Brief History
Education has been central to Duke’s mission throughout its history, beginning in 1851, when Union Institute (founded 1839) first prepared teachers and was reorganized into Normal College. In 1858, Union Institute became Trinity College, a liberal arts institution in which teacher training assumed a central and major role. In 1924, under the direction of and with an endowment from James B. Duke, Trinity College became Duke University. In the Indenture of Trust, J.B. Duke insisted that the training of teachers be among Duke’s primary missions.
Program Highlights
Duke University Program in Education provides opportunities for undergraduates to connect their liberal art studies and the academic work of their major with rigorous intellectual examination of the issues confronting schools, children, and communities.
Enrolling approximately 600 students annually (includes support for 350 – 400 undergraduate tutors in the local schools), the Program in Education offers undergraduates ways to explore pressing problems involving issues of race, class, and gender, particularly in relation to schools. Through interactive academic coursework, supervised internships, and experiential hands-on service-learning experiences, undergraduates reflect deeply on underlying educational principles and gain the insight needed to become advocates for educational issues both nationally and internationally.
The unit offers undergraduates the opportunity to earn a teaching license in Elementary Education (Grades K-6) and Secondary Education (Grades 9-12 in mathematics, science, English, and/or social studies) as part of the undergraduate program of study. The unit undergoes a rigorous national (NCATE) and state (NCDPI) accreditation review, similar to SACS.
The Minor in Education is designed to provide students who are majoring in an Arts and Sciences discipline with opportunities to combine coursework in their majors with academic and field-based experiences focused on complex social, psychological, economic, historical, political, and cultural issues that impact schools and school children.
