Bachelor of Science (B.S.)
Become the teacher students remember — trained to lead a grades 6–12 classroom with skill and conviction.
Teach Grades 6–12
Certify across multiple content areas
ACSI Certified
Only ACSI-certified program in Arizona
State Approved
Approved by the AZ Dept. of Education
Great teachers aren’t born — they’re built through practice, mentoring, and a deep grasp of how students learn. ACU’s Secondary Education degree prepares you to lead a grades 6–12 classroom with confidence, blending research-based teaching theory with real time in front of real students.
You’ll study educational psychology, human development, special education methods, and classroom management, then put it all to work through Directed Student Teaching in an actual school. Faculty who average two decades in K–12 classrooms walk alongside you the whole way, so you graduate ready on day one — not just credentialed on paper.
You’ll also choose a content concentration — math, science, English language arts, history, and more — so you teach the subject you love. And because ACU is the only Arizona university certified by the Association of Christian Schools International, your degree opens doors to Christian schools across the country and around the world.
Manage a Real Classroom
Build the routines, expectations, and discipline strategies that keep a secondary classroom focused and safe.
Apply the Science of Learning
Use educational psychology and adolescent development research to design lessons that actually stick.
Reach Every Learner
Adapt instruction for students with disabilities and diverse needs so no one gets left behind.
Teach English Language Learners
Earn the Structured English Immersion methods Arizona classrooms require for multilingual students.
Assess Student Growth
Build, score, and interpret assessments that measure what students know and guide what you teach next.
Lead a Classroom of Your Own
Put a full semester of supervised student teaching on your résumé before you ever apply for a job.
A Biblical Worldview doesn't sit beside your training as a teacher — it shapes how you see students, knowledge, and the work itself. At ACU, faith and pedagogy are woven together, not bolted on.
The Worth of Every Student
Scripture teaches that every person bears God's image. In the classroom, that conviction reframes the struggling student, the disengaged student, and the gifted student alike as people of inherent dignity worth investing in — not test scores to be managed.
Grounds your approach to discipline, inclusion, and special education in respect rather than mere compliance.
Knowledge and Truth
If all truth is God's truth, then every subject — math, history, literature, science — reveals something real about the world He made. Teaching becomes an act of helping students discover that order, not just memorize disconnected facts.
Helps you connect your content area to bigger questions of meaning students are already asking.
The Influence of a Teacher
Teachers shape character as much as content. A Biblical Worldview takes that influence seriously, holding integrity, patience, and service as core to the profession rather than optional extras.
Prepares you to mentor adolescents through formative years, not just deliver curriculum.
ACU education graduates are in demand locally and abroad, and an ACSI certification opens classrooms most programs can't reach.
Middle & High School Teacher
Lead a grades 6–12 classroom in your content area at a public, private, or charter school.
Christian School Educator
Teach in ACSI-affiliated Christian schools across the United States and internationally.
Youth & Parachurch Leader
Direct education and discipleship programs in churches, parachurch ministries, and nonprofits.
Athletic Coach
Pair teaching with coaching through ACU's optional Coaching Emphasis in fundamentals and kinesiology.
Curriculum & Instructional Support
Develop curriculum, mentor new teachers, or support instruction at the school or district level.
Graduate Study in Education
Continue into a master's in teaching, instructional leadership, or a content discipline.
ACU's Secondary Education program pairs a rigorous, biblically integrated curriculum with the kind of mentoring you only find at a small university.
Arizona's Only ACSI-Certified Program
ACU is one of just 24 universities nationwide — and the only one in Arizona — certified by the Association of Christian Schools International.
Faculty Who've Done the Job
Your professors average about 20 years of classroom experience, so the advice you get is field-tested, not theoretical.
State-Approved Licensure Pathway
The program is approved by the Arizona Department of Education and built around current certification requirements.
Real Student Teaching
A full semester of Directed Student Teaching puts you in a real classroom under a mentor before you graduate.
Optional Coaching Emphasis
Add a coaching credential with courses in coaching fundamentals and kinesiology to teach and coach.
Becoming a 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 choose the content concentration you want to teach.
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 your education core and finish with a full semester of supervised student teaching.
The Secondary Education degree gives you the training, mentoring, and credentials to start teaching with confidence. Connect with our team or apply today.