Social studies education MEd and teaching license
Earn your license to teach social studies in grades 5-12 and your master’s degree in just over a year. Our accelerated program will prepare you to start teaching with solid classroom experience. You will complete all of the required teaching hours through our unique co-teaching practicum model and required coursework in 13 months. The license to teach in Minnesota is highly transferable to other states and our candidates are sought after by local school districts. This is a graduate-level, full-time program.
Quote from Eli Singer, MEd 2020
The amount of individualized support we get within this program truly surprised me. Because of the small size of the cohort, all of your professors not only know you personally but also provide very strong individualized support. This not only comes in the form of feedback on assignments but also in helping you design lessons, mitigate issues that might arise in the classroom, and more.
About the program and coursework
To look at the core curriculum and electives for the program, visit the University course catalog teaching MEd page under the Social Studies education sub-plan
Master's of education
We offer our teacher preparation programs at the graduate level because it affords you the opportunity to master your content knowledge in your undergraduate degree, allowing for an accelerated program that focuses on teaching. Combining an MEd with your teaching license offers the following advantages:
- Teachers who have a master's degree will see a roughly $7,000 annual salary increase [Teacher.org]
- Though the salary increase with a master's degree will vary, Minnesota teachers are on the higher end of the payscale, especially in STEM-focused fields. The annual mean Minnesota teacher salaries were $64,790 for middle school teachers and $64,960 for high school teachers in 2019 [Bureau of Labor Statistics].
- Teachers with advanced degrees are seen as experts. You can be promoted to a school administration position and mentor other teachers based on your graduate training.
Student experience
Our unique co-teaching program and cohort experience will help you gain the confidence you need to start in your own classroom with plenty of support. Learn more about the student teaching experience .
Timeline
In this accelerated 13-month program you will complete all your required licensure coursework, student-teaching hours, and MEd completion credits.
Program orientation is in May. Courses start in the summer and finish the following summer. After completing the program and taking the licensure exams, you will earn both your MEd and your 5-12 social studies teaching license and be ready to start in your own classroom in the Fall.
Related programs
- DirecTrack to Teaching is an exploratory education program that lets you experience schools and school culture in a K-12 education setting.
- The Racial Justice in Urban Schooling minor lets you explore school systems and offer support to advance educational equity.
- Teach English as a Second Language (TESL) minor gives you teaching experience at community sites and lets you explore a teaching career abroad.
Teacher scholars of color program
Do you identify, or are you identified, as a non-majority racial group? Consider participating in the Teacher Scholars of Color program. Students admitted to the MEd and initial teaching license programs have the opportunity to join a community of prospective teachers of color and get paired with a faculty mentor. International students are also welcome to this program. Find out more about the TSoC program.
How to apply
Application deadline and instructions
- October 1: MEd/ILP application opens
- October 4: Scholarship application opens
- November 30: Priority deadline for a transcript review/prerequisite evaluation
- December 15: Priority application and scholarship application deadline, elementary education program accepting applications through January 15
- January 15:
- Deadline for Arts in Education and Elementary education program
- Final scholarship application deadline
- March 15 - April 30: Admissions notifications will be sent on a rolling basis between March 15 and April 30. Students waitlisted may receive a notification after April 30.
Prerequisites
You must have foundational coursework in one of the following areas to choose as a concentration: African and African American Studies, American Indian Studies, American history, Asian American studies, anthropology, applied economics/economics, geography, gender studies, history, LatinX and ChicanX studies, political science, psychology, and sociology. See the required prerequisites.
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