BA/BS in Education, General

Education and child study at Smith rests on the conviction that teaching, along with research on how learners think and grow, matters greatly to the health of a changing and diverse society. The department examines learning as something that touches nearly every area of human activity. Many students enter the field to prepare for a teaching career, and that route can continue into the college's own M.A.T. program. Yet the subject also serves as a foundation for other paths, since an understanding of development, schooling and learning is valuable in social services, policy, advocacy and research. Coursework brings together theory and observation of real educational settings, encouraging students to question assumptions about children, classrooms and communities. Graduates leave with a firm grounding in how learning works and the reflective habits that thoughtful educators need.