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BACHELOR'S
CERTIFICATION

Undergraduate Elementary Teacher Education

Overview & Requirements
Applying
Careers & Field Experience

The elementary teacher education program at the University of Michigan has a strong emphasis on developing teachers’ instructional practices for the purpose of disrupting inequities in schools. Students earn a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science degree in Education and are recommended to the State of Michigan for elementary teacher certification. Prospective teachers (teaching interns) learn teaching practices that adopt a "subject-matter serious" perspective and are rooted in social justice. Students typically begin the four-term program during their junior year.

First-year students interested in elementary teacher education should consider applying for the Teacher Education Preferred Admissions (TEPA) Program.

The undergraduate elementary teacher education program prepares you to teach in:

  • Grades PK–3 all subjects (PK–3 all subjects, self-contained classroom)
  • Grades 3–6 all subjects (3–6 all subjects, self-contained classroom)
Foundational Pillars of the Elementary Education Program

Post-baccalaureate Certification Only
Students who have already completed a bachelor’s degree (and do not seek a second bachelor’s degree) may apply as a non-degree applicant to the Marsal Family School of Education to complete the teacher certification requirements. This Post-Baccalaureate/Non-Candidate for Degree Status program is for the undergraduate level only.

Want to learn more about the program?
See our upcoming information sessions

Additional certificate and endorsement opportunities

Requirements

Students are generally admitted to the Elementary Teacher Education program in their junior year, having completed at least 54 credits. To graduate, students must meet the following requirements while completing a minimum of 120 credits.


CURRICULUM

Minimum credits required
120

Credits to complete before entering the professional sequence: minimum 54

Pre-professional credits

18
  • First-Year Writing (3 credits)
  • Natural Science (6 credits)
    • Two courses (6 credits) in different natural science disciplines from this list*:
      • Astronomy
      • Biology
      • Chemistry
      • Earth Science
      • Physics
      • Environmental Science (selected)
  • Race & Ethnicity (3 credits)
  • Social Science (6 credits)**
    • Two courses (6 credits) in different social studies disciplines from this list*:
      • Civics/Political Science
      • Economics
      • History
      • Geography: cultural, human or world regional with a social science focus (ex. GEOG 145 Introduction to International Studies; not physical or natural science)
    • Advanced or in-depth courses that focus on specific issues and provide substantive learning opportunities are highly preferred to introductory, survey courses.
  • Highly Recommended, but not required, coursework that will strengthen your application
    • EDUC 118, EDUC 119, or EDUC 218
    • IGR (Intergroup Relations) - choose one:
      • ALA 122 Intergroup Dialogues
      • ALA 170 Social Identity, Social Inequality & Social Media: An Introduction to Intergroup Relations
      • ALA 220 Foundations of Intergroup Relations
    • Ethnic Studies—courses that centers the experience, histories, and/or knowledge of a historically marginalized racial or ethnic group
      • AMAS/AMCULT 384 Islamophobia
      • AMCULT/LATINOAM 213 Intro to Latina/o Studies 
      • AMCULT 263/HISTORY 262 The American South: A History of Race and Culture since Reconstruction
      • NATIVEAM/AMCULT 217 Introduction to Native American Studies
    • EARTH/ASTRO 255 – Earth and Space Sciences for Elementary School Educators

* AP/IB credit not allowed
** No double counting with Race & Ethnicity

General Elective Credits

In addition to the required pre-professional credits, students must take additional general elective credits to meet the minimum 54 credits to enter the elementary education program.

Credits to complete during the professional sequence

Core credits

50

Students complete the following courses:

Teaching experience credits

16

Students complete the following courses:

MDE ESL endorsement credits (optional)

20

Interns may elect the MDE English as a Second Language (ESL) endorsement by completing a sequence of courses and fieldwork, focused on English Language Development (ELD), during their elementary or secondary certification programs at the undergraduate or master’s levels. Fully approved by the State of Michigan, the ELD Coursework is a 20-credit, six course and practice-based course sequence, which meets Michigan state standards and prepares interns to take the MTTC ESL exam.

