Earn UC bachelor degree in education at Clermont campus

 
Currently, UC offers the bachelors degree in early childhood education (pre-kindergarten - third grade) and in special education (kindergarten - 12 grade) which enable Clermont College students to earn their four-year degrees from the University of Cincinnati’s College of Education, Criminal Justice and Human Services (CECH) while completing all of their coursework at the UC Clermont campus in Batavia.

A third degree completion option in middle school education (fourth grade – ninth grade) will be available beginning this fall quarter.

Sharon Burns, an academic advisor for CECH, said the degree completion options have been very successful since their inception and that they were triggered by student initiative. This marks the seventh year that early childhood education has been available at Clermont and the second year for the special education program.

“There was a demand, and the college wanted to meet that demand,” Burns said. “Some of our top students are at Clermont. They can access this big institution in their own backyard."

“The strides we’ve made in the last two years with Clermont have been tremendous.”

Glenda Neff, UC Clermont director of community outreach, said the convenience and accessibility of the Clermont campus makes the bachelor degree completions popular among area students.
 
"Many students are not only parents, but have jobs in the area. Those seeking a bachelor’s degree in the past had to find time to travel to and attend classes at UC’s Uptown campus in Clifton. Education bachelor classes at UC Clermont are taught by CECH faculty and students pay Uptown tuition," Neff said.
 
One of those students is Mariann Brusman of Goshen. She is busy raising six children and previously worked in an administrative assistant position at a local manufacturing company. Brusman, a senior studying early childhood education, is a non-traditional student and said she appreciates how accommodating her degree completion classes are on the UC Clermont campus.

Brusman also prefers the small class sizes and personal attention at Clermont, she said.

“After 10 weeks in a class, instructors become your friends,” Brusman said.

Katherine Vineyard of Mt. Orab agrees. The special education major is in her junior year studying part-time through the degree completion program at UC Clermont. She also balances motherhood and a full-time job at the Clermont County MRDD, teaching adults with mental disabilities how to read.

Vineyard, who has a 9-year-old daughter at home, said being able to attend classes part-time so close to home has been “an excellent experience for me and my kids.” She feels that traveling to the Uptown campus to take classes would take away from time spent with her family.

Vineyard’s past experience as a teacher’s aide for special needs children prompted her to pursue a degree in the field. According to 2004 Ohio Department of Education statistics, there is tremendous need for teachers in special education; while only a little more than 10 percent of prospective teachers will be licensed to teach special education, more than 35 percent of teaching positions will be in the field.
 
"The ODE statistics also show an increased need for teachers at all levels in the areas of math and science, numbers that have helped to bring the middle school education programs in those disciplines to Clermont," Burns said.

The field placements that are integral to the programs also can be made in Clermont County schools instead of downtown when classes are hosted at UC Clermont, Burns said, which is more convenient for students who live in the area.

For more information, please contact Sharon Burns at 513-556-2409.