The Curry School of Education has two major missions. The first is to prepare individuals to work in America's educational system, pre-kindergarten through collegiate levels, and to conduct research and scholarship that address problems and issues of importance to our education system. Through partnerships with other organizations and educational institutions, the Curry School is committed to developing exemplary and innovative approaches to address those issues and problems, and to improving instruction and schooling in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As such, the Teacher Education Program has provided national leadership in the preparation of beginning teachers, as well as advanced training for experienced teachers and personnel related to teaching. The five-year Teacher Education Program is an integrated program sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences and the Curry School of Education. It combines strong subject matter preparation with professional training that leads to teacher licensure and results in the simultaneous receipt of both bachelor's and master's degrees after a total of five years of study at the University.

Programs leading to teacher licensure include specializations in elementary education, health and physical education, and special education (including behavioral disorders, learning disabilities, and mental retardation). For secondary teachers, specializations are available in English, world languages, mathematics, sciences (biology, chemistry, earth science, physics), and social studies.

The second major mission of the Curry School is to enhance human potential and performance by preparing professionals and conducting research in such areas as psychological/emotional development, physical development and fitness, and speech/language/auditory development. These areas contribute to the betterment of the human condition and are directly related to increased learning and successful experiences in our educational system.

Two additional program areas are designed for students interested in pursuing human service careers related to communication disorders and physical education/ sports medicine. These programs require that students transfer into the Curry School, and are designed to terminate after four years (B.S.Ed. degree) so that students may pursue additional graduate study. The Communication Disorders Program provides pre-professional training in speech-language pathology. The Sports Medicine Program is a pre-physical therapy and pre-athletic training program. These programs provide the necessary academic and practical work for the four-year B.S.Ed. degree, and for application to graduate (master's degree) programs in their relative specialities.

Programs within the Curry School are among the best professional education offerings in the country. Faculty hold offices in professional organizations, are scholars of international renown, and are numbered among the University's finest teachers. Students score well above the national norms on the SAT examinations, and are members of such student honorary societies as Chi Sigma Iota, Omicron Delta Kappa, Phi Delta Kappa, Outstanding Students in America, and the Raven Society.

Extensive information about the Curry School of Education and its programs is
available online at the address listed below. Access to information about admissions and academic policies may also be requested by sending an electronic mail message to curry@virginia.edu.

Accreditation