Undergraduate Degree
	Elementary Education (programs in the College of Education; degree from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)
Four-year Graduation Plan
	No, because of student teaching
Teaching Licensure
	Elementary Education, Secondary Education
Competitive Admission
Links
	Web Site Courses General Catalog

• Why Study Teaching at Iowa?
• Admission
• Teacher Licensure Programs
• Student Teaching
• Careers
• Placement at Iowa
• Scholarships

Why Study Teaching at Iowa?
Iowa’s College of Education has a fine reputation for a high-quality curriculum that offers solid preparation for teaching careers after graduation.

In its latest report on the country’s best graduate school programs, U.S. News & World Report ranked the College of Education in the top 20 among public schools. Top-ranking programs within the college include rehabilitation counseling, counseling/personnel services, secondary education, educational psychology, and higher education administration. The strong relationship between the College of Education and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences makes education’s programs unique in their breadth, depth, and opportunity for diverse learning experiences.

To teach elementary students, you’ll major in elementary education at Iowa. If you’d like to teach in secondary schools (grades 5-12), you must major in the field you’d like to teach (English, languages, mathematics, etc.) and also enroll in the Teacher Education Program to earn licensure or certification.

Because secondary education has more specific requirements than some other areas, speak to an advisor in the secondary education program area of your choice even before you apply to the program.

Admission
To be admitted to a teacher education program, students first need to apply for admission to the University. After completing 33 semester hours of course work (from either Iowa or another institution) with a minimum 2.70 cumulative grade-point average (GPA), application is made to the specific teacher education program area in which you seek licensure.

Refer to the College of Education for additional requirements for admission, including submission of Praxis I scores.

After completion of required course work, you will file a student teaching application, at which time your professional progress will be reviewed to verify readiness for a student teaching experience.

Once you are admitted to the program, advisors will help you progress through your program area.

Teacher Licensure Programs
These programs prepare students to teach in elementary and secondary education.

Elementary Education Licensure/Certification
The undergraduate elementary education program prepares you to teach self-contained general elementary grades K-6. You’ll study education foundations and methods, required course work in liberal arts and sciences, and in any of the following areas of specialization. These endorsements, unlike the general elementary, cover grades K-8:

• Art
• English as a second language
• English language arts
• History
• Mathematics
• Music
• Reading
• Science
• Social science
• Special education (Instructional Strategist I)
• Speech communication/theater

Coaching, hearing impaired, and talented and gifted are available as additional approval areas only.

Secondary Education Licensure/Certification
Secondary school teacher preparation programs are provided in the following areas:

• Art and art history
• English
• Foreign languages (Spanish, French, German, Italian, Russian, Latin, Chinese, Japanese)
• Mathematics
• Music
• Science (general science, physical science, biology, chemistry, physics, earth science)
• Social science (anthropology, economics, geography, history, political science, psychology, sociology)

Coaching, English as a second language, journalism, hearing impaired, talented and gifted, and reading are available as additional approval areas only.

An Iowa secondary teaching license qualifies you to teach grades 5-12. If you plan to teach art or music, completing a program would qualify you to be licensed at both the elementary or secondary level. There are programs available to add additional licensure in other subjects.

Student Teaching
In addition to local student teaching opportunities, there are possibilities for placement in schools that provide diversity in location, ethnicity, and culture. Examples include Des Moines and Chicago, as well as California, Nevada, Texas, Colorado, and international settings.

Careers
Qualified teachers are in great demand. By 2015, forecasts indicate that public and private school enrollment in the United States will exceed 58 million students, an increase of nearly three million children since 2003. The National Center for Education Statistics projects that four million teachers will be needed by 2015 because of teacher attrition and retirement plus increased school enrollment.

Jobs are available anywhere there are schools, from large urban areas to rural mountain towns. Teaching is one of the few professions that offers substantial choices with respect to location, subject area, schedule, and school type. Teacher salaries vary by region and by school district. Teachers are enjoying increases to salaries and a sense of reinvestment in public education.Teachers from The University of Iowa are working in stateside and international settings, and making a difference wherever they go.

Placement at Iowa
In 2007-08, 92 percent of all first-year elementary and secondary teachers found full- or part-time positions in teaching or teaching-related jobs. Iowa alumni are located throughout the United States and in foreign countries teaching in public and private schools and working in other areas of education.

The Educational Placement Office offers professional assistance with job search strategies, developing résumés, and scheduling interviews. But it also goes beyond this traditional role. In addition to learning job search skills, students learn the technical skills necessary to translate ideas and paper materials to an electronic portfolio on the web. Students can videotape themselves teaching a class, counseling a child, or holding a conference with a family. Prospective employers may view the video online while speaking to the student on the telephone, making the interview process convenient and inexpensive for both.

These skills can easily be transferred to a classroom setting. Future teachers who participate in this project bring to their classroom technology literacy as well as their subject knowledge.

Scholarships
Various forms of financial aid and scholarships are available to education majors. The College of Education offers a complete list.

Also, various student teaching scholarships are available to provide financial assistance during the student teaching semester. Application is made in the spring for the following fall or spring semester. Eligible students must have a strong GPA and show exceptional promise as teachers, and they must plan to teach after completing the program.

Other sources for scholarship information include the Office of Admissions and the Office of Student Financial Aid.