Undergraduate Degree & Minor in Secondary Education

Begin your teaching career with a bachelor of secondary education at BSU

Are you ready to make a difference in the lives of middle and high school students? With a bachelor of secondary education from Bridgewater State University, you’ll be prepared for your initial state licensure to teach middle or high school (grades 6–12) in Massachusetts and shape the lives of tweens and teens.

Housed in BSU’s Department of Secondary Education and Educational Leadership, our BA secondary education program allows you to double major in secondary education and the content area you’d like to teach, from English or math to theater or dance.

For more than 180 years, BSU has helped aspiring teachers like you develop their skills, earn a teaching degree and grow into educators. We also graduate more teachers than any other college in Massachusetts.

Bachelor of Secondary Education Program Highlights

Daniel Estime, BSU Secondary Education graduate in the classroom he teaches in

Learn while doing

As you work toward your bachelor’s degree in secondary education at BSU, you will prepare for your initial teaching licensure, observe classrooms, student teach and more.

BSU Secondary Education and Biology graduate in her biology classroom

Pick your passion

What is a secondary education degree going to do to help you reach your goals? While earning your degree in secondary education, you’ll double major in the content area of your choice: biology, dance, science, English, mathematics, theater — whichever subject you enjoy and want to teach. You may also minor in social studies, should you want to teach history or social studies. This minor delves into how humans construct societies with courses in political science, geography and economics.

Education professor with students wearing Teacher Bootcamp t-shirts using ipads and small robots

Use cutting-edge technology

Want to experience unique tools that have helped us become an Apple Distinguished School and garnered our school and faculty local and national recognition? Check out avatars that offer a simulated classroom experience, drones and more. While studying for your bachelor of secondary education at BSU, you can use these impressive technologies and more to help you learn — and teach.

Find a community of teachers

What is a secondary education degree going to do for your professional network? While working toward your bachelor of secondary education at BSU, you can connect and collaborate with your peers. Join book groups that focus on important issues like racial justice in schools, participate in the Greenlight for Girls annual program that works to engage girls in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields, or volunteer your time for one-on-one virtual tutoring for high school students.

Support when you need it

As educators themselves, your instructors understand the challenges you face. They can offer guidance to help you juggle responsibilities, and your advisor can help you navigate the BA in secondary education program. Should you need help with future plans as you earn your teaching degree, our Career Services and the College of Education and Health Sciences can help you network with school districts and other potential employers, too.

Program of Study for Education Majors and Minors

What is a secondary education degree program going to entail? While working toward your teaching degree at BSU, you’ll study myriad topics, from adolescent development to educational theory. Then, you’ll learn how to pair those skills with your content knowledge to develop innovative teaching strategies.

Your BA secondary education courses may include:

Learning, Motivation and Teaching
Strategies for Teaching Middle/High School – Mathematics
Cultural Issues in Teaching English as a Second/Foreign Language
Student Teaching

Your Core Curriculum courses mix the requirements you need for your BA secondary education degree with other relevant subjects to help you develop the critical thinking and problem-solving skills employers want.

Click any link below to reveal each program's course detail.

Program details from 2024-2025 Undergraduate/Graduate Catalog

BSU is doing a great job getting these kids ready to teach. I always interview BSU candidates; I know they are ready to teach.”

School administrator

Careers in Secondary Education

The teacher shortage continues to be a problem across the United States, including in Massachusetts. The need for highly trained teachers is expected to continue to increase. If you want to become a teacher, now is a great time to get your teaching degree and initial licensure.

What is a secondary education degree going to do for your future? Your BA in secondary education from BSU will provide you with knowledge, teaching skills and classroom experience you need for your first teaching job in Massachusetts.

Most BSU graduates with a bachelor’s degree in secondary education go on to teach in public middle and high schools, but you may also teach in private or parochial schools, community-based fine arts programs or other institutions with jobs that require teaching skills.

Our secondary education program and teaching degree are highly regarded by Southeastern Massachusetts school districts. Many of the school superintendents and principals earned their administrative licenses through our Educational Leadership graduate programs, too, and turn to BSU first for well-prepared new teachers.

$84,130

Annual mean salary for secondary school teachers in Massachusetts (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)

3 students in a Secondary Education class, one woman in the foreground smiling at her desk with papers in front of her and pen in hand

Continue your education beyond your Bachelor of Secondary Education

In addition to your undergraduate teaching degree, to advance your Massachusetts teaching license to the professional level, you must also complete a master’s degree program.

BSU’s bachelor’s degree in secondary education will position you for admission to one of BSU’s many graduate programs in education, including:

Educational Leadership, MEd
Special Education, MEd
Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, MAT

View BSU Graduate Programs

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