What Education Do You Need to Be a Teacher?

For kindergarten, elementary, middle, and high school teachers, the basic education route involves obtaining a four-year bachelor’s degree from a university. Additionally, the candidates also have to be licensed according to the particular state’s requirements, before they can find employment.

Before going into the details of what education do you need to be a teacher, it is important to construct a basic pathway to follow. If you are too overwhelmed by the idea of where to begin and where to finish, this will help you.

Step-by-Step Guide/Pathway

Step 1: Obtain a High School Diploma

Although it may sound like an obvious statement, it is nonetheless the initial step towards making a career in teaching.

Step 2: Get Admitted to a College

A four-year bachelor’s degree program is essential for teaching at public schools. Preferably, you should have majored in a specific area like mathematics, biology, or history. Teachers at preschools generally need only two-year associate degrees in areas like childhood development.

Step 3: Get Certified/Licensed

Each state requires public school teachers to obtain license from the state-designated licensure agency.

Step 4: Progress in the Field

Adding voluntary certifications, joining professional organizations and getting diplomas in the particular field of education can really brighten up your resume and increase chances of better employment prospects.

Now that you have understood what the basic plan entails and answering “what education do you need to be a teacher,” you must equip yourself with the specific information pertaining to educational requirements.

Usual Degree Requirements

Those aspiring to teach students of levels K-12 should enroll in bachelor’s degree programs concerning a particular field of education. The candidates who aspire to teach middle and high school level students must also have a particular concentration area they wish to teach in, for instance English, history, geography, or music.

Potential elementary level teaching candidates typically choose a different career pathway, which involves enrolling in either early childhood education program or an elementary level education degree program that concentrates on the basics of educational psychology, all the while, offering instructions on different subjects that are taught in K-8 grades.

Candidates who enroll in bachelor’s degree programs in education usually have to complete courses like:

Human development
Student assessment strategies
Instructional methods
Multiculturalism
Communication principles
Educational technology

Bachelor’s degree programs tend to combine individual assignment, group projects as well as class work assignments. In some cases, the students also have to have some practical experience, which can be gained by an internship at a local school. An internship as a teacher mostly involves working alongside a licensed teacher for a couple of weeks.

Alternative Programs

You may be wondering “what education do you need to be a teacher?” if you already have a bachelor’s degree and are a working professional in a different field. For such people, some states offer an alternative route. For instance, if a candidate with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics wants some sort of training in education, he could get into an alternative program like Masters of Arts in Teaching. After completing such a program, he/she will be eligible for teacher certification. Sometimes alternative certification becomes mandatory if the candidate’s field requires advanced knowledge and understanding, such as that of mathematics or physics.

Keep in mind that the candidate has to have a bachelor’s degree in order to get into an alternative licensing program, but this bachelor’s degree program doesn’t specifically have to be in the exact subject that he/she intends to teach. Such programs are designed for people who wish to switch careers to make a transition into the teaching profession.

Requirements for Post-secondary Education Teachers

Unlike the K-12 teachers, post-secondary teachers at universities and colleges usually have to have doctoral degrees. Sometimes, some schools make an exception or loosen their policies for doctoral candidates who may already have master’s degrees, however, such candidates are usually offered only part-time vacancies instead of faculty positions.

The reason institutes typically demand doctoral degrees for teaching at university or college level is because teaching 4-year programs typically include a considerable amount of research work as well, which is normally not possible to teach unless the candidate himself or herself has had experience doing it.

Licensure Requirements

It is absolutely essential to obtain a license before one can start teaching at a public school in any part of the country, irrespective of the state. This is the reason why licensure is just as important as the education itself. However, keep in mind that all 50 states have slightly varying licensure requirements. The completion of a degree program and passing of the state-administered exam is common among all states, while the specific licensing agency is different for every state.