2026 Best Online Elementary Education Degrees

Honest review: started in the BAELED program finished with a degree in BAES (non licensure skipped PCE/DT). Enrolled 2/1/22 graduated 9/2/22. I'm overall satisfied with the program. I completed my associates but all of my credits did not transfer. This was mainly my fault I kept switching between nursing and education at the associates level so while some courses were more advanced than teaching required WGU did not allow me transfer. Let me explain why I was okay with this a regular college make... Read More you take a class over a 3 to 4 month period. Even though I was technically taking the class over I knew the information and passed within one week. The CI are like professors helping along the way. For those who didn't recieve help no offense they probably didn't ask. CIs have a calendar to make appointments and a booking link for all CIs (meaning access to multiple professors not just the one assigned to you) I took advantage of this alot usually preferring other professors than the one assigned. The course is laid out so you can access all information up front and fill in your specific gaps of knowledge. No need for group discussions and projects your education is yours and yours alone. I skipped pce and dt because my state has a high need for educators, dt is generally unpaid (not in my state), and it come with too many extra tasks onto of edtpa. I graduated with bachelors have a job and will complete the ppat within my own classroom for a standard certificate through my state alternative route. Which is less stressful than having extra task and a possible extra term to finish dt. Every state alternative route is different so make your best decision. I'm satisfied compared to others because I skipped pce dt. A bachelors in education or any field is a great thing to have. My experience with financial aid upon my switch to baes was one for the books. I was told on four occasions my Pell grant would cover the full tuition. That is not true. I advocated for myself after receiving a nearly 800$ bill to graduate. The fee was removed as the manager learned his team needed more training. But for reference any term of less that 6 cu will incur a fee. Wgu agreeing to work with me is why I'm satisfied as I was given an honest case review by financial aid. There are things I wish wgu told me upfront but as they provide teacher lisscensure they will not help you learn about your state alternative route which might be easier. All states alternative routes are not always easier.

I am grateful that I completed my Education, however, I was not able to have my transcript, because of a $300.00 balance. I pleaded with my student counselor but I was not successful. How about bending the rules for students that owe less than $500.00? Flordia Education allows new teachers to apply for a temporary certification, I would have gotten a teaching job, but since GCU is money hungry for $300, I had to wait to clear my balance. Then the calls were a pain, GCU wants to help further your... Read More education after graduation but then the last words from my student counselor were, how can I help you clear your balance? I did request my transcript but now I have to wait 90 days for eligibility and now I'm doing substitute teaching and sleeping on my friend's couch.THANKS A LOT GCU

Like others have said I wonder what school many of the negative reviews are referring to? I majored in Educational Studies, though I had planned on getting certified as an elementary school teacher. I knew that Educational Studies would not lead to teacher certification, but Covid was spreading at the time and I could not get into the classrooms to do my field work like I wanted to, so I decided to pursue a degree that required minimal classroom participation. After I finished the degree in Educational... Read More Studies I applied for a Substitute Teaching position with the Atlanta Public School system. After working as a substitute for a time, I was offered a position as a Paraprofessional. I took the position and am currently working in that field. I will be attending GCU to complete my teacher certification soon in a Master's program. I would like to say that there was no problem with getting a position in the Atlanta Public School. The interviews went well and the bachelor's degree from GCU was accepted without question by the Atlanta Public School System. What really surprised me was when I entered the classroom as a Paraprofessional I discovered that the classes I had taken at Grand Canyon University were so relevant to the curriculum of the Atlanta Public School system. I found myself constantly saying things like, "Wow I learned that at Grand Canyon." The degree in Elementary School teaching at Grand Canyon University is highly recommended. When reading one of the student's IEPs as a Para (I had a one on one student) I was comfortable with what I was reading, because I had studied similar wording and situations in courses at Grand Canyon University. While attending Grand Canyon University I found the teachers and administrators extremely helpful. Whenever I needed help they always responded to me in a timely manner.

I was so proud of all of my work completed at WGU until I realized that I will ONLY receive a 3.0 GPA. Anyone to graduate from WGU receives a 3.0 and that is it. No higher no matter how well you do on your courses. I think that is extremely important for incoming students to know! They say it is because of the competency based education and their pass/fail system. This is all fine and well for students who would barely meet a 3.0 criteria at an established institution. But for those of you that work... Read More consistently better than a 3.0, just remember, your effort is not reflected in your grades. You pass or you fail and that is it. When you go to apply for jobs your GPA will be a 3.0. If you're in a competitive field, like teaching and nursing this could really come back and bite you in the butt. With that said, I feel as, because I put so much effort into my own education at WGU, that I have gained a lot of knowledge from the university and will be successful in a profession as an educator. However, I can't say that I am confident that my future employer would see that with me carrying just a 3.0 GPA.

First of all it takes a very dedicated person to go to school online. You have to be very disciplined. Personally I think that the university is good for some programs but not all programs. For the one that I am doing it is good . It allows me to go to school and work full time. I could not go to school otherwise. As for some of you that don't like phoenix , that's fine. After reading some of the comments it is plain to see that this school is not for you. As i said you have to be dedicated to put... Read More in the right amount of time to gain anything from online education. My tuition has never changed from the first day when they quoted me on it, and i have never had any trouble with being able to contact some one if i needed help. As far as the "look" you get from other people when you tell them where your going to school, It does not bother me. At least I am trying to get a degree and a better job, what are they doing? Some programs or degrees are better earned in regular schools, but most are just as good online. Nothing in this life is easy, you have to work hard no matter what you do. If your not willing to do the work then guess what, you wont accomplish anything.

Attending Arizona State University as an undergraduate was the best decision I could have made. There were other schools in mind, but ASU had the most benefits for my education. The dorm life at Arizona State University was a great experience for me! Before moving in I was connected with many freshman. It was helpful to talk to other freshman before starting because it made me less nervous to meet people and get involved once school began. The staff at Arizona State is phenomenal. I always felt supported... Read More and I always felt comfortable seeking help with school, finances, and extra curricular activities. Attending sporting events was one of my favorite experiences at ASU; it helped that we were so good! The energy level at sporting events was contagious. Even if you arent into sports there are so many activities and clubs to get involved in throughout the year. My best advice is to get out of your shell and find friends with common interests.

I attended GCU online, one class at a time, for three years straight. I wanted a total online program after I finished my Bachelor's Degree at my local community college. I am not a great test-taker, so I was extremely happy to write a paper each week in lieu of a weekly test. However, this required a lot of work and dedication, as I gave up pretty much every Sunday for three years. Posting discussion questions/responses several times per week was also a commitment. With that said, this program worked... Read More for me. I found just about all of the teachers knowledgeable and fair. There is always one teacher you can do without, online or in a classroom. Sometimes the assignments didn't make sense, and it was a bit difficult to communicate with the professor about it, but it all worked out. I have no horror stories about financial aid, and always managed to reach a counselor. There does seem to be a high turnover of staff, but again, nothing that affected me much. I had a very positive attitude, and was thrilled to do all my schoolwork from the comfort of my home. I got a job as soon as I graduated. My schooling has helped me in the classroom, and overall, I enjoyed my journey at GCU. I would recommend them.