Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education
Gardner Webb University is also featured in our ranking Top 50 Most Affordable Online Elementary or Early Childhood Education Degrees.
Gardner Webb University gives students who want to work as teachers a convenient way to complete their degrees. It offers a number of bachelor’s programs online, including a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education. The university designed this program for students who want to work with kids up through sixth grade. Graduates will meet the requirements for getting a North Carolina teaching license, but they can also meet some of the requirements that other states have. Gardner Webb University graduates work as elementary school teachers in states across the country.
This online program allows students to take classes in the summer and during the standard semesters. They can take up to six credits each summer to finish their degrees in less than four years. Students take 34 credits of required education courses, including Introduction to Effective Teaching and Learning, Math Methods in the 21st Century, Applying Principles of Effective Teaching and Learning and Literacy and the Language Arts for K-9. The university expects students to take classes on science and other subjects because they will teach those subjects to their own students later.
In addition to courses, students will also do some teaching experiences. Online students can work with the university and find places where they can work and earn course credits offline. They can work in neighborhood schools that are close to their own homes, whether they live in North Carolina or another state. The student teaching experience is worth a total of 12 credits. Students will spend some time observing licensed teachers at work before taking over those classes and working with actual students. Gardner Webb University recommends that students work with the same age range of students they want to educate later and that they teach the same subjects.
About Gardner Webb University
Gardner Webb University is a university in North Carolina that is affiliated with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. Established in 1905, it opened as a high school that prepared students for college while ensuring that they learned under the guidance of Christian professors. The Boiling Springs Baptist Church donated a tract of land, some money, and a few buildings to construct the campus. As more high schools opened in the region, the school became the Boiling Springs Junior College in the late 1920s. As a junior college, it offered two-year degree programs that students could complete before moving to another school or working in the state. It wasn’t until later years that the college gained university status.
Now called GWU and GW as well as Gardner Webb, the university offers both undergrad and graduate degree programs. It also established an adult completion program that allows adult students to finish degrees that they started in the past or earn a brand new degree. Students who have at least 60 semester hours of credits can transfer into this program and earn their degrees as they take weekend classes.
U.S. News and World Report ranked GWU as the 34th best university in the south. The university also appeared on other lists such as the best colleges to work for in the nation and as one of the best schools with an online program. Its education programs, including its traditional and online options, rank highly as well. GWU has an enrollment of around 5,000 students today.
Gardner Webb University Accreditation Details
The National Council for Accreditation of Teach Education (NCATE) only offers accreditation to education programs that actually prepare students for working as teachers. GW has accreditation from this council, which applies to its online elementary education program and all its other education degree programs. The university also has accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), which gives it the right to grant bachelor’s degrees to students. This type of accreditation also lets students learn more about financial aid through the FAFSA and transfer credits between two or more campuses.
Gardner Webb University Application Requirements
GWU recommends that students take classes in high school that will prepare them for their later college studies. This type of curriculum should include two units of natural and social sciences, two units of math, two units of a foreign language and four units of English. Students should also take advanced math classes such as geometry. The university looks for students who scored at least 22 on the ACT or 1015 or higher on the SAT. Incoming freshmen typically have a grade point average of 3.72 also.
There are only three requirements for undergrads who want to apply. Anyone who lives in the United States can apply for free. Students from other countries will pay a $100 application fee. Students can use the GWU online application to apply. They will then contact the testing board and have it send their official scores to the university. GWU also asks for official high school transcripts that show all the work a student completed between ninth and 12th grade.
Tuition and Financial Aid
GW takes steps to keep its tuition rate as low as possible every year. It remains committed to providing its students with a solid education at an affordable rate. Part-time students can take up to nine credits of classes and pay just $496 for each credit that they take. Any student who takes more than 18 credits in the same semester will pay an overload charge equal to this same amount. Full-time students can take as few as 10 credits up to a maximum of 18 credits and pay $15,610 per semester. Students will pay at least $4,000 for room and board too. They also face university fees of around $250 a semester. GW students can also get health insurance through the university.
Filling out the FAFSA is the only way that students can learn about the financial aid options suitable for them and get an aid package from the university. As elementary education students are undergrads, they qualify for different types of aid and multiple programs. Most students will use subsidized loans that let them borrow money while in school and pay it back later. They can also get grants and work for GW. Online students can get grants and loans too. Gardner Webb University recommends that students learn more about its elementary education program before they apply for admissions and submit the FAFSA.
