Bachelor of Arts in Education

Program Overview

Earning a bachelor’s degree in education can open doors to exciting professional opportunities. In addition to the increased earnings that often come with a bachelor’s degree, you’ll develop your skills in the classroom with teaching strategies and classroom management courses.

Our Bachelor of Arts in Education degree is designed for adult students who desire to take classes online or one evening a week and is offered in multiple locations across Oklahoma. With classes taught by experts in the field and a network of over 600+ SNU grads who are educators across Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, and Arkansas, you'll gain the degree you need and the network to help you put your degree to work for you! Plus, at SNU, you can earn up to 39 hours of college credit for what you already know, which is entirely free, expediting your path to graduation. Whether you want to continue your education with a graduate degree or land the career of your dreams, our education programs are well-respected. This program is designed to prepare prospective teachers utilizing the Oklahoma alternative teacher certification pathway with the required bachelor’s degree.

In addition, teachers may qualify for up to $10,000 in public service student loan forgiveness.

week course format

start dates per year

Graduate in as few as

18 months

total credit hours

$450

per credit hour

Learn one night a week on campus or 100% online

How it Works

Earning a degree while working full time or raising a family has never been more possible. Here’s why adult students are thriving and reaching their goals at SNU:

Classes take place one night a week or entirely online.
Students focus on one class at a time to ensure true mastery and prevent overwhelm.
You can earn up to 30 hours of college credit for what you already know.
Earn up to 9 hours of college credit from field-specific credentials, certifications, or other professional development
Students study alongside other adults in similar stages of life.
Instructors with vast amounts of industry experience guide students through courses.
Textbooks are delivered directly to your door at the beginning of each class.
A dedicated student success advisor guides students through the duration of your studies.

Courses

SNU’s Bachelor of Arts in Education curriculum aligns with InTASC standards, which are model
teaching standards and learning progressions for teachers. The program features real-world experience projects embedded throughout the program and showcased in the Capstone project.

Classroom Management: Creating a Positive Learning Environment

Credit Hours: 3 This course prepares future teachers to create a positive and engaging learning environment that integrates positive and developmentally appropriate learning experiences and environment creation. It covers developmentally appropriate management techniques, establishing classroom routines and procedures, positive reinforcement strategies, techniques for fostering inclusive student engagement, and building positive teacher student relationships. The program Capstone Project is introduced in this course.

Personal and Professional Development

Credit Hours: 3
This course examines adult life experiences as a foundation for experiential learning. By reflecting on the concepts of adult development theories and an individual's personal life experiences, the course will explore how those factors influence and help individuals to interpret life situations and circumstances in terms of relationships, personal decision making and future applications.

Effective Instructional Strategies: Engaging All Learners

Credit Hours: 3
This course equips future teachers with effective instructional strategies for engaging all learners through such techniques as differentiated instruction, inquiry-based learning, cooperative learning, direct instruction, and universal design for learning. Course concepts address learners’ individual needs, backgrounds, interests, personal values, and faith growth in instructional design.

Assessment for Learning: Using Data to Drive Instruction

Credit Hours: 3

This course trains future teachers to use assessment data to drive instruction, including formative assessment, data-driven instruction, ethical considerations in assessment, self-assessment, rubrics, checklists, and response to intervention. It also incorporates field-specific concepts into applicable learning connections so learners may collaborate, create, and think critically.

Differentiated Instruction: Meeting the Needs of Every Student

Credit Hours: 3
This course builds on previous courses as it teaches future teachers strategies for meeting the diverse learning needs of every student, including creating instructional plans, holistic and values-based approaches, and collaborative learning environments. It also includes the implementation of tiered assignments, learning centers, flexible grouping, interest-based activities, and scaffolding instruction to meet rigorous learning goals.

Building Positive Relationships: Connecting with Students, Families, and Beyond

Credit Hours: 3
This course emphasizes the importance of future teachers building positive relationships and assuming ethical leadership roles with students, families, community leaders, statewide/national organizations, and other stakeholders through various innovative and collaborative efforts.

Motivating Students: Fostering a Love for Learning

Credit Hours: 3

This course helps future teachers develop and implement learning plans that motivate students’ love of learning. This is accomplished through active engagement techniques, instructional strategies, learning plans, and learning connections such as student choice, real-world connections, celebration of success, challenging but achievable goals, faith and values exploration, and growth mindsets.

Biblical Perspectives in Western Culture

Credit Hours: 3

This course reflects the mission statement and the goals of Southern Nazarene University. It is committed to fostering increased awareness of the Bible, the foundation of understanding Western culture and history. The three major Western faiths‐Judaism, Christianity, and Islam‐are rooted within the Holy Scriptures. The course content and format are not designated to intimidate, indoctrinate, or evangelize. The course is designed to set the Bible in its historical and literary context. The Biblical heritage will then provide the student with rich resources to creatively understand his/her faith in the contemporary world.

Technology Integration: Enhancing Instruction with Digital Tools

Credit Hours: 3

This course equips future teachers with strategies for enhancing instruction with digital tools, including blended learning, online resources, digital citizenship and ethics, technology skills development, and gamification that amplify skill learning, application pathways, and technological understanding.

Literacy Across the Curriculum: Improving Reading and Writing Skills

Credit Hours: 3

This course teaches strategies for improving students’ reading and writing skills across the curriculum, including close reading, vocabulary development, writing process, reading comprehension strategies, and literacy assessment in consideration of individual needs and established learning goals.

