Here are some tips for selecting schools, based on an analysis comparing each school to all others across dozens of factors:
Schools Concentrating On Secondary School Teachers
- Focus: For schools with a focus on this career area, look at Western Governors University, Utah Valley State, Brigham Young, and Weber State.
Fastest Response From Schools
- Request Info: For the fastest information for prospective students, look at the Spotlight schools on this page.
Student Body
- Part-Time: For schools emphasizing part-time studies, consider University of Utah, Utah State, Southern Utah University, and Westminster College.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider Westminster College.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Western Governors University, Brigham Young, Westminster College, and Southern Utah University.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Westminster College, Utah State, University of Utah, and Brigham Young.
Excellence
- SAT: For students with high SAT scores, look at Brigham Young, Westminster College, and University of Utah.
- % Accepted: For selective institutions, look at Western Governors University.
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at Utah State, Westminster College, University of Utah, and Snow College.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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Brigham Young University • Provo, UT
Studying Social Science Education (completion in 2010)
• 10/30/2011
"I am affiliated religiously with BYU and the LDS Church, but the main reason I came there was for high academics. I received a fantastic education and my reasons and hopes for attending the school were fulfilled."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | The tuition is very reasonable, and so for someone hoping to go into teaching, it would be an excellent option. I feel confident that my experience was not unique and could benefit others as well. It also has a great relationship with the community schools and schools across the country. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | Teaching in a state outside the immediate area of my school, I have had nothing but positive reactions to my program and school. People recognize the name and associate a good teaching program with it. |
| Program Quality | 9 | My professors were very knowledgeable and experienced. The classes were usually relevant and interesting and based on how well I was prepared for the classroom, I am very satisfied. |
| Instruction | 7 | I felt prepared, but it wasn't necessarily because of the university's program. I had to jump through unnecessary and frustrating hoops. |
| How Difficult | 5 | I was challenged in my content area classes. When compared to other college courses, my teaching classes were not as challenging. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | We took trips to observe and teach lessons at classrooms all around the city. Even though I was majoring in secondary ed, I was able to teach and work with kids from K-12. There were also research programs I was involved with through the department that provided hands on learning which helps me with my classes today. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | The school provided excellent flexibility with evening options, online classes and summer offerings. However, there were many times where there was only one section available or that all the sections for that semester were entirely full. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | I was never lacking in resources. If I needed tutors, study groups or a meeting with a professor it was fairly easy to arrange. Academic advisers were friendly and I could often see them without an appointment. |
| Social Life | 8 | The games, parties and school spirit definitely weren't lacking. Students were really friendly and the events were fantastic and varied. Going to sporting events could be irritating because there was often pretty bad sportsmanship. |
| Placement Services | 9 | The school and program offers frequent career workshops as well as information fairs. I found out a lot from attending school sponsored events meant to boost resumes and career placement. |
| Alumni Network | 9 | I haven't used the resources available to me. They have made them accessible in many ways and it would be easy to reach out if needed. |
Brigham Young University • Provo, UT
Studying English Education (completion in 2012)
• 10/28/2011
"I loved BYU and felt that it was really looking to help prepare us for lives that would contribute to society. Obviously there were small things I would change, but I felt well-prepared for my career when I left, and also well-rounded as a person."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | BYU has a good teaching program with a long legacy. It also has a good reputation and even though it is a challenging school, it is worth it. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | Out in the world, BYU has a really good reputation. However, in Utah, there are lots of teaching programs at all of the universities, so there is some competition within the state between schools. |
| Program Quality | 7 | I think that BYU has a good reputation in the world, so that meant a lot to me. However, some of my classes were a little monotonous, so that is something I would change. |
| Instruction | 9 | The professors in my program all have experience in real secondary schools, which was helpful. I also got a lot of practice in the schools and got to practice lesson and unit planning. |
| How Difficult | 8 | BYU is a difficult school in general, and the general classes I had to take before even entering the major were very heavy. My program also required basically an entire English major class load on top of the teaching elements. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | I felt like once I got into my program, there were tons of opportunities to do things that would help us when we were teachers out in the schools. We also spent a lot of time in the schools working with students. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | The school has many options for general classes, but not as many for my specific program's classes. This is obviously due to size but is no less frustrating. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | BYU has a really amazing library and media resources. The professors make themselves very available to students. However, I did not think that the advisors were very good, but that might have been my bad luck. |
| Social Life | 10 | BYU has the best sports and activities! I felt very connected and there is a very strong school spirit there. I loved that part of my experience. |
| Placement Services | 9 | If you take the option to do an internship, you are nearly guaranteed a job. The program helps match you with an internship, which I really appreciated. If you do not do an internship it is a little more difficult. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | I think it is pretty good, but I haven't seen a lot of outreach so far. Part of that might be because I am not super interested in it. |
Weber State College • Ogden, UT
Studying Spanish Teaching (completion in 1990)
• 3/10/2012
"I think the only parts I found less than satisfactory were the fluency interview in the Spanish department and the lack of placement support in the Education department. The fluency interview was a new feature that changed how Spanish was taught after it was implemented. Sadly, I got caught between the old teaching style and the implementation of the new style with the fluency exam, so I was not taught with the method that would have prepared me for the exam that I had to take. The Education department really needed to follow through with how to interview with different districts and what to do to ensure a position is found."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I would recommend Weber State, because it has a smaller class size and a positive social atmosphere. The professors and staff members are very personable and help the college experience to be a positive one. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | I think that Weber State is above average in training future teachers. There are some colleges that have more to offer education students, but far more who offer less. I have had student teachers from Weber State who are well prepared for this field. |
