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 James Madison, Christopher Newport University, Old Dominion University, and Virginia Tech.
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 James Madison, Regent University, Bluefield, and Norfolk State.
- Female: For schools particularly welcoming to female students, consider Sweet Briar College and Hollins.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider Virginia State, Hampton, Norfolk State, and Ferrum.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Regent University, Bluefield, Shenandoah University, and George Mason.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of University of Richmond, Hampton, Regent University, and Sweet Briar College.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Ferrum, Sweet Briar College, Emory and Henry, and Bridgewater.
Excellence
- SAT: For students with high SAT scores, look at William and Mary, University of Richmond, Virginia Tech, and Christopher Newport University.
- % Accepted: For selective institutions, look at William and Mary, University of Richmond, and Bluefield.
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at Sweet Briar College, University of Richmond, Emory and Henry, and William and Mary.
Spotlight Schools Search
Study from Anywhere at Online Schools Related to This Career
- Programs: 2 relevant programs; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Master
- Programs: 7 relevant programs; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Bachelor, Master
Jones International University
- Programs: 2 relevant programs; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Master
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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James Madison University • Harrisonburg, VA
Studying Psychology (completion in 2001)
• 4/29/2011
"They provided a safe and welcoming campus for my college education. I felt supported by the faculty and staff."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | |
| Program Reputation | 8 | Due to the unique learning experiences available, people are aware of the psychology program at JMU. In high school, JMU's psychology program had a positive reputation. |
| Program Quality | 10 | JMU offers small class sizes. There are also a lot of research opportunities. |
| How Difficult | 8 | The coursework is rigorous, but they offer support. The professors are diverse and the class selection is vast. This offers many unique learning opportunities. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Internships are available for hands on experience. They also offer traditional lecture options. JMU provides a rich and diverse experience. The faculty and staff strike the perfect balance of pushing you to succeed and offering support when needed. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | They offer classes throughout the day so that students have an option to work. However, the registration process is a bit cumbersome. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | The library does not always good hours. But many resources are online which helps with research. |
| Social Life | 5 | There is a lot of pride at JMU. The Greek community is small but very active. Sports are increasingly getting more student and community support. |
| Placement Services | 9 | In addition to the standard career service options that most schools have, the psychology department has a Peer Advising organization that assists students with career and graduate school options. The students are upper level psych majors so they are aware of new programs and options. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | I receive e-mails from the alumni association. However, there is not an active group near my current location. |
University Of Virginia • Charlottesville, VA
Studying Business Administration (completion in 2002)
• 11/1/2011
"Darden was a great place to get an MBA. The environment, challenge, faculty and business connections combined to a world-class education."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | You don't need an MBA to become a teacher. There are probably many skills I use from that education, but it is certainly not a traditional career path, and I wouldn't recommend it as a standard option. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | Darden was once again named a top business school and maintains a solid reputation. This reputation is especially strong in the southeast. |
| Program Quality | 9 | This is a bit confusing to answer. I was very happy with the business degree I got from UVA, as it prepared me for my business career. I also received a teaching certificate from the University of Denver, which prepared me well for teaching. I've taken a nontraditional career path, but have been satisfied with all of my education. |
| Instruction | 9 | I had excellent instructors in a world-class program (top 10 business school) for my MBA. I felt I couldn't have learned more at another program. |
| How Difficult | 10 | UVA's business school is considered "Boot Camp" among business schools. The coursework was incredibly time-consuming and challenging -- just the way I liked it! |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The course of study was nearly completely "case study," so we didn't rely on textbooks, but we did rely on analyzing written work. There were accompanying projects, but the case analysis and class discussions of these cases took center stage. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 1 | The MBA program is fixed in the first year so that you have no option as to which classes to take and when. The second year is more flexible, but still must be completed during normal school hours. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | The school was strong when I attended, with many resources, but has continued to develop those facilities. The new building and resources are more extensive and fully developed to support student learning. |
