For prospective first year students

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At St. Mary's, aspiring secondary and k12 teachers major in what they want to teach. Aspiring elementary school teachers major in anything that interests them while taking a broad range of classes to prepare them to teach the common core. All aspiring teachers minor in educational studies. After completing a bachelor's degree, aspiring teachers stay on for an additional year to complete our Master of Arts in Teaching program.

We offer certification in fourteen different areas:

Elementary (grades 1-6) and elementary with early childhood (preK-6)

Art, music, Spanish, French and Chinese (grades k-12)

Biology, chemistry, physics, math, English, history, social studies and theater (grades 7-12)

Steps to becoming a teacher at St. Mary's:

• Visit campus! You can arrange a visit through the admissions department. Work with Admissions or email the educational studies department chair (mat@smcm.edu) to request to visit an education class and meet with a professor.
• Determine the path that is right for you (3+1, for incoming students with at least 12 college credits; 4+1, for incoming students who aren't bringing in any credits and for everyone who wants time to study abroad, complete a second major, or otherwise take advantage of all the benefits of a liberal arts education). For more about our paths, click here.
• Apply to St. Mary's and indicate your interest in education; this will allow the educational studies faculty to reach out to you during the admissions process to answer any questions you may have.
• During pre-registration, enroll in EDUC 206, Education in America. This is the introductory course to the educational studies minor; in this class, you will learn more about how to become a teacher as well as participate in your first field placement in a local classroom. If the class is already full at the time of registration, email the department chair at mat@smcm.edu to request permission to be added; we are almost always able to do this.
• Once you matriculate, work with your advisor or with the chair of educational studies (mat@smcm.edu) to map out courses that will enable you to graduate with all the pre-requisites for your chosen area. Click here for the pre-requisites for each area.