West Virginia Teacher Colleges and Degrees Online Guide
West Virginia teachers are required to complete a state teacher preparation program from an accredited school in order to become eligible to teach in the state’s education system. For aspiring teachers, this guide to teacher preparation programs in the state provides key information on the various options available for pursuing a teaching degree in West Virginia. Fortunately, there are several colleges and universities that offer degree programs to prepare students to become teachers or advance in an established teaching career. This guide to teaching degrees in West Virginia contains lists of top-rated teaching programs, a table of accredited, state-approved teacher preparation programs, and student reviews. Whether you are looking to further your current career as a teacher or are embarking on a brand new career, this guide is a great place to start to find the best school for your individual needs.
Quick Facts
- There are 26 colleges and universities with teacher degree programs in West Virginia.1
- 8 colleges and universities offer an associate’s degree in education.*1
- 18 colleges and universities offer a bachelor’s degree in education.*1
- 12 colleges and universities offer a master’s or advanced degree in education.*1
- No schools ranked in Kiplinger’s Best College Values 2019.2
- No schools ranked in Princeton Review’s Great Schools for Education Majors 2020.3
- 2 schools ranked in US News & World Report’s Best Graduate Education Programs 2019.4
- 4 schools ranked in US News & World Report’s Best Online Graduate Education Programs 2019.5
- 18 not-for-profit teacher programs are accredited by the NCATE, TEAC, or CAEP.
*For not-for-profit colleges and universities with teacher degree programs.
Top-Ranked Schools with Education Programs in West Virginia
US News & World Report’s Best Graduate Education Programs 2019
- West Virginia University (#93 tie)
- Marshall University (#191 tie)
US News & World Report’s Best Online Graduate Education Programs 2019
- West Virginia University (#77 tie)
- Concord University (#137 tie)
- Wheeling Jesuit University (#159 tie)
- Marshall University (#228-299)
Comparison of Teacher Preparation Programs
We have designed the following table to help you compare teacher preparation programs in West Virginia according to various factors. All of the schools included are not-for-profit institutions approved by the West Virginia Department of Education for the preparation of teachers. Completing a state-approved teacher preparation program is an important step towards earning licensure.
While accreditation from the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) is not a requirement for licensure, it is included in the following table as CAEP provides a highly-regarded accreditation that is accepted in many states. Read more about the CAEP, NCATE, and TEAC accrediting bodies. We have also included rankings from the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ), a research and policy group that scores teacher preparation programs at the national level using key standards chosen to measure students’ preparation for success in teaching. For further information on the NCTQ’s program rankings, please see the notes below the table.
You will also find data on teacher preparation program enrollment, completion, and licensing exam pass rates by institution for the 2017-2018 academic year in this table. These data points are collected from annual US Department of Education records under Title II (Teacher Quality) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), which provides for reporting that holds institutions and state departments of education accountable for increasing academic achievement through improvements in teacher quality.
Programs that are not ranked, or for which data is not available, in a given category are denoted as “-“.
| State-Approved School | CAEP Accred.?6 | NCTQ Undergrad Elementary Prog. % (2016)**7 | NCTQ Undergrad Secondary Prog. % (2017)**7 | Teacher Prep Prog. Enrollment8 | Teacher Prep Prog. Completers8 | Licensing Exams Pass Rate8 | Net Price***1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alderson Broaddus University | Yes | — | — | 41 | 19 | 100% | $17,794 |
| Appalachian Bible College | No | — | — | 2 | 9 | — | $16,207 |
| Bethany College | Yes | — | — | 52 | 6 | — | $18,783 |
| Bluefield State College | Yes | 54% | — | 31 | 25 | 88% | $8,604 |
| Concord University | Yes | 60% | 34% | 122 | 63 | 100% | $9,000 |
| Davis & Elkins College | No | — | — | 26 | 13 | 100% | $18,220 |
| Fairmont State University | Yes | 54% | 14% | 161 | 86 | 93% | $8,821 |
| Glenville State College | Yes | 5% | 16% | 45 | 26 | 100% | $12,591 |
| Marshall University | Yes | 98% | — | 451 | 184 | 96% | $9,057 |
| Ohio Valley University | No | — | — | 8 | 9 | — | $17,613 |
| Shepherd University | Yes | 21% | 42% | 77 | 64 | 96% | $9,352 |
| University of Charleston | No | 79% | — | 58 | 9 | — | $12,786 |
| West Liberty University | Yes | 86% | 49% | 175 | 41 | 95% | $12,293 |
| West Virginia State University | Yes | 74% | 16% | 383 | 54 | 81% | $7,370 |
| West Virginia University | Yes | — | — | 509 | 193 | 95% | $11,486 |
| West Virginia University-Parkersburg | Yes | — | — | 26 | 16 | 94% | $6,910 |
| West Virginia Wesleyan College | Yes | 84% | — | 56 | 27 | 100% | $18,362 |
| Wheeling Jesuit College | Yes | 38% | 59% | 108 | 30 | 89% | $18,250 |
*The NCTQ rated undergraduate elementary teaching programs in 2016 and undergraduate secondary teaching programs in 2017 by national percentile based on their overall scores on the NCTQ’s standards for teacher education. Schools that do not provide data on all key standards or that fall below the top 50% of schools nationally are not included by the NCTQ in their ratings. Visit the NCTQ website for more information on its standards and methodologies.
