{"id":34,"date":"2017-09-21T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-09-21T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/what-do-you-major-in-to-become-a-teacher\/"},"modified":"2021-12-28T23:07:30","modified_gmt":"2021-12-28T23:07:30","slug":"what-do-you-major-in-to-become-a-teacher","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/what-do-you-major-in-to-become-a-teacher\/","title":{"rendered":"What do you major in to become a teacher?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>By Jodi Herlick<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Students who are interested in pursuing a career in teaching need to ensure that they get on the best degree path that will carry them to their goals.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Follow this helpful guide to make sure that you choose the best teaching degree for you!<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>Choose the education major for the age you want to teach:<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/academics\/undergraduate-majors-and-programs\/majors\/education-elementary-k-6\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Elementary education majors<\/a> are generalists.<\/strong><br \/>\nThey teach math, language arts, science, etc. They typically take lots of classes about how to teach K-6 students about various subjects.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Middle and high school teachers pick a specific area content area, such as math, language arts or social studies.<\/strong><br \/>\nThey take a combination of courses in their subject area and courses on how to teach, like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/academics\/undergraduate-majors-and-programs\/majors\/education-elementary-k-6mathematics-5-8\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">math<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/academics\/undergraduate-majors-and-programs\/majors\/education-elementary-k-6social-studies-5-8\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social studies<\/a>. They need to be experts in their content!<\/li>\n<li><strong>Some subjects, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/academics\/undergraduate-majors-and-programs\/majors\/education-vocal-music-k-12\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">music<\/a> or art, are taught by specialists who can teach any K-12 grades.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Your degree should be an <em>education<\/em> degree<\/h2>\n<p>For example, you usually can\u2019t just major in English and teach high school English in a high school. You need to learn the art of teaching in addition to knowing about the content you\u2019ll teach.<\/p>\n<h2>Your degree needs to be approved to lead to a teaching license in the state where the university or college is located.<\/h2>\n<p>Universities and colleges go through a rigorous vetting process by their state\u2019s board of teaching before they can offer education programs.<\/p>\n<p>If you complete one of these programs and pass any required licensure tests, you\u2019ll be eligible for a teaching license in that state for the age level and content you were prepared for.<\/p>\n<p>Licenses can be transferred between states, so someone who was trained in Minnesota could get a license in Wisconsin or California. A few additional classes may need to be taken, depending on the state\u2019s requirements.<\/p>\n<h2>Find an education program that fits your personality and needs<\/h2>\n<p>Education programs have different focuses and strengths. Some education programs have high academic standards for admission. Some have a mentorship focus, with faculty coaching students along the way. Some have a holistic approach, nurturing both the mind and the heart.<\/p>\n<p>Get a feel for an education department\u2019s essence to see if it fits with your own goals. All good education programs will offer plenty of hands-on experience in the classroom.<\/p>\n<h2>Follow these 11 simple steps to become a teacher<\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 236px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left;\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn2.hubspot.net\/hubfs\/2814676\/Education%20Major\/Screen%20Shot%202017-09-08%20at%202.28.57%20PM.png\" alt=\"Screen Shot 2017-09-08 at 2.28.57 PM.png\" width=\"236\" \/>Interested in earning an education major so that you can become a teacher? Download this easy checklist to kick off your teaching career.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/go.northcentral.edu\/download-teacher-checklist\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><button type=\"button\">Download the free teacher checklist<\/button><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Students who are interested in pursuing a career in teaching need to ensure that they get on the best degree path that will help them become a teacher.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":66,"featured_media":165,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29,42],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academic-programs","category-education"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What do you major in to become a teacher? 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