Fact Sheets

Secondary Education @ MSUM 

MSU Moorhead offers students interested in teaching at the junior and/or senior high school level avariety of majors to choose from.  Students interested in obtaining licensure to teach SecondaryEducation must be admitted to the Teacher Education program and satisfy all Selective Admission andRetention in Teacher Education (SARTE) requirements.  Secondary Education Licensure Programs forteaching grades five throughtwelve are offered inmathematics, English, socialstudies, health, life science,chemistry, and physical science.Art, music, and physicaleducation licensure programs areoffered for students interested in teaching kindergarten through grade twelve.  Licensure in languagecovers preschool through grade twelve. Students interested in pursuing licensure must complete a coreeducation program including student teaching, two other field experiences, and courses in educationalfoundations, educational psychology, multicultural education, disabilities services, reading instruction,teaching methods, and classroom management.

Admission and retention into the MSUM Teacher Education program requires a cumulative grade pointaverage of 2.5, a grade point average of 2.5 in all major classes, a grade point average of 2.5 in alleducation classes and a liberal studies grade point average of 2.25.  As required by the state ofMinnesota, all teacher education students satisfactorily complete the Pre-Professional Skills Test (PPST).

Career Opportunities
Secondary education teachers generally teach students 11-18 years of age. Currently, employmentprospects for secondary education teachers are better than they have been in many years. Reasons forthis change are an aging work force, increases in the number of secondary age students, more teacherinvolvement in school policy, and greater public interest in education. Teachers who are geographicallymobile and obtain multi-licensures (e.g., double major in English and Social Studies) increase thelikelihood of securing a secondary education teaching position. Currently, many school districts havedifficulty hiring qualified teachers in some subject areas, such as mathematics, science (especiallychemistry and physics), bilingual education, foreign languages and computer science. Also, the numberof non-English speaking students has grown dramatically, creating demand for bilingual teachers andthose who teach English as a second language.

According to the American Federation of Teachers’ 2003-2004 teacher salary survey, Minnesota’saverage teacher salary is $45,1010, while North Dakota’s average teacher salary is $35,411. Beginningteacher salaries also vary greatly from state to state, with Minnesota’s average at $30,772 and NorthDakota’s average at $24,108. Teachers can boost their salaries by coaching sports, working with studentsin extracurricular activities, getting a master’s degree or national certification, or mentoring beginningteachers.

Program Benefits

  • Prior to student teaching, secondary education majors complete two field experiences totaling 92hours.  These hours are spent observing classes, interviewing teachers and students, and planningand teaching lessons.
  • The teacher education program is delivered in a single building, making access to classes and facultyeasy.
  • The MSUM Student Teaching program in Texas offers future teachers an opportunity to work withstudents from another cultural setting.  The program’s objectives are:  gain an understanding of thepluralistic nature of the population of the United States; develop human relations and teaching skillsimportant to individualizing instruction for diverse student populations; gain an understanding ofanother geographical area of the United States; provide greater employment opportunities forgraduates.
  • Alternative student teaching assignments are available through STA (Student Teaching Abroad).
  • Use of instructional technology (e.g. using Power Point and creating newsletters and websites) isinfused in several education courses.•In keeping with the MSUM tradition of emphasizing liberal studies, two courses required in theSecondary Education Licensure program also satisfy liberal studies requirements:  AMCS 233,Education and Multicultural America, and CMST 100, Speech Communication.