**Net price is per year for undergraduate tuition as calculated by the National Center for Education Statistics based on the cost of attendance (tuition, books, room and board, and related expenses) for students who qualify for in-state tuition and fees, less the average financial aid award (including grants and scholarships).
Profiles of Well-Known Schools
University of West Virginia: Morgantown is home to the University of West Virginia’s College of Human Resources and Education. The college is made up of the departments of Curriculum and Instruction, Literacy Studies, Speech Pathology and Audiology, Special Education, Technology, Learning and Culture and Counseling, Rehabilitation Counseling and Counseling Psychology. Students must apply for major certification by their sophomore year and must meet the standards for the major they intend on pursuing. Graduate students must meet or exceed all of the requirements for the department as well as the graduate school of West Virginia. Those requirements may include grade point average, graduate test scores, admissions essays, interviews and more. The college offers an abundance of learning opportunities both in and out of the classroom.
Marshall University: Marshall University, located in Huntington, WV is home to the Marshall University College of Education and Human Services. The mission of the Marshall COEHS is to develop students into critical thinkers within the framework of education. The College of Education and Human Services is one of the largest colleges on campus with over 1,200 undergrads and 1,000 graduate students enrolled in nearly 20 different programs. The school’s diverse offerings mean current and future educators will find something to suit their passions, goals, and aspirations. Students are able to pursue educational careers such as elementary school teachers, middle school educators, secondary teachers, school counselors, educational administrators and reading specialists.
Schools with Teaching Degree Programs in West Virginia
Alderson Broaddus College
101 College Hill Dr
Philippi, WV 26416-2035
(304) 457-1700
www.ab.edu
Davis & Elkins College
100 Campus Dr
Elkins, WV 26241-3996
(304) 637-1900
www.dewv.edu
Fairmont State University
1201 Locust Ave
Fairmont, WV 26554-2470
(304) 367-4000
www.fairmontstate.edu
Marshall University
1 John Marshall Dr
Huntington, WV 25755
(800) 642-3463
www.marshall.edu
Shepherd University
301 N King St
Shepherdstown, WV 25443-3210
(304) 876-5000
www.shepherd.edu
University of Charleston
2300 MacCorkle Ave
Charleston, WV 25304
(304) 357-4800
www.ucwv.edu
West Virginia University
Stewart Hall
Morgantown, WV 26506-6201
(304) 293-0111
www.arc.wvu.edu
West Virginia University Institute of Technology
405 Fayette Pk
Montgomery, WV 25136
(304) 442-3071
www.wvutech.edu
West Virginia University at Parkersburg
300 Campus Dr
Parkersburg, WV 26104
(304) 424-8000
www.wvup.edu
West Virginia Wesleyan College
59 College Ave
Buckhannon, WV 26201-2994
(304) 473-8000
www.wvwc.edu
References:
1. National Center for Education Statistics College Navigator: https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/
2. Kiplinger’s Best College Values: https://www.kiplinger.com/tool/college/T014-S001-best-college-values-college-finder/index.php#Tile
3. The Princeton Review. The Best 385 Colleges, 2020 Edition. The Princeton Review, 2019.
4. US News & World Report Best Graduate Education Schools 2019: https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-education-schools/edu-rankings
5. US News & World Report Best Online Graduate Education Schools 2019: https://www.usnews.com/education/online-education/education/rankings
6. Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP): http://caepnet.org/provider-search
7. National Council on Teacher Quality Teacher Preparation Program Review: https://www.nctq.org/review/home
8. US Department of` Education 2018 Title II Reports: https://title2.ed.gov/Public/Home.aspx