© 2026 Arizona Christian University. All rights reserved.
Bachelor of Science (B.S.)
A Concentration In
English Language Arts
An emphasis within the B.S. in Secondary Education — become the teacher who makes students readers, writers, and thinkers.
Teach Grades 6–12
Certify to teach secondary English/ELA
Literature & Writing
Literature, creative writing, film, and digital writing
Methods Built In
Teaching ELA + literacy in ELA
Strong ELA teachers do more than assign reading — they build students who can read closely, write clearly, and think for themselves. ACU’s English Language Arts concentration gives you depth across literature, writing, communication, and even film, so you bring real range to the classroom.
You’ll pair that breadth with methods made for secondary teaching. Teaching ELA in the Secondary School and Integrated Literacy in ELA show you how to lead a class through a novel, coach a struggling writer, and build the literacy skills students carry into every other subject. You’ll graduate ready to teach English across grades 6–12 — in public, charter, or Christian schools.
Teach Literature That Lands
Lead students through fiction, poetry, and nonfiction in ways that open texts up rather than shut them down.
Coach Real Writers
Help students draft, revise, and find their voice across creative and digital writing.
Teach ELA in the Classroom
Plan and deliver secondary English instruction with methods proven with adolescents.
Build Literacy Across the Board
Develop the reading and writing skills students need in every subject, not just English.
Read Media and Film Critically
Bring communication, film, and media literacy into a modern ELA classroom.
Demonstrate Content Mastery
Meet Arizona's standard of 30 content-area credits or a passing subject-knowledge test.
Language and story aren't neutral tools — they shape how we see truth, beauty, and each other. A Biblical Worldview deepens how you read literature and how you teach it.
The Power of Words
Scripture opens with God speaking the world into being and calls Jesus the Word — language matters at the deepest level. Teaching writing and reading well honors the weight words actually carry.
Frames writing instruction as stewardship of a powerful gift, not just a skill.
Truth and Beauty in Story
Great literature wrestles honestly with good, evil, suffering, and hope. A Biblical Worldview gives you a framework for those big questions without flattening the texts or dodging the hard ones.
Equips you to lead honest discussion of literature's deepest themes.
Empathy Through Reading
Stepping into another's story builds compassion — and seeing every author and character as made in God's image deepens that work. Reading becomes practice in understanding people unlike ourselves.
Grounds your teaching of literature in empathy and human dignity.
English teachers are needed in nearly every school — and the literacy skills you teach reach far beyond the English classroom.
Secondary English Teacher
Teach literature, composition, and language arts in middle and high school classrooms.
Christian School Educator
Teach English in ACSI-affiliated Christian schools in the U.S. and abroad through ACU's certification.
Literacy or Writing Specialist
Support reading and writing across a school as a literacy coach or writing-center leader.
Graduate Study in English or Education
Use a strong literature and writing foundation to pursue a master's in English, literacy, or instruction.
The ELA concentration blends literary depth with practical range — and the teaching methods to make both reach students.
Breadth Across the Field
Literature, creative and digital writing, communication, and film give you range a single-track program can't.
Teaching Methods Built In
Dedicated ELA-pedagogy courses mean you learn to teach English, not just to study it.
Skills Every School Needs
Literacy is foundational, so qualified ELA teachers stay in steady demand.
ACSI Certification Pathway
Teach English in Christian schools worldwide through ACU's ACSI certification.
Already drawn to the Secondary Education degree? Adding the ELA concentration is simple.
Apply to ACU
Submit your application for admission to Arizona Christian University.
Start Your ApplicationChoose ELA as Your Concentration
Tell your education advisor you want the English Language Arts content area, and they'll map it into your plan.
Build Your Literature & Writing Foundation
Move through literature, writing, and communication courses, then add the ELA teaching-methods courses.
The English Language Arts concentration gives you the literary depth and teaching methods to lead a secondary ELA classroom with confidence. Apply or reach out today.
