Start your journey
Take the first step to becoming an elementary education teacher
Throughout the bachelor's in elementary education, foundations program, you'll benefit from our faculty's expertise, our innovative curriculum, and multiple field experience that are crafted to provide you with unique insights into classroom dynamics, special education supports, and literacy instruction and assessment. Upon completion of this foundational coursework and hands-on teaching experience, you'll graduate prepared to move into the licensure program.
First-year student admissions are handled through the Office of Admissions. You're considered a first-year student if you graduated high school and are starting your first-year of college at the U of M.
You're considered a transfer student if you've registered or enrolled at a college, university, or any other school after graduating from high school. Current U of M students who aren't in the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) are also considered transfer students.
Are you a current CEHD student who is ready to declare your major?
Careers
After you graduate with your BS in elementary education foundations, you will have completed all the required prerequisites to be immediately eligible to apply the licensure program. The MEd and teaching license in elementary education can be completed in one academic year of full time study. After that year of study, you have your Masters in Education and be able to teach in your own classroom with a Tier 3 License.
Earning your MEd offers the following advantages:
- Enhanced preparations, helps build expertise and greater competency
- Career versatility, transition into more school leadership roles
- A competitive advantage over teachers without master’s when applying for jobs
In addition to teaching, graduates gain valuable experience in communication, leadership, and child development, opening pathways to careers in the areas of curriculum writer, instructional designer, museum education, after-school education programs, consulting firms, test preparation companies, adoption agencies, educational publishers, or boards of education.
Coursework
Earning a minor can help prepare you for the area you wish to pursue. Consider the following minors that complement the coursework in the BS in Early Education Foundations program:
Department of Curriculum and Instruction minors:
As an Elementary Education Foundations major, you will complete three separate field experiences during your undergraduate program: Elementary Teaching, Reading Foundations, and Special Education Foundations. You will gain practical skills through these hands-on experiences, including creating and teaching your own lesson plans, working in classrooms with students on Individual Education Plans (IEPs), and mentoring elementary learners in literacy skill development. Each of these experiences is directly linked to University coursework and takes place within Twin Cities elementary schools that are part of our CEHD partnership network.
View the core curriculum and program requirements in the undergraduate course catalog.
We strongly encourage you to study abroad and engage with global communities. The University of Minnesota Learning Abroad Center offers numerous opportunities to explore the world. A featured opportunity for students pursuing the Bachelor of Science (BS) in Elementary Education, Foundations, is the Teaching Practicum in France.
This unique program offers several distinct advantages:
- Integrated curriculum: Created in conjunction with the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD), the two core courses offered fit seamlessly into the required curriculum for the Elementary Education Foundations major.
- Beautiful location: Experience Montpellier, France, which boasts a Mediterranean climate and over 300 days of sunshine each year.
- Robust support: The program provides a dedicated University of Minnesota Program Center and five full-time staff members on-site for comprehensive support.
Learn more about this and other study abroad opportunities at the UMN Learning Abroad Center.
Tuition and funding
Funding
Visit OneStop for the most up-to-date tuition information and to understand the full cost of attendance.
Financial aid
Check out this One Stop link for more information on eligibility, required steps, and timelines. If you have questions, Or change the contact information to onestop@umn.edu (612-624-1111)
What our students say
Faculty
Vision Statement
Our graduates recognize schools as places for the essential justice-oriented work of engaging with children and communities. They advocate for justice-oriented action in support of children, communities, colleagues, and the field of education. Our graduates value an ethos of vulnerability, recognizing their knowledge and pedagogical skills as wide-ranging, ever-evolving, and in collaboration with students. They are part of a growing movement to disrupt and dismantle unjust practices and actively humanize systems in public education in order to build a just future for all.