| Social Life | 5 | I made several good friends in school, especially from my "required" study group. I've kept in touch with these friends for the past twenty years. |
| Placement Services | 7 | There are many connections between the school and top businesses. Also, many corporations recruit at the school. However, it took very much work on my part to secure a position upon graduating. |
| Alumni Network | I'm not active in the alumni network, partly due to my career change, and partly due to my previous geographic distance from my university, when I lived in Chicago and Denver. But I suppose the network was available if I'd ever needed it. |
Virginia Commonwealth University • Richmond, VA
Studying Theater (completion in 2007)
• 11/29/2011
"I felt that my university provided me with an excellent practical and theoretical education. I was impressed with the dedication of the professors and their willingness to support students."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | The program is ranked very highly as a theater school, and it offers a wide range of opportunities to take classes within other schools in the art department. The university also is located in Richmond, VA, which is a very interesting city, with lots of social activities and historic sites. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | VCU is ranked very highly in the theater departments. University alumni have a reputation for being competent, talented and professional. |
| Program Quality | 9 | My university provided an excellent foundation for an education in professional theater, as well as theatrical education. I thought the program also had an excellent history of theater section. |
| Instruction | 9 | In addition to being provided a solid theoretical background, I was offered a number of opportunities within the school for practical professional development. The university also gave students the opportunity to work in professional programs outside of the school, in order to build experience. |
| How Difficult | 9 | In addition to the usual academic work, I was required to complete multiple projects per class, per semester, that required around 30-40 hours of work to complete each project. I was also expected to spend about 10 hours per week providing assistance on university productions. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The university provided a lot of academic learning (book learning) in lecture classes that focused on history and literature. However, they provided a lot of hands-on opportunities. Many classes in the department were technical. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | The university had summer, evening and online options. However, depending on the major, certain classes were only available at certain times. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | VCU has an excellent theater facility, with plenty of classroom space across two buildings. The equipment is up to date. Professors are extremely helpful and friendly. |
| Social Life | 5 | I did not really spend a lot of time in the social setting. I worked full time and attended school full time, but many of my friends enjoyed the social activities. |
| Placement Services | 6 | The job placement and career services for my department was very limited. Students were required to take the initiative. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | I haven't used my school's alumni network. What I have seen from it is fairly limited, and I almost never receive mail or information about the network. |
University Of Virginia • Charlottesville, VA
Studying Secondary English Education (completion in 2012)
• 12/12/2011
"I can't imagine going to any other school! There was a great balance of academic and social opportunities, and I felt very prepared to become a teacher when I had finished."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | UVA has many different programs for teachers of all different subject areas. Students can really get to know new research in education and ways to apply that to the classroom. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | I think that Curry has a good reputation nationally. Also, in the state of Virginia, UVA's graduates are well known for being disciplined and hard workers. |
| Program Quality | 8 | UVA has a good program that involves a lot of liberal arts methods for teaching. However, some of the classes are frustrating, and the program can seem disorganized at times. |
| Instruction | 9 | We learned a lot of methods for teaching reading, writing, and language. I feel really prepared to teach students of all levels. |
| How Difficult | 6 | It definitely was not the toughest major at UVA. However, since it was a Master's program, there was a lot of work to do outside of class. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Most activities were hands-on in my program. While we did some bookwork to learn theoretical stuff about education, most of the instructional methods that we learned were very applicable to teaching. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 2 | Most classes in the program were only offered once, so you had to take that option. Also, most classes were only offered at night, so there was little flexibility for those students who did not want to take night classes. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | There were lots of places to study and use technology at UVA. Also, there were lots of people who were available to help you outside of class if you needed it. |
| Social Life | 10 | There are so many clubs and organizations for people of all interests. There are also many athletic events and other social events for those people who are interested in that scene. |
| Placement Services | 9 | Curry constantly sent emails to the students about finding a job. There were also lots of people who would speak to you about job placement and trying to find the right fit for you. |
| Alumni Network | 8 | UVA has a big alumni network, and there are alumni events every year. Also, there are lots of local clubs from the college. |
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