Arts in education MEd and teaching license
Earn your MN K-12 teaching license to teach visual arts, dance, or theatre arts in just over a year. Our accelerated program will prepare you to step into your classroom with confidence and solid classroom experience. You will complete all of the required teaching hours through school-based field experiences and required coursework in 12 months. Our license is highly transferable to other states.
This is a graduate-level, full-time program integrating educational theory with classroom practice. Beginning teachers will be ready to implement a contemporary, comprehensive arts education program based on current theory and practice in the field.
Quote from Talia Edelheit, MEd 2021
This is one of the only programs in the US that gives students a master's degree and teaching license within a single year. The University of Minnesota is also one of the only educational institutions that puts a strong emphasis on anti-racist curriculum. As a white educator wanting to create a safe and diverse environment for my students, I knew that I needed this program.
About the program and coursework
To look at the core curriculum and electives for the program, visit the University course catalog teaching MEd page.
Master's of education
This program includes two components: initial teaching licensure and MEd degree. The Department of Curriculum and Instruction offers our teacher preparation programs at the graduate level because it affords you the opportunity to master your content knowledge through your undergraduate degree before being placed in a real classroom for an optimal learning experience.
This model 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 by district and state, Minnesota teachers are on the higher end of the pay scale.
- Teachers with advanced degrees can be promoted to school administration positions and become mentors to other teachers based upon their graduate training.
Curriculum
In order to be recommended for your Minnesota k-12 Dance, Theatre, and/or Visual Arts License(s), you must successfully complete these licensure requirements mandated by the state of Minnesota.
This material is available in alternative formats upon request. Direct requests to the Office of Teacher Education at ote@umn.edu, 612-625-5060.
Timeline
Our program is sequential and each required course is offered once per academic year, beginning in the summer semester, and can be completed by the end of the next summer (12 months). Summer semester courses are offered in shorter two to three week overlapping intervals meeting in both the morning and afternoon. Each of our three fall courses meets once a week from 4:40-7:20 p.m. for 14 weeks. Eight weeks of student teaching at the elementary level and eight weeks in middle or high school is usually completed in the Spring semester.
Related programs
- If you already have earned your initial teaching license, we offer an additional teaching license in visual arts, theatre and dance education.
- 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 undergraduate minor lets you explore school systems and offer support to advance educational equity.
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
- November 30: Deadline to request a transcript review/prerequisite evaluation
- December 15: Application and scholarship application deadline
- February 1: Admissions notifications sent out on a rolling basis
We are here to help! If you have questions, please contact the academic advisor in your program area.
Tuition and funding
To get you started, we have created a tutorial to review your scholarship and financial aid options. Watch the scholarship video tutorial.
Financial aids
- Apply for financial aid and scholarships when you submit your application
- Each year we award partial scholarships to qualified teaching candidates. Teaching candidates received over $600,000 in scholarships from CEHD last year.
- If you intend to teach a high-need subject in a public or private elementary or secondary school that serves low-income families, you may be eligible to receive grants of up to $4,000/year. Learn more about the TEACH grant on Onestop.
- If you plan to teach full time for five complete and consecutive years in schools that serve low-income families, you may be eligible for loan forgiveness of up to $17,500 through a program administered by the federal government.
- Learn more about teacher loan forgiveness
What we look for
Strong applications will demonstrate:
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A commitment to social justice and equity through working with diverse populations and underrepresented, or marginalized, group
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A capacity for critical self-reflection
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How teaching is a thoughtful and informed career choice
Application Process
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Prerequisite review
- GPA: 2.80 GPA is required for full acceptance. Special review will be given to applicants with a GPA less than 2.80.
- Unofficial transcripts: A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited U.S. institution, or a comparable degree from a recognized college or university in another country, is required.
- Resume: A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited U.S. institution, or a comparable degree from a recognized college or university in another country, is required.
- Personal Statement:
Writing prompt: Describe the world you come from--for example, your family, community or school. Tell us about a time when your worldview has informed and/or been challenged by working with children or youth.
- Diversity Statement: Writing prompt: Given the well-documented racial, ethnic, and/or cultural differences between teachersand the students they teach in K-12 spaces, what have you done to further your knowledge and understanding about equity and diversity?
- Letter of Recommendation: Ask someone who can speak to your experience working with children and/or youth, or who can vouch for your commitment to educational equity.
- (Optional) Extenuating Circumstance Statement: Recommended for those with a GPA below 2.8
*GRE is not required
International Student Applicants
- English Language Profiency Test: The Graduate School requires evident of English proficiency. Please visit the Graduate School's English language proficiency page for more information.
- Official evaluation of transcript by a NACES-approved member: You must get a NACES-approved member organization to complete a course-by-course evaluation of your transcript.
Send to: Department of Curriculum & Instruction c/o Foreign Transcript Evaluations Peik Hall, 125 159 Pillsbury Dr. SE Minneapolis, MN 55455
Program Prerequisites
Before you are admitted to the MEd and Teaching license programs, you must complete some prerequisite coursework, which varies based on the type of license you are seeking. Below, you will find a list of prerequisites listed by license. Please send the program advisor your unofficial transcript(s).
Admissions Support
Request information
We’re here to help. Simply complete one of these forms and a member of our department will be in touch