| Program Quality | 8 | The professors were very personable and I felt like they really were interested and concerned with my education. I liked the variety of ages at my school - I had classes with students ranging from my age to age 80. |
| Instruction | 7 | I found that many of the classes were more theory than practice, i.e., they were not applicable in the actual classroom. The Spanish classes did not sufficiently prepare me for the exit fluency evaluation, and I had to do much more studying and practicing outside of my coursework in order to pass the evaluation. |
| How Difficult | 8 | Overall, I would rate it an 8, but at times, it was much more challenging for me. I learned Spanish exclusively in the classroom, but my classes were mostly filled with students who had lived in Spanish-speaking countries. I felt very intimidated in comparison with them whenever speaking was required in class, though I was far better in reading and writing. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Depending upon the department, my classes were very much at extremes for using books only or being hands on only. I really enjoyed the hands-on features of many of my classes, but I needed the structure of a text to organize my thoughts and my notes! The best classes were ones that employed both teaching strategies. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | There were few times I could not get the classes I needed. I was able to take evening classes to work around my jobs during college as well, which was helpful. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | I believe that this has improved significantly in the years since I have graduated. While I was a student, I found few organized study group opportunities and tutors could be expensive. Math students seemed to have the most organized and inexpensive options. |
| Social Life | 10 | I participated in many of the organized social events. I was a member of a sorority, so I had a group of girls to hang out with at games and dances. I loved being a part of the college social scene. |
| Placement Services | 4 | This is where I felt like I was abandoned. I graduated in June with no prospect of a job. I did receive help in interviewing for different districts, so I ended up investigating on my own how to navigate the path to placement. I was hired on the Tuesday of the week before the first week of school. |
| Alumni Network | I get mailings from alumni fundraisers and requests for joining the alumni band, but I don't respond to them, because I don't feel that I need to be involved in either way. I liked the education I received, but since I commuted to college, my social support group was not based on the college scene. |
Western Governors University • Salt Lake City, UT
Studying Administration (completion in 2012)
• 4/8/2012
"Great place for a Masters or Bachelors. Mentor program is excellent."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Excellent program, many resources for assistance and helpful once finished with placement. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | I don't think they are very well known. |
| Program Quality | 10 | It's an excellent program, very easy to understand and follow. I didn't feel that it was time consuming. |
| Instruction | 10 | Tasks were completed on your own. Courses were relevant to the program. |
| How Difficult | 8 | It was challenging, but rewarding. The tasks were in real world settings. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Many of the tasks outlined were real application. Some of the tasks studied theory. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | They offer an online option and time frame to complete requirements. Timeframe is 6 months. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | Everything was available online. If not, it was sent to you at no charge. |
| Social Life | It was an online program so I wasn't involved with the social aspects of school. | |
| Placement Services | 10 | They helped with job placement and site training and also assisted with certification. |
| Alumni Network | 10 | They did a great job with job placement and the certification process. |
Utah State University • Logan, UT
Studying English (completion in 2012)
• 4/5/2012
"I recommend to everyone I meet that they go to Utah State. I loved my time there, and I learned a lot, too."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | For people going into education, Utah State is probably one of your best bets here in the West. I tell people who are even remotely considering education to definitely give USU a try. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | I went to Utah State based on the excellent reputation of its teacher education program. I was not disappointed, and the program's honors keep on climbing. |
| Program Quality | 8 | Utah State is one of the top schools in the West for teacher education programs. I felt that I received a more-than-adequate education about up-to-date educational and curricular methods, ideologies, and practices. |
| Instruction | 8 | Utah State provided me with lots of outside help when it came to preparing myself for finding a job and becoming a professional in my field. They recommended specific job networking fairs and job-finding tips that really helped me out. |
| How Difficult | 5 | I have always been a good student, so it's difficult to find a program or course of study that proves extremely difficult for me. Although I learned a lot from my classes, they were not terribly challenging. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | This answer obviously would depend on the specific class, but I was happy that many of my classes tried to get me to try on some hands-on learning, such as training lab rats for my psychology class or creating books for my creative writing class. Since my major was English, many of my classes in that subject focused more on book learning. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | Near the beginning of the program, the options for class times were excellent. But after the economic recession, many professors were cut and the times were not as varied as they once were. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | USU had recently built a brand-new library when I got there, and there are computer labs all over campus. I also loved taking advantage of the gym, swimming pool, and other recreational facilities offered to students for free. |
| Social Life | 9 | I worked a lot during school, so I didn't exactly participate in a ton of stuff, but USU constantly had guest speakers, celebrations, dances, and other ways of socializing. I especially loved the movie nights they would have. |
| Placement Services | 9 | We had a career specialist come in and talk to us prior to student teaching about exactly what we needed to do to find a position. We always had people willing to look over resumes, cover letters, do practice interviews, etc. The resources in this department were excellent. |
| Alumni Network | 7 | I think my favorite part of my university's alumni program is the access it allows me to Career Aggie, a job-networking site. I won't be in the area I'm in right now forever, so I know that that will be a valuable resource throughout my life. |
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