Bachelor of Science (B.S.)
Become the teacher who teaches kids to read, think, and love learning — trained in the science of how children actually learn.
Built on the Science of Reading
Phonics, dyslexia, and reading interventions
Real Student Teaching
A full semester in a real classroom
Early Childhood Option
Add an Early Childhood concentration
The early grades shape everything that follows — and great elementary teachers change the trajectory of a child’s life. ACU’s Elementary Education degree prepares you to be one of them, with training grounded in how children actually learn to read, reason, and grow.
You’ll study human development, educational psychology, and curriculum, then go deep into the Science of Reading — phonics, comprehension, dyslexia, and reading interventions — alongside methods for teaching math, language arts, science, and social studies in the elementary classroom. A full semester of Directed Student Teaching puts you in front of real students under a mentor before you graduate, so you start your career ready, not just credentialed.
You can add an Early Childhood concentration to specialize in the youngest learners, or pursue a Non-Certification pathway if your goals don’t require a state license. Throughout, a Biblical Worldview frames every child as worth your patience and care — and teaching as work that genuinely matters.
Teach Reading With the Science of Reading
Master phonics, comprehension, dyslexia, and reading interventions grounded in current research.
Teach Across the Curriculum
Learn methods for math, language arts, science, and social studies in the elementary classroom.
Understand How Children Develop
Apply human development and educational psychology to how you teach.
Reach Every Learner
Adapt instruction for students with disabilities and diverse needs.
Teach English Language Learners
Earn the Structured English Immersion methods Arizona classrooms require.
Lead a Classroom of Your Own
Put a full semester of supervised student teaching on your résumé before you apply for a job.
A Biblical Worldview doesn't sit beside your training as a teacher — it shapes how you see children, learning, and the work itself.
The Worth of Every Child
Scripture teaches that every person bears God's image. In an elementary classroom, that conviction reframes the struggling reader, the restless child, and the quiet one alike as people of inherent dignity worth your patience and investment.
Grounds your approach to discipline, inclusion, and special education in respect rather than mere management.
Forming, Not Just Informing
Young children absorb more than content — they absorb how to treat others, how to handle failure, who they are. A Biblical Worldview takes that formative influence seriously as part of the teacher's calling.
Prepares you to shape character and curiosity, not just deliver curriculum.
Truth in Every Subject
If all truth is God's truth, then reading, math, science, and history each reveal something real about the world He made. Teaching becomes helping children discover that order with wonder.
Helps you teach foundational subjects as more than skills to drill.
Elementary teachers are in steady demand — and ACU's licensure pathway and Christian-education emphasis open classrooms at home and abroad.
Elementary School Teacher
Lead an elementary classroom in a public, private, charter, or Christian school.
Early Childhood Educator
Teach and lead in early-childhood and primary settings, especially with the Early Childhood concentration.
Reading & Literacy Specialist
Use Science of Reading training toward reading-support and literacy-specialist roles.
Christian School Educator
Teach in Christian schools in the U.S. and abroad.
Curriculum & Instructional Support
Develop curriculum, mentor new teachers, or support instruction at the school level.
Graduate Study in Education
Continue into a master's in teaching, reading, or instructional leadership.
ACU's Elementary Education program pairs research-based teacher training with the mentoring of a small university.
Grounded in the Science of Reading
Two dedicated Science of Reading courses cover phonics, comprehension, dyslexia, and interventions — exactly what schools now require.
A Full Semester of Student Teaching
Directed Student Teaching puts you in a real classroom under a mentor before you graduate.
Early Childhood Specialization
Add a fieldwork-rich Early Childhood concentration to focus on the youngest learners.
Flexible Pathways
Choose the certified track for licensure or a Non-Certification pathway if your goals differ.
Faith-Integrated Teaching
Learn to teach framed by a Biblical Worldview that values every child.
Becoming an elementary teacher starts with a few clear steps. Here’s how ACU students get going.
Apply to ACU
Submit your application for admission to Arizona Christian University.
Start Your ApplicationMeet With an Education Advisor
Map your degree plan and decide on the certified track, an Early Childhood concentration, or the Non-Certification pathway.
Get Your IVP Fingerprint Card
Arizona requires an Identity Verified Prints (IVP) card before you enter classrooms for field experience.
Move Toward Student Teaching
Progress through the education core and finish with a full semester of supervised student teaching.
The Elementary Education degree gives you the training, mentoring, and credentials to lead an elementary classroom with confidence. Connect with our team or apply today.