Elementary Education

We offer five different grade bands that are designed to help you graduate in four years. As a teacher education candidate, you’ll complete over 600 hours in the classroom and graduate with the first-hand experience you’ll need to be classroom-ready for your students.

A teacher sitting at a table in a classroom with a young student.

Specialize in the grades you want to teach

Learn more about the grade bands we offer

    This period of incredible physical, emotional, and cognitive growth lays the foundation for future success and wellness for all children.
    Your coursework includes:

    • Practice-based education
    • Teaching young children with and without disabilities
    • Infant, toddler, and early childhood social, emotional, and physical development
    • Learning through play
    • Creative arts, early math, language and literacy, science, and social studies

    Offered on Campus or Online

    Learn more about B-K major

    This band provides the most diversity in the settings you can teach along with the greatest number of ages you can teach.

    Your coursework includes:

    • A combination of subjects from bands 1 and 3
    • Practice-based education
    • Creative arts, early math, emerging language and literacy, science and social

    Learn more about B-3 grade major

    In the early elementary grades, children transition from preschool and their learning begins to focus on academic subjects.

    Your coursework includes:

    • Reading instruction and early literacy.
    • Learning through play
    • Practice-based education
    • Creative arts, early math, language and literacy, science and social studies
    • Counting, fractions, decimals, measurement, and reasoning
    • Program planning and implementation

    Learn about adding special education to this major

    Teaching grades PK-3 major

    As children can sit and pay attention longer, their critical thinking and problem-solving skills increase.

    Your coursework includes:

    • Reading instruction and early literacy.
    • Learning through play
    • Practice-based education
    • Creative arts, early math, language and literacy, science and social studies
    • Counting, fractions, decimals, measurement, and reasoning
    • Program planning and implementation

    Learn about adding special education to this major

    Grades 3-6 major

    Gain the most flexibility with this band that certifies you to teach all grades at most elementary schools.

    Your coursework includes:

    • A combination of subjects from bands 3 and 4
    • Developmentally appropriate content for early childhood plus third through sixth grade

    Teaching grades PK-6

    Teaching English Learners minor

    In addition to the majors listed above, consider the Teaching English Learners minor:

    • Multilingual learners are the fastest-growing segment of the school-aged population, and teachers with an English as a second language (ESL) endorsement are in great demand.
    • Combined with a B.S. in education, this minor provides you with a PK-12 English as a Second Language (ESL) endorsement.
    • You can pair this minor with any of the grade bands.

    Learn about adding the Teaching English Learners minor