teacher education program includes advanced degree options: Master of Arts and Teaching, and Master of Education, and Teacher Leadership.

Teacher certification prepares students to teach in P-12 settings in schools as a certified classroom teacher.

Recipients of the BAES degree can explore education-related fields, such as instructional assistant level positions, public policy in education, design and development of curriculum assessment products, business leadership training, teaching in informal educational settings (e.g. museums, outdoor education), working with individuals with special needs (outside the typical classroom environment), or other related fields in education.

The teacher education program places teacher candidates in classrooms at local public and private elementary, middle, and secondary schools. Students observe teachers, have the opportunity work with students one-on-one, and assist the teacher with various educational tasks. These experiences are invaluable when clarifying which level or content area students wish to teach or when deciding whether teaching is truly the career they wish to pursue.

Education majors are required by the state of Kentucky to complete 200 hours of field experience prior to student teaching. The majority of these hours are fulfilled via education courses. There are some hours students will need to attain on their own in order to reach the 200-hour goal. These consist of experiences working with school-aged individuals in a non-paying position. Most can be earned through local schools, churches, or within the community.

The culminating event for experiential learning is student teaching. Depending on the major, student teachers are assigned to one or two schools and complete a total of 15 weeks in the classroom(s).

There is also the opportunity for students to complete their student teaching abroad through the Consortium for Overseas Student Teaching (COST) program. Thomas More

In the spring semester of the junior year students submit an application to student teach.

The following must be met in order to be considered for student teaching:

• Senior status: minimum of 90 semester hours completed
• Teacher education program: previous admission and continuation in good standing
• Professional education courses: completion of three-fourths of required courses, including field work through junior level
• Degree audit with certification officer/senior advisor
• Minimum GPA: 2.75
• Praxis II/Subject assessment test(s): passing score(s) on relevant test(s)
• Acceptable dispositions
• VIRTUS: Candidates must remain compliant throughout student teaching
• 200 hours of field experience completed, as required under 16 KAR 5:050 Section 3
• Record of field experience and KFETS entries must be accurate and up-to-date