Elementary Education Program

Join the Missouri S&T elementary education program! Our STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics)-focused program provides students with diverse and challenging opportunities to develop their teaching skills in nearby schools. Students learn from experienced instructors, collaborate with fellow pre-service teachers, and observe in elementary classrooms throughout the program.

Degree

As a graduate of S&T’s elementary education program, you’ll earn a Bachelor of Science in Education with an elementary emphasis and will be certified to teach first through sixth grade.

This program is approved by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Students intending to teach in other states are responsible for investigating the reciprocity agreement of that state agency.

Education BS - Elementary Emphasis Advisement Sheet

Program Highlights and Opportunities

Students in our program receive:

150+ hours in the classroom before student teaching
STEAM-focused instruction
Project Lead The Way (PLTW) training
STEM Center field trip teaching opportunities
Opportunities to teach STEAM lessons at our local middle school
Access to the Regional Professional Development Center's workshops

Professional Standing and Curriculum

Students in our program are expected to:

Maintain a 3.0 Professional Requirement GPA
Complete the required curriculum and corresponding observation hours
Have a 20 on the ACT, a passing score on the Missouri paraprofessional test, or a passing score on the Missouri General Education Assessment (MoGEA).
Register with Family Care Safety Registry
Complete a professional interview
Pass the Elementary Education Multi Content exam (MoCA) to be eligible for student teaching

Student Teaching

In the last semester of our program, students complete a semester-long student teaching practicum with a cooperating teacher. Students may choose their student teaching placement so long as the district agrees and a qualified cooperating teacher is available.

Missouri S&T expects each student to complete experiential learning activities; the field experience courses EDUC 1104, 1164, 3298, and 4299 meet this requirement for the B.S. in Education.

Letter from an Alumna

Nerissa in her STEM classroom.

Nerissa Sandt - STEM Teacher, Grades 6-12

Hello! My name is Nerissa Sandt and I graduated from S&T in May 2018 with a degree in Multidisciplinary Arts for Elementary Education. I was fortunate enough to also receive my Project Lead the Way Launch certification while attending S&T.

I am currently in my second year of teaching at Niangua R-V Schools as their 6-12 STEM teacher. I get to teach a variety of Project Lead the Way classes to middle school and high school. My favorites are Green Architecture in middle school and the BioMed pathway for high school.

I think the staff in the education department really made a huge difference in my education at S&T. Kelly Carter and Merilee Krueger specifically were with me almost my entire college experience and were a great support as I went through the program. The wide variety of observation opportunities were also very helpful for me in deciding where I felt most comfortable, content and age wise.

“Words of wisdom”. Teaching is what you put into it. If you do the bare minimum chances are you won’t enjoy your job. If you pour into your students you will reap the benefits. Seeing students grow over the course of the school year (or 2 school years if you have them more than once like me) is so fulfilling. I had a senior from last year contact me this year telling me that she felt so prepared for her human anatomy class in college because of my class. It made my whole week to know that.

-Nerissa, Spring 2020

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"We must prepare kids to be successful in an unknown future and to actively participate in the building of that future. And because we do not know what that future looks like, our only course of action is to raise problem-solvers, collaborators, innovators and risk-takers."

- Miranda Talley Reagan, STEM-Infusing the Elementary Classroom

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