Culturally Responsive Teaching: Valuing Diversity in the Classroom

Credit Hours: 3

This course emphasizes the importance of future teachers celebrating students’ individualities and valuing diversity of backgrounds through integrative learning environments. Key concepts include cultural competence, equity and justice, intercultural education, ethics and values, culturally relevant pedagogy, and inclusive education. It also equips teachers through self-assessment and application of cultural responsiveness and collaboration techniques.

Capstone: Education Program

Credit Hours: 3

This course provides opportunities for future teachers to comprehensively evaluate their impact on others by applying their knowledge, skills, critical thinking, evaluation, and creativity in a real-world setting. This is accomplished through a culminating project, action research, portfolio development, professional learning community, peer mentoring, or other approved comprehensive projects. The creation of this body of work will help teachers become reflective and compassionate educators committed to meeting diverse learner, familial, and stakeholder needs while celebrating faith development and upholding high ethical and professional standards.

Meet the Program Director

chutchin@snu.edu

Dr. Anne GhostBear

Co-Director Bachelor of Education Program

Education

EdD, 2001, Oklahoma State University
MS, 1998, Oklahoma State University
BS, 1977 East Central University

Biography

Dr. Anne Ghost Bear treasures her work at Southern Nazarene University and has been the Tulsa Campus Director since 2002. She is a Professor and recently accepted the role of co-program director for SNU’s Bachelor of Education degree program.

As SNU-Tulsa Director, Anne loves working closely with home campus colleagues as she oversees on-site operational and facility functions and implements or supports academic functions. She is passionate about working with adult learners, adjunct faculty, and her talented teammates. Anne is also the Home Campus Liaison, Weather Person, Security Officer, Equipment Mover, Mail Pickup/Deliverer, and occasional handy person, so the variety and element of surprise that each day at a satellite campus can bring is what she describes as fun!

Anne is thankful for significant work representing SNU on the Greenwood Cultural Center Board of Directors (Education and Strategic Planning committees). She also enjoys her work on the Family Hope House Board of Directors and with the National Association of Branch Campus Administrators, the Council of Oklahoma Extended Campus Administrators, and the Christian Adult Higher Education Association.

Anne and her late husband, John, have three extraordinary grown children and four perfect grandchildren. A cradle Episcopalian whose father was an Episcopal bishop, Anne and John love their long-term involvement in their St. Luke’s Tulsa Episcopal Church family.

Hobbies and Fun Fact: Grandchildren, family/friends, tap dancing, snow skiing, reading mysteries, and lived in Cambridge, England for a year as a fifth grader.

Read Less

rtitus@mail.snu.edu

Dr. Ron Titus

Co-Director Bachelor of Education Program

Education

M.A., 2015, Southern Nazarene University
B.S., 1996, University of Central Oklahoma

Biography

Ron Titus became the director and principal of the SNU Lab School in July 2019. He is a certified superintendent, principal, and teacher by the state of Oklahoma and the Association of Christian Schools International. Mr. Titus has chaired and been a member of numerous accreditation teams throughout the south-central region over the past two decades. Prior to joining SNU, Mr. Titus was instrumental in the strategic growth and development of Crossings Christian School in OKC for 13 years. He also served as the Internet Technologies Program Director at Francis Tuttle Technology Center for five years. Ron began his career in education as a technology director and teacher for five years at Deer Creek Schools in Edmond, Oklahoma.

Mr. Titus earned his master's degree in Educational Leadership from Southern Nazarene University, where he was inducted into the Kappa Delta Pi Honor Society. He also earned a bachelor's degree in Liberal Arts with minors in Psychology and Art Education from the University of Central Oklahoma. Before becoming an educator, Mr. Titus served in the United States Air Force during the Gulf War.

Ron champions project-based Learning across all disciplines, particularly with technology. He is also an advocate for developing Social-Emotional Learning skills so people can more effectively cope with life’s difficulties. Both of these areas have been heavily emphasized at the Lab School over the past half-century.

Ron has an insatiable desire to learn and loves to read, play guitar, create, invent, and tinker with convergent technologies in his free time. Mr. Titus is a Nebraska Cornhusker and NY Yankee fan and has coached more than 900 baseball games. He enjoys spending quality time traveling with his son, Elijah, and has a cat named Sparky.

Favorite Verse: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by renewing your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:2

Read Less

Admissions

Enrolling at SNU is a simple process. With rolling start dates, there’s no need to wait months at a time to begin your educational journey. Plus, our generous transfer policy, enhanced advanced standing, and prior learning assessment can shorten your path to graduation. Once you are ready, take the following steps:

Step 1. Apply online at degrees.snu.edu/apply

Step 2. Complete your FAFSA at fafsa.gov using school code 003149

Step 3. Send official transcripts from any colleges you have attended to SNU at pgsadmissions@snu.edu or ATTN: SNU PGS Admissions, Southern Nazarene University, 6729 NW 39th Expressway, Bethany, OK 73008.

You will be contacted regarding any supporting materials we may need. Upon acceptance, your student success advisor will help you enroll and prepare for success as an adult student at SNU.

Program Resources

BLOG

Why You Should Finish Your Bachelor's Degree

View Now >

BLOG

Four Reasons why Oklahoma Teachers love SNU

View Now >

BLOG

Is Becoming a Teacher a Good Career? Eight Benefits You Need to Consider.

View Now >

EBOOK

What to Expect from an Online Degree Program

Read Now >

E-Book

Guide to Transfer Credits and Prior Learning

Read Now >

EBOOK

The Complete Guide to Financial Aid

Read Now >

Make an impact daily in the lives of your students while enjoying higher earnings and a rewarding career.

What does a career in Education look like?

Thank You

Program Overview

How it Works

Courses

Upcoming Start Dates