Gallaudet University is the only liberal arts university designed for the Deaf community. As a hearing person interested in working in Deaf Education, I know this is the best place for me to learn about that area, career, or subject. At my last Deaf Education program, I felt that professors talked about the Deaf community from a distance, expecting students to acquire sign language and a knowledge of Deaf culture from the classroom alone. I’m grateful for the opportunity to immerse myself in Gallaudet’s community.
That being said, I was surprised to learn that Gallaudet suspended its undergraduate Teacher Preparation Program in 2024. I learned this only upon entering my first advising appointment to schedule classes for the fall 2025 semester. When applying to Gallaudet, I selected Early Childhood Education as my major of interest and was never informed about the prior suspension of that program. Since I learned about the change to the undergraduate Education programs, I’ve heard varying answers about why this happened and whether the programs will be reinstated. In pursuit of clarity on this decision, I contacted Dr. Bobbie Jo Kite and Dr. Helen Thumann of Gallaudet’s Education department. I would like to extend special thanks to Dr. Kite for her thorough and informative response.
It’s relieving to know that all undergraduate students currently enrolled in Education programs will be able to complete their degrees through Spring 2026; I’m also glad to learn the main reason for the suspension of these programs. Dr. Kite cites low enrollment as the driving factor for the decision. Another factor she points to is the hiring practices of Deaf schools. Kite explains that Deaf schools “increasingly prefer to hire educators who are subject-matter experts in a specific content area in addition to having specialized training in Deaf Education.” While I understand the department’s reasoning, it is disappointing that Gallaudet doesn’t offer an undergraduate major in Education, as most major colleges and universities do.
For students interested in studying Education, there are still options available. Undergraduate students can declare a minor in Education, which includes 18 credits of coursework covering foundations of teaching, educational psychology, and literacy. Gallaudet does offer a Master of Arts in Deaf Education, which has received national recognition from the Council for Exceptional Children. Kite points to this as being a “powerful testament to the caliber” of the graduate program in Deaf Education.
Once again, I’m grateful for the detailed response from Gallaudet’s Education Department, but concerned that there might not be understanding throughout the Gallaudet community about the changes to undergraduate programming. The department did send out a message to the Gallaudet community in 2024, but what about future students? As of the writing of this article, Bachelor’s degrees in Education are still listed on the Gallaudet website. Other suspended degrees, such as History, are still listed as well. If you have an opinion on the suspension of other undergraduate degree programs at Gallaudet, please contact The Buff and Blue. We are always interested in promoting student voices. My hope is that this article provides clarity about the suspension of the undergraduate Education programs at Gallaudet. Below is a portion of the memo that the Education Department sent to the Gallaudet community in 2024:
“Due to numerous factors, following internal reviews of our programs, the Department of Education has decided not to offer general education licensure in the Secondary Education track. Assuming they follow their current plan of study and meet all current requirements, students in the Secondary track major would qualify for the Secondary Education degree and (if they pass the required Praxis exams) for secondary licensure.”
Students with a BA degree in a content area including English, mathematics, biology, chemistry, and social studies can now qualify for the MA in Teacher Preparation Program (TTP): Deaf Education (K-12) program to obtain DC licensure in Deaf Education. Students interested in becoming classroom teachers in secondary education are encouraged to complete their BA degree in a content area and a minor in Education, and to apply for the MA in Teacher Preparation Program: Deaf Education (K-12) after they graduate from the BA program. They can complete the MA program in 1 or 2 years, depending on the prerequisites required. Individuals with a BA degree in a content area without a minor in Education can still apply for the MA in TTP: Deaf Education. They will be required to take several prerequisite courses in Education during their graduate studies, and the program will take approximately 2 years to complete. The prerequisite courses will be online.
Students interested in teaching Pre-K to elementary grade students can apply to the dual license graduate programs, including the MA in Early Childhood Education (Pre-K to 3rd grade) and Deaf Education (K-12), and the MA in Elementary Education (1st-6th grade) and Deaf Education (K-12). These programs will lead to dual licenses in ECE or Elementary Education and Deaf Education. Both programs will take approximately 2 years to complete. Undergraduate students are encouraged to complete minor courses in Education, which may allow them to waive some prerequisites for the MA in ECE and Deaf Education or the Elementary Education and Deaf Education degree. They must still take and pass the Praxis II Content Knowledge exam in either ECE or Elementary Education before admission.
This is exciting because we will no longer require candidates seeking to teach in secondary education to take and pass the Praxis II content knowledge exams in a content area before admission, which is a barrier for many students. Additionally, applicants with a GPA of 3.0 or higher in their BA degree are waived from taking the Praxis Core Exams in writing, reading, and mathematics. They will still be required to take and pass Praxis Exams in Deaf Education and Special Education by the end of their graduate studies. We believe this change will help increase recruitment and retention in the MA in Deaf Education program, producing more teachers to address the shortage of teachers of the Deaf in the US.”
~ Dr. Bobbi Jo Kite