Education Degrees Offered at Wayland Baptist University
Check out our ranking of the Top 12 Online Master’s in Educational Assessment.
At Wayland Baptist University, education majors have the chance to focus on their Baptist faith at the same time that they train to work as teachers. The university’s education programs are available through the Don A. Williams School of Education. Students can choose from undergraduate degree programs and a graduate program that includes multiple specializations. The university also offers several certification programs for students who have a bachelor’s degree and want to teach in a certain subject area.
The university’s undergraduate programs include all level options for students who want to teach all age ranges. They can choose from specializations in art, choral music, instrumental music, Spanish, theater, or exercise and sport science, which is a program that includes a concentration in coaching. Wayland Baptist University offers an early childhood education major and an elementary education major with specializations in early childhood or special education. This prepares students for working with children in preschool and elementary school settings up through the sixth grade.
In the middle grades education program, students pick from specializations in general education, language arts, math, science or social studies. The university also offers secondary education programs with specializations in communications, English and language arts, history, math, social studies, life science and chemistry, and physical sciences. Students will do fieldwork that meets the requirements for licensed Texas teachers too.
At the graduate level, Wayland Baptist University offers a Master of Education program 14 specializations. Students can choose from specializations in diagnostics and administration and elementary or secondary education. Some of these specializations are part of the university’s professional studies concentration, including:
- Education Literacy
- English as a Second Language
- Science Education
- Special Education
- Social Studies
Also available are four graduate and post-graduate certificate programs. There is a secondary teaching certificate program for students with a bachelor’s degree who need to get their licenses and both principal and superintendent certification programs. Wayland Baptist University also offers a diagnostic certificate program for educators.
About Wayland Baptist University
Wayland Baptist University is a private university in Planview, Texas that is affiliated with the Baptist Church. The Staked Plains Baptist Association received a $10,000 donation from a local company that the association used to secure land in the area in 1906. Donations from others in the community led to the college opening its doors in 1908. The first classes available included options for primary school students up through those at the junior college level. It joined the American Association of Junior Colleges (AAJC) as its focus shifted to college classes. Once the college added bachelor’s degree programs, it gained full accreditation as well as approval from the state’s board of education. The college also became known for its admissions policies after it opened its doors to black students in the early 1950s.
Now known as WBU and Wayland Baptist University, the university ranks as the 72nd best school in the west on the list released by U.S. News and World Report. It also ranks as one of the nation’s more affordable online schools. The Don A. Williams School of Education has a strong reputation too because graduates of these programs meet the requirements for becoming licensed educators in Texas and other states. More than 1,400 students attend classes on the main campus, but enrollment at the university includes more than 5,000 students across all campuses.
Wayland Baptist University Accreditation Details
WBU has regional accreditation, which is why education majors can transfer to another university and why they can get financial aid. Federal and state aid is available for those who complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). That accreditation comes from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). The Texas Education Agency also accredited WBU for its teacher certification programs.
Wayland Baptist University Application Requirements
Future WBU undergrads must apply and pay a $35 application fee as well as provide:
- High school transcripts
- College transcripts if they have them
- Official ACT or SAT scores
The university also charges a $100 housing deposit that students need to put down towards the end of their senior years. This ensures that WBU has a spot for them in one of its residence halls. Students’ transcripts should show that they completed the Texas curriculum for university students, which includes two to four years of English, foreign language, social studies, science and math classes.
Graduate students who want to attend WBU must meet the admissions and entrance requirements of the university. They will pay the application fee and submit an application and provide official transcripts from all the colleges they previously attended. WBU will accept up to 12 credits from another school towards one of its degrees as long as the student provides a transcript that shows the credits earned. Students must maintain a grade point average of 3.0 or higher in the program. The university will not award students credit for any course where they earn a grade of below a C. Incoming students agree to meet all the degree requirements, including the comprehensive exam they take at the end of their studies.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Undergrads at WBU pay $712 per credit hour for their classes or $8,544 per semester for full-time enrollment. They pay another $649 in miscellaneous fees each semester too. Those who live on-campus pay an average of $3,700 a semester for room and board too minus the housing deposits they paid ahead of time. Graduate students can pay the same amount for room and board, but they’ll also pay $6,552 each semester for tuition and another $609 in fees. Part-time graduate students pay $728 per credit hour for their WBU classes.
The federal work-study program is one type of financial aid available to WBU students. The university has an online job board that shows students the jobs that are open in the coming semester and how they can apply. This job board also provides information for graduate students seeking assistant jobs. Many WBU students qualify for one or more scholarships, which include programs based on alumni donations and awards for students referred to the university by alumni. People who work for a Baptist Church and those who are Hispanic can qualify for other scholarships. The education department at Wayland Baptist University offers other awards for students that they can use with their grants and loans too.
