Ball State University Education Degree Programs
Ball State University is also featured in our rankingĀ Top 50 Most Affordable Bachelor’s in Elementary or Early Childhood Education.
There are many opportunities at Ball State University for students interested in education. There are traditional education degrees for students who will become tomorrow’s classroom teachers in elementary and secondary schools. Students interested in becoming Special Education teachers can do that too.
There are also many degree foci for education in other fields, such as Music Education, Physics Education, Physical Education, and even Theater Education. These undergraduate degrees are structured along traditional lines. For example, the Bachelor of Arts in Theater Education comprises 117 credits, 86 of which are theater course credits. A further 27 credits in core curriculum are required, and there are four credits for general electives. The degree includes courses like Acting I, Design Awareness, and Directing for Young Audiences.
The Bachelor of Arts in Music Education offers four tracks for interested students: Instrument and General, Vocal and General, Dual Instrumental and General with Vocal add-on, and Dual Vocal and General with Instrumental add-on. Students in the instrumental focus still study Sight Singing and Ear Training, and they also take classes as varied as Conducting 1, Music Theory, and Music History in addition to their education courses. In all, the degree requires 129 credit hours to complete.
At the graduate level, there are also many education choices, and one of the most notable is the Master of Science in Nursing with a Focus as a Nurse Educator. A budding Nurse Educator learns how to design a curriculum for undergraduate study, prepare a rubric and syllabus for such classes, and various teaching techniques. Students in the program also must complete a 180-hour practicum. The full degree involves 36 credit hours: six credits for core research classes, 11 credits for nursing classes, and 19 credits in educational classes. This can be either an online degree or in-the-classroom degree at the student’s choice.
In fact, most of the degree programs at Ball State University are available online. Students should check the website for details of their chosen fields of study.
About Ball State University
As with many institutions that sprang up in the latter half of the 19th century, Muncie National Institute was a teacher-training academy. In 1918, two brothers by the name of Ball bought the school and donated it to the State of Indiana. The state named it the Indiana State Normal School, and it continued its tradition of teaching future teachers. In 1929, it became Ball State Teachers College, and it changed into Ball State University in 1965. David Letterman began his college career at Ball State University as an 18-year-old freshman in 1965 and graduated in 1969. In 2007, the university erected and dedicated the David Letterman Communication and Media Building.
U.S. News and World Report ranks Ball State University No. 171 on its list of National Universities. It is also the No. 91 Public School in the country. The online programs at Ball State University are particularly strong, and all of them rank in the top 20 nationally. The online graduate program in nursing is No. 13, and the education programs for veterans rank no. 12.
The school accepts about two-thirds of students who apply, and the student-to-faculty ratio is 17-to-1. About 41 percent of the classes at Ball State University have fewer than 20 students in them. In total, about 18,000 students attend Ball State University.
Ball State University Accreditation Details
Ball State University has its regional accreditation from The Higher Learning Commission. Several departments at the university also have academic accreditation from the following organizations:
- Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
- Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology Inc.
- Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing Inc.
- Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications
- American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences
- American Council for Construction Education
- American Psychological Association
- American Society of Landscape Architects
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
- Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business
- Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
- Commission on English Language Program Accreditation
- Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs
- Council for Interior Design Accreditation
- Council on Social Work Education
- Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology
- National Association of Schools of Art and Design
- National Association of Schools of Dance
- National Association of Schools of Music
- National Association of Schools of Theatre
- National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education
- Planning Accreditation Board
Ball State University Application Requirements
Ball State University recommends an honors high-school diploma from a high school in Indiana or its out-of-state equivalent. The university requires the following high school classes:
- Four years of English
- Three years of mathematics
- Three years of science, two of which must include lab work
- Three years of social studies
The university does not require students to take a foreign language in high school, but it is recommended. The SAT and ACT are optional.
Graduate students must have a bachelor’s degree from any regionally accredited institution in the United States or a foreign equivalent. Each department has its own requirements, and students should contact the applicable department to find out what they are before applying.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Indiana residents pay $8,014 per semester. Out-of-state students pay $24,794 per semester. Room and board with 14 meals per week cost $10,112. Different residence halls and meal plans affect the room and board costs, and students should check the website to see what they must pay. Graduate tuition is $417 per credit hour for Indiana Residents and $1,145 per credit hour for out-of-state students.
Need-based financial aid is determined after the student fills out and submits the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. Based on the information included therein, the student might be awarded a grant, scholarship, or loan opportunity or even a combination of all three. Most students receive all three, depending on their financial situations. Students may also choose to apply for private aid, which is usually merit-based.
Ball State University has always been a bastion of excellence in the teaching of teachers, and it will likely continue in that vein for the rest of its existence.