About the College

The College of Humanities, Education, and the Arts (colloquially known as HEARTS) houses academic disciplines that have a long history of exploring what it means to be human. These fields of teaching and learning have endured for centuries because they foster curiosity, creativity, critical thinking, compassion, and community—qualities that are deeply human and essential for fruitful service in every vocation. We believe these qualities reflect a loving Creator, in whose image we are made; we invite students to embrace a spirit of inquiry as we debate complex life questions in the context of Christian faith.

College of Humanities, Education & the Arts Website 

Our Mission

To prepare students for the challenges of a rapidly evolving world, we aim to make them well-rounded and highly adaptive by cultivating the following skills and qualities:

• Critical Thinking: analyzing texts, cultural artifacts, social behavior, and human assumptions in search of wisdom and truth
• Communication: engaging the world courageously, creatively, and persuasively through text, image, voice, and sound
• Cultural Competence: seeking to understand and welcome people with different experiences, identities, and values
• Ethical and Social Responsibility: valuing integrity, professionalism, and justice in work and relationships
• Servant-Leadership: helping human organizations thrive; inspiring hope and positive world change through service to others
• Creativity and Innovation: understanding the past in order to inventively address the problems and opportunities of the present

  ---

About the Division of Education

The Division of Education at Seattle Pacific University offers programs for undergraduate and graduate students who are interested in teaching, counseling, or leadership careers in all fields of education. SPU-educated teachers, counselors, and administrators are in high demand throughout the Pacific Northwest and beyond. If you want to make a positive difference in the lives of children and families, and in schools, SPU can equip you to do just that.

Seattle Pacific was founded more than 120 years ago, and the University has been preparing some of the most sought-after educators in the region for more than 90 years. Entrance to Division of Education programs is highly competitive. Faculty members have worked to develop programs of quality, rigor, and relevance based upon current research and best practice in the field. All faculty members hold a doctorate and teach their own classes, and many have a national and international reputation in their areas of expertise. They are known for mentoring their students during and following their educational programs. These professors model lifelong learning through scholarly activities of their own, publishing frequently and presenting at professional conferences.

At the heart of Seattle Pacific’s approach to the discipline of education is a focus on opportunity for all, including those who have traditionally been underserved and underrepresented in society. The Division of Education values the richness that diversity brings to the learning community at SPU, and faculty and students strive to love their neighbors, seeking to help reconcile people regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, or class.

Our Vision

To influence the region, the nation, and the world through the equipping of educational leaders for public and private schools.

Our Mission

To equip educators for service and leadership in schools and communities by developing their professional competence and character, to make a positive impact on learning.

Four Commitments

The programs of the Division of Education in the College of Humanities, Education, and the Arts are distinguished by a vision for igniting hope through four commitments: to service and leadership in the community, and to the growth of competence and character as educators. These commitments speak to the idea of an educator as the master of a discipline and as someone who finds meaning and hope in a professional vocation or “calling.”

As a student in the Division of Education, you’ll learn in a program shaped by these four commitments. The goal is to prepare you to positively influence diverse learners, families, and communities.

Learn more about the Conceptual Framework of its Four Commitments.

Division of Education Faculty

Majors

Certificates

Learning Outcomes

The eight Division of Education’s Learning Outcomes are guided by Washington state knowledge and skills requirements. and provide the evaluation criteria for effective teaching in Washington state. They are:

1. Expectations: The teacher communicates high expectations for student learning.
2. Instruction: The teacher uses research-based instructional practices to meet the needs of all students.
3. Content Knowledge: The teacher uses content area knowledge, learning standards, appropriate pedagogy, and resources to design and deliver curricula and instruction to impact student learning.
4. Differentiation: The teacher acquires and uses specific knowledge about students’ cultural, individual intellectual, and social development and uses that knowledge to adjust their practice by employing strategies that advance student learning.
5. Learning Environment: The teacher fosters and manages a safe and inclusive learning environment that takes into account: physical, emotional and intellectual well-being.
6. Assessment: The teacher uses multiple data elements (both formative and summative) to plan, inform and adjust instruction and evaluate student learning.
7. Families and Community: The teacher communicates and collaborates with students, families, and all educational stakeholders in an ethical and professional manner to promote student learning.
8. Professional Practice: The teacher participates collaboratively in the educational community to improve instruction, advance the knowledge and practice of teaching as a profession, and ultimately impact student learning.

Professional Certification Disclosure

SPU’s Undergraduate Teacher Certification Program meets the educational requirements for certification in the state of Washington. Each state has different professional licensure and certification requirements. Eligibility for certification/licensure may involve more than degree completion and may include professional examinations, background checks, and fingerprinting. The requirements for certification/licensure can change without notice.

The state professional licensing boards make the ultimate decision as to whether or not an individual will be eligible for licensure based on the rules and regulations in place at the time the individual submits their application for licensure. Find information here about certification/licensure in the state where you intend to teach.

Accreditation

Division of Education certification programs are approved by the Professional Educator Standards Board

Moral Character and Personal Fitness Policy

Teacher Certification Programs at SPU include experiences working closely with children in public and private schools. The protection of children is of paramount concern.

Consequently, the Division of Education reserves the right to refuse placement of any SPU student/teacher candidate in any field experience based on, but not limited to, behavioral disposition. Any SPU teacher candidate registering for any Division of Education course that involves working with children does so with the following understanding:

• Admission to the course and subsequent placement with children may be denied if fitness for such a placement is questionable in the exclusive judgment of the University.
• The teacher candidate may be required to withdraw from the course, practicum experience, or the certification program should the Division of Education receive information that raises a concern about the fitness of the teacher candidate to work with children.
• Information received about the fitness of the teacher candidate working with children may be shared with the school district to determine whether a placement can, and should, be made or continued.
• Ultimately, the SPU Division of Education cannot override school districts regarding placement of teacher candidates as practicum placements are dependent on school district cooperation and approval.
• Denial of, or removal from, a practicum setting due to lack of fitness to work with children will result in the teacher candidate being denied admission to the Teacher Education program or in being removed from the program if the teacher candidate has already been admitted.
• In addition to satisfying the requirements of SPU Teacher Certification requires that good moral character and personal fitness must be established by each teacher candidate with the Office of Professional Practices in Washington state’s Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.
• Disposition — the Division of Education reserves the right to excuse any student who demonstrates inappropriate or unprofessional behavior toward instructors, peers, or university officials. Please see the School of Education handbook for more details.   

For more information, please refer to the Residency Certification Handbook or contact the Division of Education Certification Office.