Learn more about obtaining an MDE ESL endorsement

Course Sequence

Semester 1
Fall (Year 1)
CourseDescriptionCredits
EDUC 307Practicum2
EDUC 392Educational Foundations in a Multicultural Society3
EDUC 401Literacy 1: Development of Foundational Skills3
EDUC 415Children as Sensemakers in PK-6 Mathematics and Science4
EDUC 430"Teaching To Transgress:" Using Dialogic Thinking and History/Social Science Perspectives to Understand Contemporary and Historical Issues3
EDUC 443Teaching Students with Exceptionalities in the General Education Elementary Classroom (Module 1)1
EDUC 444Teaching with Digital Technologies (Module 1)2
Total semester credits18
Students engage in 6–8 hours of fieldwork per week. Additional courses may be taken to satisfy general or endorsement area requirements.
Semester 2
Winter (Year 1)
CourseDescriptionCredits
EDUC 307Practicum2
EDUC 403Literacy 2: Development of Comprehension and Motivation PK-63
EDUC 414Creating School and Classroom Culture3
EDUC 416Teaching with Curriculum Materials in PK-6 Mathematics and Science4
EDUC 443Teaching Students with Exceptionalities in the General Education Elementary Classroom (Module 2)2
EDUC 444Teaching with Digital Technologies (Module 2)1
Total semester credits15
Students engage in 6–8 hours of fieldwork per week. Additional courses may be taken to satisfy general or endorsement area requirements.
Semester 3
Fall (Year 2)
CourseDescriptionCredits
EDUC 307Practicum2
EDUC 391Educational Psychology and Human Development2
EDUC 405Literacy 3: Development of Language and Composition PK-63
EDUC 411Teaching PK-6 Mathematics4
EDUC 417Imagination and the Whole Child1
EDUC 421Teaching PK-6 Science3
EDUC 431Teaching Social Studies in PK-63
Total semester credits18
Students engage in 10–12 hours of fieldwork per week. Additional courses may be taken to satisfy general or endorsement area requirements.
Semester 4
Winter (Year 2)
CourseDescriptionCredits
EDUC 301Directed Teaching in the Elementary Grades10
EDUC 303Problems and Principles of Elementary Education2
EDUC 407Literacy 4: Teaching Language, Literacy and Academic Content to Diverse Learners (required for ELUG and counts towards ESL Endorsement)3
Total semester credits15
EDUC 593Educational Lingustics (ESL endorsement only)3
Total semester credits with ESL18
Students engage in fieldwork full time, 5 days per week.
Semester 5
Spring (Year 2) ESL Endorsement - Optional
CourseDescriptionCredits
EDUC 592Methods for Teaching Language and Literacy to K-12 Culturally and Lingustically Diverse Learners4
EDUC 594Education in a Multilingual Society4
EDUC 595Leadership and Advocacy Practices for Teachers of Culturally and Lingustically Diverse Learners3
Total semester credits11
Semester 6
Summer (Year 2) ESL Endorsement - Optional
CourseDescriptionCredits
EDUC 590English as a Second Language Teaching Practicum and Seminar3
Total semester credits3

Upcoming Information Sessions

Application Deadlines

Fall (Aug)
February 1

Application Process

Step 2: Submit a request for coursework evaluation
  • Please submit a request for a free coursework evaluation prior to preparing application materials. 
  • In order to ensure you have met the academic prerequisite requirements for the educator preparation program, your previous coursework must be evaluated by an academic advisor. 
    • Unofficial transcripts are accepted for this initial evaluation, but official transcripts will be required upon admission.
    • Evaluations may take 3-4 weeks to complete once all materials are submitted. 
  • Please direct questions to the advising team at [email protected].
Step 3: Prepare application materials
  • Review Application Writing Prompts
    • Essay 1: Please review the Educator Preparation Program Mission and Vision Statements and address the following in your essay:
      • How does your experience prepare you to engage in a program with these commitments?
      • What goals do you have for your own career in light of these commitments?
      • 4000 characters (~500 words) maximum.
    • Essay 2: Describe your experiences (work and/or volunteer) engaging with youth.
      • 2000 characters (~250 words) maximum.
  • Request Letters of Recommendation
    • Academic Letter: one required letter assessing the applicant’s intellectual curiosity, preparedness for university study, receptivity to feedback, and/or perseverance. If you are applying to the secondary program, your letter must be from a professor or instructor from the content area in which you are seeking certification. Recommender must be from a professor or post-secondary instructor.
    • Teaching Potential Letter: The teaching potential letter should come from a professional reference familiar with your experiences working with youth. This may include: personal characteristics, work ability, capacity to work with people (specifically youth), etc.  If you are applying to the secondary program, your recommender is ideally someone who has seen you recently work with children or someone who can speak to your potential to work with students.
    • Your recommenders can submit their letters directly to [email protected]. Be sure that your recommenders include your name and, if possible, UMID or uniqname.

Quick Facts

Financial aid

Available

Part-time status

No applications accepted

Field placements

Guaranteed

In-school placements every semester, plus additional courses that occur in schools

Careers

86%

of known graduates found full-time employment or pursued an advanced degree

92%

of known graduates indicated are highly satisfied or satisfied with their current position

100%

of known graduates found a job within 4 months
Hiring organizations and job titles

In-state

Organization Job Title Location
Abbot Elementary School 1st Grade Teacher Ann Arbor, MI
Carpenter Elementary School 4th Grade Teacher Ann Arbor, MI
Dearborn School of Music Piano, Guitar, and Bass Guitar Instructor Dearborn, MI
Kent Lake Elementary School 5th Grade Teacher South Lyon, MI
Wines Elementary School Academic Resource Teacher (K-2) Ann Arbor, MI

Out-of-state

Organization Job Title Location
Baker-Butler Elementary School 1st Grade Classroom Teacher Charlottesville, VA
Hoover Math and Science Academy Kindergarten Teacher Schaumburg, IL
Monterey Community School 2nd Grade Teacher Denver, CO
Sixth Avenue Elementary School 3rd Grade Teacher Aurora, CO

Field Experience

Classroom Experience 

Having a real-world experience within the settings of your chosen profession is an essential part of your educational preparation. In the first three terms, you will spend 6–9 hours per week in classrooms as a teaching intern. You will observe the classroom in action and collect data on student learning and teaching practice. You will contribute to the classroom instruction by tutoring, co-teaching, and planning with mentor teachers and your university partners.

The culminating field experience is the student teaching term, when you will follow the calendar and schedule of your placement classroom for a period of 14–15 weeks. During this experience, you will spend 5 days per week for the full school day immersed in the classroom. You will slowly and deliberately take on all aspects of instructional responsibility, building toward lead teaching, when you will be responsible for most or all aspects of the school experience for your K–8 students. Lead teaching generally happens between the 8th and 10th week of the student teaching experience and lasts 2–3 weeks.

School Partnerships

Substantial field experience in a diverse array of classrooms, urban to rural, is a key component of the program. You will have one field placement in a school in Ann Arbor and at least one placement in a neighboring district. You should expect to be assigned to grade levels spanning K–6.