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Educational Studies

Explore the theories, philosophies, and technologies that have shaped American education and the challenges facing educators today.

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Major and Minor
Elementary (grades 1-6) Major
Secondary (grades 9-12) Major
Special Content Areas: Art, Music, and World Languages (grades K-12) Major

Get an education in education.

Beginning educators tend to teach the way you were taught yourself. Which is where a Knox education can be a real advantage. 

As an educational studies major, you’ll learn more than how to develop a curriculum, how to manage a classroom, how to assess your students’ progress and prepare them for standardized tests. 

You’ll gain a deeper understanding of whether students are actually learning—and how to pivot if they’re not. Our faculty includes a team of passionate and experienced educators who understand the challenges teachers face and are coming up with new ways to address them, from meeting the needs of students from different cultures to adapting to disruptive technologies like ChatGPT. 

You’ll also experience instructional innovation in action in your other coursework at Knox—from peer instruction to flipped classrooms.

Major or Minor in Educational Studies

Planning to become a teacher? During your introductory courses, we’ll help you discover which grade level and subject area best fits your interests.

Requirements Courses

Course Spotlight

About a third of all Knox students take courses in educational studies—and many decide to major in the field. Whether or not you plan to teach, what you’ll learn may actually affect how you learn in your other classes.

  • EDUC 201 School and Society
  • EDUC 205 Adolescent Development
  • EDUC 207 Technology in the Classroom
  • EDUC 211 Prison Education: A Practicum
  • EDUC 310 Perspectives on Curriculum and Instruction
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What Our Educational Studies Alumni Are Doing

Naturally, many of our alumni pursue careers as educators and school leaders. (Shoutout to Maurice McDavid ’10, principal of Mitchell Elementary School and host of the Black, Brown and Bilingüe podcast!) But others are working on education policy, pursuing advanced degrees, or managing experiential education and outreach programs.

  • Kyra Smith ’21 | Special Education Teacher, Galesburg CUSD 205 School District
  • Brandon Perez ’19 | Community Affairs Specialist, Illinois Student Assistance Commission
  • Autumn Crow ’23 | Deckhand/Educator/Program Coordinator at World Ocean School
  • Seeun Tina Jeon ’21 | Ph.D. Student in Learning Technologies, University of Minnesota
  • Adam Rothkopf ’22 | LGBTQIA+ Youth Life Coach at SunServe

College 4 Kids (and Aspiring Educators)

Each summer, Knox welcomes dozens of area students in grades 3 through 8 for two weeks of classes designed and taught by Knox students, faculty, and local educators.

Watch now
A boy wearing a yellow shirt squints as he examines a sunflower with a magnifying glass during Knox's College 4 Kids program.

Educational Studies News

Find out what our education students and professors are up to.

Read More Knox News

College 4 Kids Makes Triumphant Return to Knox College

The program relaunch was successful, with enthusiastic participation from 255 local children.

Read more

Knox College Awarded Rural Schools Collaborative Catalyst Grant

The grant offers recipients flexible planning funds to design and implement a teacher corps program.

Read more
  • Charlie stands with a purple football jersey in front of green, grassy field.
  • Knox College student gains experience with teaching internationally
  • Gabrielle Randol ’25

Meet Our Educational Studies Majors

Charlie Gibbons

Student-athlete Charlie Gibbons illustrates the impact of the human-powered experience on his athletic and academic endeavors.

Meet Charlie

Nicole D'Alterio '20 Gains Hands-on Experience Student Teaching Internationally

She arrived at Knox with plans to teach in other countries, and she worked with Knox faculty to find a student teaching opportunity in Germany.

Meet Nicole

Gabrielle Randol

Randol planned to study psychology, but the liberal arts environment at Knox gave her the freedom to explore her interests.

Meet Gabrielle

Learn more about learning more.

Find out what’s different about educational studies at Knox. Ask us about scholarships and financial aid, community service opportunities, student teaching, and what it’s like to study education at a liberal arts college.

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