The Department of Education at Catholic University has a rich tradition of preparing teachers and educators to serve in Catholic, private, and public schools. The curriculum, classroom field placements, and other program opportunities provide candidates with the knowledge and practical application to develop and thrive as classroom teachers and educational professionals.
Those interested in a career as a classroom teacher should explore our programs in Elementary Education (grade 1-6) or Secondary Education (grades 7-12). For those interested in professional fields related to education, please consider our Education Studies program which is designed for those who do not want to pursue classroom teaching, but are interested in working related fields.
Admission to the Secondary Education MA programs is now open for Fall 2025 cohorts in English, Social Studies, and Mathematics. This is an initial teacher licensure program intended for candidates who already hold a baccalaureate (BA or BS) degree in their content area.
The Institute for the Transformation of Catholic Education (ITCE) at The Catholic University of America advances the distinctive excellence of Catholic education as a gift for each person and for society. We foster a vision of education and formation that is rooted in Christ, draws from the great treasury of the Church’s tradition, and aims at the full flourishing of the human person in wisdom, virtue, and holiness. We inspire and promote the spiritual, intellectual, cultural, and operational renewal and transformation of our nation’s PK-12 Catholic schools through teacher and leader degree and professional development programs, school accreditation, and research. Learn More
The Catholic University of America Undergraduate Elementary and Undergraduate and Graduate Secondary Education (English, Social Studies, and Math) programs were reviewed by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation Programs (CAEP) in December 2021 and the EPP is accredited through Spring of 2029. Our programs are also recognized by the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) for Washington D.C.
The Educator Preparation Provider (EPP) of The Catholic University of America strives to attract, support, and retain a wide range of candidates, faculty, and staff through our commitment to Catholic social justice, our academically vibrant community, and our support of all individuals in achieving their full potential. We pursue excellence in teaching, research, service, outreach, and open opportunity for all as our foundational goals.
We aim to create a welcoming, hate free, anti-racist, and encompassing community for people from every background; value the contributions of all students, candidates, faculty, and staff; and respect the pronounced ways their experience, identity, status, culture, ethnicity, gender, language, background, abilities, expectations, views, and opinions impact all members of our community.
Our mission is to prepare professionals to overcome the challenges in educational settings by implementing research- and evidenced-based solutions informed by theory, research, and technology; foster a culture of reflective practice and inquiry within a diverse and global community of students, faculty, and staff; provide leadership in the improvement of all students' education locally, nationally, and globally; and be committed to open opportunity for all by practicing mutual respect for qualities and experiences that are different from their own and provide and adapt instruction to meet the needs of each student. By seeing each student as a unique and valuable individual, our candidates are expected to carry out the key elements of their own faith in a way that validates the worthiness of each student while acting as a role model of personal integrity. For the same reason, we also aspire to prepare future educators who understand the role of technology in the modern classroom, both as tools for students to master and as an educational tool to enrich all students' learning opportunities.