Change Lives Through Your Vocation.
Whether you are passionate about teaching elementary school students new spelling lessons or advocating for vulnerable families in impoverished communities, you have a place here. Begin your journey to become an educator or social worker with a mission driven by God's unconditional love.
Pursue your vocational calling in education and social work.
Explore Outstanding degree Programs
Explore the School of Education and Social Work
Academic Programs
You will engage with coursework that prepares you well to serve others for Christ. Faculty that are dedicated to your intellectual and spiritual growth will encourage you to realize your full potential as you learn how to educate or advocate with a mind toward missions.
Field Experience
Encountering the everyday workings of your field is a crucial element in your quest to become a professional. We know that there is no substitute for involvement in a real-life setting, which is why Cedarville provides many opportunities for this means of preparation.
Testing and Licensure
While there is a sequence of steps required for you to become a licensed teacher or social worker, it doesn't have to be complicated. Your advisor and other professors will be there for you each step of the way, and at the end of your 1000 Days, you will be more than prepared to venture out as a professional.
School of Education and Social Work Quick Facts
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353 Undergraduate Students
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100% Job/Grad School Placement
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14 Degree Programs
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14 Faculty Members
All new students are assigned a faculty advisor to help you make the most of your 1000 Days.
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My time in the School of Education and Social Work has truly been one of growth — not just in academic knowledge, but also in my relationship with Christ, and my interactions with other future educators. The education program provides its students with both direct and indirect experiences on what we will face in the ‘outside adult world.’ We have engaged in hands-on projects in collaboration with peers and faculty while also learning how to become secure in our faith and truly living in a Christlike lifestyle regardless of school setting or curriculum. I am grateful for the experience of learning how to serve the Lord through teaching.
Regina Wright ’21 
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I have been pushed continually to excel academically, while being taught by professors who are competent in their specialties and passionate both for social work and the Word of God. Through the yearlong internships that we are required to complete and professors who do not stray from discussing difficult social topics in the classroom, I feel especially prepared for where God will lead me next, and I know that this comes largely in part to my experience in Cedarville University’s social work program.
Hannah Lankford 
Studying Education and Social Work From a Distinctly Biblical Worldview
The fields of education and social work place you in a unique position — you will be fostering relationships with those in very formative or very vulnerable years of their lives. As Christians, this is both a weighty responsibility and a powerful opportunity. Relating to those you are serving as those created in the image of God is of singular importance.
At Cedarville, you will be challenged throughout your studies to build your knowledge on the foundation of God's Word. Biblical truth will pervade the lessons you learn in the classroom and influence the way you apply them to your field. Be filled each day with the love of Christ, and you will leave Cedarville prepared to teach or help those in need from the overflow of God's unending care for you.
“Teaching is the one profession that creates all the other professions.”
Academic Programs
Form lasting connections to impact others for Christ.
Engage with the issues of our day and provide competent, caring responses, whether in the classroom or the field of social work. Learn to lead from a heart of humility and compassion, and ultimately become equipped to educate or advocate with Kingdom influence.
Education Programs
- Primary (P-5) Education (previously Early Childhood Education)
- Middle Childhood Education
- Special Education
- Special Education/Primary (P-5) Education
- TESOL Minor/Certificate
Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Programs (grades 7–12)
Multi-Age Licensure Programs (Pre–K to grade 12)
*Offered by the School of Arts and Humanities
**Offered by the School of Science and Mathematics
Social Work Program
“In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.”
Field Experience
Gain real-world experience in your field.
Put into action the valuable lessons you are learning in the classroom. Learn to meaningfully connect with those you serve and prepare to be a professional in your field.
Education
As a teacher candidate, you will spend at least 600 hours in field experiences before you graduate. Spending time in real classrooms allows you to practically apply the skills you have been learning in the classroom. You will be immersed in a wide variety of schools as early as freshman year, getting to observe and eventually take part in the learning of real students in nearby communities.
