Teacher Education – Bachelor of Education

Career Possibilities

Your BEd degree from Western’s Faculty of Education qualifies you for an Ontario Teaching Certificate, which is recognized instantly across Canada. International employers also recognize the knowledge, competence, and skills that Western Education graduates have to offer and eagerly attend our job fairs. With the BEd, many of our alumni have gone on to work in diverse fields such as these—and more:

• teaching in public, private, and independent schools
• teaching in adult education centres, colleges, and other postsecondary institutions
• developing and writing curriculum for museums, art galleries, prisons
• teaching and administration in international settings
• corporate training
• youth and social services
• Provincial and Federal Government services
• business or legal training

Program Streams

Western’s Bachelor of Education program consists of three streams leading to certification by the Ontario College of Teachers. You can elect to take the Primary-Junior, Junior-Intermediate, or Intermediate-Senior stream to develop expertise in teaching students in grades JK-6, 4-10, and 7-12, respectively. As well as selecting a program stream, you are given the choice of a specialty area consistent with your interests and goals.

Primary-Junior

Prepare to teach all subjects, Kindergarten to grade 6. Primary-Junior French: Prepare to teach core and immersion French, K-6.

specialties

Junior-Intermediate

Prepare to teach grades 4 to 10. You must choose French, Music or Religious Education for Catholic Schools as a teaching option.

specialties

Intermediate-Senior

Prepare to teach grades 7 to 12. You must choose two teaching options from a list of teachable subjects. Learn more below.

specialties

Transfer into a Master’s program

Bachelor of Education graduates have the opportunity to use their Specialty courses to “ladder” into, or gain advanced standing in, our Master of Professional Education (MPEd). This allows BEd graduates to complete an MPEd in 14-16 months, instead of the typical 24 months.

This pathway will be discontinued in Summer 2021. Only Teacher Candidates graduating before Spring 2021 are eligible.

Time Commitment and Delivery

The Bachelor of Education program is a full-time, four-term program. It may not be completed, in whole or in part, on a part-time basis. Some courses are offered fully on-site in face-to-face formats; other courses include online components, and a very few courses are fully online. The program is structured as follows (illustrated below):

Year 1 – 9 weeks in-class, 4 weeks practicum, 4 weeks holiday, 9 weeks in-class, 4 weeks practicum

Year 2 – 6 weeks practicum, 6 weeks in-class, 3 weeks AFE, 3 weeks holiday, 5 or 6 weeks practicum, 4 weeks AFE

(Note that specific dates are released each year following Faculty and University approval.)

In-Faculty classes begin at 8:30 a.m. and while most end by 6:30 p.m., there may be some sections of some classes running until 7:30/8:30 p.m.

During practicum blocks, you must be in your assigned schools Monday through Friday. Morning arrival time and afternoon departure time is at the discretion of the school and Associate Teacher; arrival as early as 7:30 a.m. is not unusual. Click the button to learn more about the practicum portion of the program.

practicum

Admission Requirements

Tuition Fees

Tuition fees are decided by the University and are updated annually each July. For the most up-to-date tuition information, please visit the Office of the Registrar’s Fee Schedule page by clicking the ‘learn more’ button. Here, you’ll find PDFs that outline program fees as they relate to you (ie. international vs. domestic student). Please note that all fees are annual amounts and must be paid in both year 1 and year 2 of the program.

Funding Your Degree

Scholarships

There are a number of entrance and academic scholarships and bursaries that reward academic and experience-based excellence. Click through to the Scholarships page to see descriptions and application instructions.

scholarships

OSAP (Ontario Student Assistance Program)

Ontario student funding is available to Ontario residents that meet the criteria for enrolment. You can learn more about this avenue of funding by clicking to the Registrar’s Office here and reading the latest options for students.

OSAP

How to Apply

Applying to our program is easy. Click on the ‘how to apply’ button and follow the steps to submit your application for review. We look forward to seeing your unique qualities and how we might work together to help you achieve teaching excellence and reach your career aspirations. We ask that you please complete each of the 3 main application steps: TEAS application, Experience Profile, and Paperwork.

See English Language Proficiency requirements at step 4.

how to apply

Current Students