School of Education | Teacher Education and Higher Education (TEHE) | Want to Become a K-12 Teacher?
Want to Become a K-12 Teacher?
We offer a variety of ways for people interested in becoming a K-12 educator to achieve their career goals. All of our initial licensure programs combine rigorous coursework with ample opportunities for classroom experience in K-12 schools prior to student teaching. Read below to find the right program for you!
Undergraduate Programs
These programs are for undergraduate students and culminate in a student teaching semester.
Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education
UNC Greensboro is well-known and highly respected for its outstanding teacher education programs. The Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education combines a rigorous academic program with extensive clinical practice in partner school sites. By the time students graduate and have completed student-teaching, they will have accumulated more than 1,000 hours of classroom experience!
Bachelor of Science, Dual Elementary Education and Special Education Concentration
The Departments of Teacher Education & Higher Education and Specialized Education Services offer a dual licensure program in elementary education and special education. This program provides undergraduate teacher candidates clinical and field-based experiences across educational settings. Throughout their course of study, students apply their knowledge and skills in classrooms to be prepared for a career in education. The program culminates in a student teaching placement in an inclusive educational context.
Bachelor of Science in Middle Grades Education
This program prepares future teachers for North Carolina licensure in Middle Grades (grades 6-9) including an essential understanding of Middle Grades’ students and schools; rigorous content-area knowledge; and exemplary teaching practice. Young adolescents are in a stage of great transition, making middle school an exciting and challenging place to be.
Secondary Teacher Education Program (STEP)
STEP students major in a content area (e.g., history, political science, English, biology) and begin taking education courses in their junior year, resulting in initial licensure for grades 9-12.
Secondary Social Studies Education
The Secondary Social Studies Teacher Education program is for students majoring in anthropology, geography, history, political science, psychology, or sociology who wish to receive secondary (grades 9-12) teaching licensure.
Secondary English Education
UNC Greensboro’s English with High School Licensure program prepares students for the challenges of teaching English in grades 9-12. The University’s Department of English and School of Education work together to ensure students graduate with both the theory to support their practice and real-world experiences to prepare them once they graduate.
Secondary Science Education
The Comprehensive Science High School Licensure program at UNC Greensboro provides a strong background in science as well as licensure for high school teaching.
Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT)
Our MAT programs are for people who already have an undergraduate degree, do not hold a teaching license, and are not currently teaching in a K-12 school. This program leads to initial licensure, not advanced licensure.
MAT, Concentration in Elementary Education (Online)
The Master of Arts in Teaching with a concentration in Elementary Education program prepares candidates for a career as an elementary classroom teacher with an initial license in Kindergarten through 6th grade. The program is set up as a cohort model in which you take all of your classes as a team.
MAT, Concentration in Middle Grades Education
The Middle Grades program at UNC Greensboro prepares future teachers for North Carolina licensure in Middle Grades (grades 6-9) through an essential understanding of Middle Grades students and schools, rigorous content-area knowledge, and exemplary teaching practices.
MAT, Concentration in Secondary Science Education
This program is designed to prepare excellent science teachers for middle/secondary schools. The program is designed to enhance students’ knowledge of science, the nature of science, and the ways students learn science and to help students develop the knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to assume roles as science teacher leaders in today’s increasingly diverse high school settings. University and clinical faculty are committed to teacher education and development.
MAT, Concentration in Secondary English Education
The Master of Teaching in English Education program is for students who hold an undergraduate degree in English and who wish to receive secondary (9-12) teaching licensure. The program prepares students for successful teaching at the high school level.
MAT, Concentration in Secondary Social Studies Education
The Master of Teaching in Secondary Social Studies program is for students who hold an undergraduate degree in a social studies discipline (anthropology, economics, geography, history, political science, psychology, or sociology) who wish to receive secondary (9-12) teaching licensure. The program prepares students for successful teaching at the high school level.
MAT, Concentration in Special Education
This 15-month online program, which only begins in the summer, prepares candidates for a career as a special education teacher with an initial license in Special Education: General Curriculum K-12. The program is set up as a cohort model in which you take all of your classes as a team. This online M.A.T. program is designed to provide initial teacher licensure in Special Education: General Curriculum to individuals who have an undergraduate degree from a regionally accredited university in a field other than education and desire to work in K-12 classrooms.
MAT, Concentration in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESOL)
In addition to coursework, students complete a one-semester internship and one semester of student-teaching in designated K-12 schools. Graduates earn a Master of Arts in Teaching with a concentration in TESOL and are recommended for licensure to teach ESL in grades K-12. Our mission is to prepare educators to work with English learners in both local and global instructional settings.
Alternative Licensure (Also Known as Lateral Entry)
This program is for people who already have an undergraduate degree, do not hold a teaching license, but are currently teaching full-time in a K-12 school.
NC TEACH
North Carolina Teachers of Excellence for All Children (NC TEACH) is designed to recruit, train, support, and retain mid-career professionals as they become licensed teachers in North Carolina.
Certificate Programs and Add-On Licensure
Post-Baccalaureate Certification in Design and Making in Education
The Design and Making in Education post-baccalaureate certificate focuses on Making/Makerspaces across formal and informal learning contexts. Students learn a suite of Making practices, informed by theoretical lenses grounded in equity and strength-based approaches.
Post-Baccalaureate Certification in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)
The curriculum is designed to develop the knowledge, skills, and dispositions of those who are currently teaching or desire to teach language-minority adults and children to understand, speak, read, and write English in a variety of community, educational, and business settings.
English as a Second Language (ESL) Add-On Licensure
The ESL Add-On Licensure is a fully online program designed for K-12 teachers seeking North Carolina K-12 ESL add-on licensure in order to work with multilingual learners in K-12 public school settings.
Add-On Licensure in Elementary Mathematics
Candidates in the Elementary Mathematics Add-on Licensure Program, a 100% online program, will meet standards and competencies through successful completion of six mathematics education courses that reflect the requirement of the elementary mathematics specialist license as approved by the North Carolina State Board of Education.
Add-On Licensure in REading
The mission of the online Literacy Education Program is to prepare teacher leaders who advocate for and seek to integrate theory, research, and practice; engage in reflection, research, and professional collaborations; and offer culturally relevant, learner-centered opportunities for every student to develop the literacy skills needed in the 21st century.
Add-On Licensure in Elementary Science
Candidates in the elementary science add-on licensure program will meet standards and competencies through successful completion of five science education courses. Candidates will receive a K-6 add-on licensure in science as approved by the North Carolina State Board of Education. All courses are online.
SOE SCHOLARSHIPS & FUNDING
A variety of financial aid is available to our students, including scholarships based on academic merit and financial need. We invite you to explore the many scholarship and funding opportunities offered in the School of Education.
department OF TEACHER EDUCATION AND HIGHER EDUCATION (TEHE)
Location:
School of Education Building
Mailing Address:
School of Education Building
PO Box 26170
Greensboro, NC 27402