More About Education Field Experience
Social Work
Within the social work program, you will engage in a variety of field experience settings throughout your junior and senior year to complete 600 hours of experience. Your junior year will allow you to focus on serving an impoverished community, and during your senior year, you will team up with a social agency to gain invaluable exposure to the day-to-day workings of the field.
More About Social Work Field Experience
“Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.”
Testing and Licensure
Discover the pathway to doing what you love.
Education
Education students will be guided in the licensure process during their final semester. Teacher candidates who successfully complete Cedarville's Teacher Education Program, licensure exams, and application to the state of Ohio will receive their licensure.
Learn More About Education Licensure
Social Work
You will be well prepared through the intentionality of our professors and coursework to receive your social work license. Last year, 93% of our graduates passed the state Licensed Social Worker (LSW) exam on their first attempt, which has taken them to some incredible places.
"Apply your heart to instruction and your ear to words of knowledge."
Accreditation
Education Programs
All education programs are accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).
In compliance with CAEP accreditation, the Cedarville University education programs post CAEP Annual Reporting Measures.
Social Work Program
The social work program at Cedarville University received initial accreditation from The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) in June of 1998. CSWE reaffirmed Cedarville's program in June 2002, again in 2010, and most recently in June 2017. Graduating from an accredited program positions our students to complete graduate school in one year instead of two.
Go Deeper in Education and Social Work
Student Organizations
Apply yourself beyond the classroom.
- The Student Education Association (SEA) is an organization open to all education majors at Cedarville. Monthly meetings and special events are held throughout the year, encouraging members to grow in service to one other and to those around them.
- Epsilon Alpha Pi, made up of social work majors, seeks to benefit the Cedarville student body as well as the surrounding community through outreach. The organization also serves to advance professional development and social awareness.
- The Phi Alpha Honor Society, of the Epsilon Omega Chapter, is the Social Work Program's honor society that commends and encourages scholastic excellence in the field of social work. The society also exists to forward the goals of social work across many levels.
International Experiences
See your world from a new perspective.
Choosing to complete a portion of your credits in another country can truly be life-changing. Your skills will be strengthened in a fresh way as you are stretched to live and learn in a different culture. Students in the social work program can complete a semester abroad during their junior or senior year as part of their field experience, and those studying education likewise have many opportunities to experience a new country during their time at Cedarville.
Community Outreach Opportunities
Use your unique gifts to bring God's love to those in need.
As a student at Cedarville, you have countless opportunities to partner with local ministries in service. Be a blessing to others by putting into action the individual gifts that God has given you. Team up with ministries in the area to teach English, share Christ with teens at a community center, or provide encouragement and lasting hope to inmates.
Symbiotica
Get to know Cedarville's innovative teaching and learning lab.
By bringing together local homeschool students and Cedarville University teacher candidates, Symbiotica fosters a mutually beneficial learning and teaching experience. While homeschool students in grades 5–7 receive an interactive, Christ-centered education, middle childhood education majors gain valuable experience in the classroom.
Dean – School of Education and Social Work
Kevin Jones, EdD
Dean, School of Education and Social Work; Assistant Professor of Education
“Welcome! Absolom Jones proclaimed, 'the pomp of public worship, and the ceremonies of a festive day, will find no acceptance with him, unless they are accompanied with actions that correspond with them.' At Cedarville University we love the Lord and seek to serve Him in a way that honors Him while serving others. God’s glory is revealed in many ways. One way in which His glory is revealed is through the softening of hearts as people are served, loved and immediate needs met. The writing of the laws on our hearts commands that we live the things we know. In the SESW we have the obligation to live the text. We are faithfully committed to excellence in education while training students committed to lifelong learning and service.”
— Kevin Jones, EdD
School of Education and Social Work
Office Location:
Williams Hall (WI) 107
Office Hours:
9 a.m.–4 p.m. weekdays,
August–May, summer hours reduced
Contact:
Phone: 937-766-7780
Fax: 937-766-7769
Email: education@cedarville.edu
