School of Education & Human Performance

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The mission of the Education Department at Winston-Salem State University is to prepare students through best practices to become critical thinkers, effective practitioners and leaders who meet the diverse educational needs of P-12 students in an evolving 21st century global society. The department accomplishes it mission through six main goals: (1) to prepare teacher candidates who are highly qualified, critical and creative thinkers, and reflective practitioners who can lead and meet the needs of diverse student populations; (2) to provide opportunities, in collaboration with P-12 partners, for teacher candidates to practice skills required of 21st century teachers who are able to teach effectively and make a positive impact on student learning; (3) to recruit, support and retain diverse faculty who engage in innovative teaching, research activities, professional development, service, and collaborative projects that support student success; (4) to deliver high quality teacher education programs that are aligned with state and national professional standards and that embed research-supported best practices throughout each curricular area; (5) to develop innovative programs and methods of delivery and assessment consistent with the diverse needs of an evolving 21st century global society; and (6) to provide an enabling environment and technology resources for effective and efficient teaching, learning, research, service, and creativity within all programs.

General Information

The Department of Education offers programs of study leading to the Bachelor of Science degree in birth-kindergarten, elementary, middle grades and special education/general curriculum. It also offers Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts degrees in secondary math education and secondary English education, respectively. In addition to these baccalaureate degrees in education, the department provides professional courses and services to all teacher education programs. These include admission to teacher education, field experiences, pre-clinical, and student teaching under the guidance of experienced cooperating teachers and university supervisors. Students, who complete requirements for baccalaureate degrees in education with satisfactory performance on PRAXIS examinations, also satisfy the requirements for teacher licensure as outlined by the North Carolina State Department of Public Instruction.

The teacher education program at Winston-Salem State University has long enjoyed a reputation for preparing competent and dedicated teachers. Education majors are prepared to be effective thinkers through the provision of learning experiences which require them to engage in critical, creative and logical thinking, problem solving, and decision-making. Such opportunities for higher order thinking are made available not only in education courses but in courses campus-wide.

The success of the teacher education program at WSSU has been the result of diligence, resourcefulness, and innovation. Informed by best practices and recent research on teaching and learning, the department established the goal of producing practitioners who are effective thinkers. Winston-Salem State University's teacher education graduates are knowledgeable, effective practitioners skilled in the use of best instructional and assessment strategies, responsible and reflective, committed to diversity, fluent in the use of technology, and collaborative for the purpose of impacting student learning and achievement. Additionally, they are confident, poised, critical and creative thinkers who are committed to their own continuous professional growth. It is these characteristics that support the evolution from candidates to teachers who facilitate learning for all children.

Transfer Students from Community Colleges

Students from North Carolina accredited community colleges who complete an associate degree of arts or an associate degree of science may transfer to Winston-Salem State University’s Teacher Education Program as juniors. This means that the general education core is automatically completed and students may proceed with other specialty area and professional education courses.

For further information about these programs and/or services in the Education Department, please contact either the specific program coordinator and/or the department chairperson (see contact information below).