Start your journey
Earn your MN 5-12 teaching license to teach social studies education 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.
Program details
Program Duration
- 12 months (3 semesters)
Modality
- In-person, cohort-based work
Schedule
- Full time, Monday thru Friday
Timeline
- The initial teaching licensure coursework is offered in a full-time, 12-month, graduate-level format integrating educational theory with classroom practice. Courses start in the summer and finish the following summer.
Cost
- $9,984 per semester (MN resident)
- $15,600 per semester (non-MN resident)
Career outlook
94.4% of social studies MEd graduates found teaching jobs within a year of graduation (2021-2022 cohort)
- Teachers with a master's degree are regarded as experts in their field, making you a more competitive job candidate with an MEd
- 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. Median Minnesota teacher salaries were $64,790 and $64,960 for middle school and high school respectively in 2019 [BLS]
- Once a teacher is employed, there is much more mobility that comes with a master's. Teachers with advanced degrees can be promoted to school administration positions and can become mentors to other teachers based upon specific graduate training
Admission information
Important dates:
- October 1 - Application opens
- December 15 - Application closes
Decisions are released mid February
Application requirements
International applicants
International applicants may also need:
- An English translation of your transcripts, if the transcript is not in English.
- A course by course evaluation may be required.
- TOEFL scores. Official TOEFL scores are required. You may qualify for an exception if you have completed 16 semester or 24 quarter credits within the past 24 months in residence as a full-time student at an accredited institution of higher learning in the United States. Please see the University of Minnesota TOEFL score requirements and submission guidelines from the Graduate School. Early application is advised to ensure timely admission.
- International students with F-1 visas may take no more than the equivalent of one completely online education class (or 3 credits per semester) and count it towards their full-time course requirement. Full-time enrollment for graduate students is 6 credits. If you are enrolled in an online program and studying in your home country, you do not need full-time enrollment status.
Admissions support
Additional admissions information
Before applying online, make sure you have all the required materials. Download and refer to this application tip sheet as you work through the application. The included directions will help you complete your application quickly and smoothly.
We are here to help! If you have questions, please contact the academic advisor in your program area:
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
Tuition and funding
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 email the program advisor your unofficial transcript(s).
Program adviser:
Request information
We’re here to help. Complete our form and a member of our department will be in touch.
Why choose a master's in social studies education at the University of Minnesota?
In just one year, you’ll earn both your initial teaching license to teach social studies in Minnesota and a Master of Education (MEd) degree, preparing you to inspire critical thinking, civic engagement, and historical awareness in today’s middle and high school classrooms. Our social studies education program provides individualized support and our small cohort model let's our professors offer personalized feedback, helping you design meaningful lessons while supporting you through real-world classroom challenges. Our program is rooted in inquiry, justice, and relevance, and we strive to empower future educators to engage students in complex conversations about history, culture, identity, and power. You’ll graduate with the tools, confidence, and perspective needed to create inclusive and thought-provoking learning environments.
About the program and coursework
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.
Program duration:
12 months (3 semesters)
Modality:
In-person, cohort-based work
Schedule:
Full time, Monday thru Friday
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.
In order to be recommended for your Minnesota 5-12 Social Studies License, 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.
- If you already have earned your initial teaching license, we offer an additional teaching license(s)
- 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.
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 .
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.
