Education and youth studies (EDYS) helps you understand how people learn, grow, and thrive across many settings. You will explore the systems, relationships, and ideas that shape young people’s lives and develop the tools to support meaningful learning and social change. Whether you want to teach in K–12 schools or work with youth in community organizations, counseling, social justice initiatives, or educational programming, this major prepares you to empower people in a rapidly changing world.
Studying education gives you the chance to make a difference. Teachers, counselors, advocates, and youth professionals play a major role in shaping the future. Through your coursework and field experiences, you will learn how to communicate clearly, collaborate across difference, think creatively about learning, and respond with empathy. You will also study how schools and communities operate and how educators help young people navigate social, emotional, and academic challenges.
The education and youth studies major prepares students for classroom teaching and for careers outside the classroom. If your goal is to help people learn and grow, this major gives you a strong and flexible foundation.
Beloit College’s education and youth studies program combines the strengths of a liberal arts education with extensive hands-on experience. You will work closely with faculty who bring both academic expertise and real K–12 teaching experience. They will mentor you as you explore classroom teaching, youth development, counseling, community education, and more. Students engage in practicum placements, observations, and youth-focused fieldwork throughout the major, which builds confidence and professional readiness long before graduation.
For students pursuing Wisconsin teacher certification, Beloit College offers a personalized pathway more flexible than many large university programs. You will complete a liberal arts major through your education and youth studies coursework while gaining extensive practice in real classrooms. Certification options include Elementary and Middle School (K–9), Spanish (K–12), and Secondary Math (4–12), with additional subject areas in development. Students complete a full semester of student teaching and receive a Wisconsin teaching license that transfers smoothly to nearly 40 states.
Students not seeking certification still benefit from the same mentorship, field experiences, and interdisciplinary approach. Alumni pursue careers in school counseling, social work, international education, environmental education, museum education, youth development programs, human resources, and social justice advocacy.
Students in the education and youth studies program connect educational theory with hands-on practice as they study the psychological, social, and cultural foundations of learning, engage in methods courses and practicum experiences, and work directly with young people in classrooms, community centers, and other educational settings.
With substantial practice in teaching and youth work, students leave the education and youth studies program ready to enter education-related fields as thoughtful, socially engaged professionals who can work across difference and lead learning in many contexts.
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