Mathematics education MEd and teaching license
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 12 months. You can earn your MEd while teaching in your own classroom.
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.
Mission
Our program prepares future middle and high school math teachers to support adolescent learners while exploring the personal and political of math instruction. Instructors examine how educational experiences are shaped by race, language, culture, identity, and codes of power. We educate teachers to reflect on these issues with students through modeling and discussions. We cultivate relationships with diverse schools, teachers, and learners committed to engaging communities, enacting social justice, transforming learning experiences, and creating joy.
Quote from Ericka Storvick
I appreciated that the U offered a one-year, intensive program that would allow me to become a teacher sooner, and that the student teaching hours were built into the program.
About this program
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. You will engage in student teaching at both a middle school and a high school. Learn more about the student teaching experience.
Program coursework
The coursework will cover core teaching practices including leading discussion, assessments, developing engaging activities, principles of equitable mathematics teaching, developing skills to meet the needs of all learners.
See the core curriculum and electives for the program in the University course catalog Teaching MEd page under the Math sub-plan.
Curriculum
In order to be recommended for your Minnesota 5-12 Mathematics License, you must successfully complete the 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.
Related programs
- If you already have earned your initial teaching license, we offer an additional teaching license in math 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.
- Teach English as a Second Language (TESL) minor gives you teaching experience at community sites and lets you explore a teaching career abroad.
Timeline
The teaching licensure coursework is offered in a full-time, twelve-month graduate program that integrates coursework with student teaching. Program orientation is in May. Courses start in the summer and finish the following summer. Students earning their MEd along with their license will complete 11 additional credits after finishing the licensure part of the program. Evening, online, and summer courses are available to complete the MEd coursework on a part-time basis while teaching. You have up to three years to complete the required 11 credits to earn your Master of Education.
Masters 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 by district and state, Minnesota teachers are on the higher end of the payscale. The annual mean salary for elementary school teachers in Minnesota in 2019 was $63,250 [Bureau of Labor Statistics].
- Teachers with advanced degrees can be promoted to school administration positions and can become mentors to other teachers based upon their graduate training.
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
Application requirements
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
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