Secondary Education Program
Certification Options
Join the Missouri S&T secondary education program! As a secondary education student, you can choose from one of many certification options (see below). Missouri S&T isn't just an engineering school, it is also known for other specialties like Chemistry, Earth Sciences, Physics, and Mathematics. In our program, you'll earn a Bachelor of Arts or Science in your chosen concentration and be certified to teach grades 9-12 in Missouri.
In addition to maintaining a 2.5 content and a 3.0 professional requirement GPA, students must pass their required content area Praxis test to be eligible for student teaching. Missouri S&T allows students to choose their student teaching placement, if the district agrees and a qualified cooperating teacher is available.
These programs are approved by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. License reciprocity determinations outside of Missouri can be found at this website.
Applied Mathematics BS/Secondary Education Advisement Sheet
Praxis Mathematics (5165) Test
Teaching high school mathematics is a challenging but rewarding career. At S&T, students earn a B.S. degree in applied mathematics while taking coursework to earn a teaching certificate in secondary mathematics. There is a shortage of qualified math teachers across Missouri and the nation, especially in rural areas, so there are many jobs available.
The degree program in applied mathematics develops your analysis and problem solving skills. In addition to mathematics coursework, the degree program has requirements in various areas where mathematics is applied such as computer science. For more information about course content, please see the mathematics and statistics website.
Departmental Contact
Prof. Paul Runnion
Math Education Advisor
573-341-4916
Education BS/Secondary Art Advisement Sheet
Praxis Art: Content Knowledge (5134) Test
Art supports creativity and builds empathy. Art can deepen historical knowledge and preserve the cultural heritage of communities. Art aligns with many career skills including communication, problem solving, design thinking, innovation, and resilience. As an art teacher, you can support your students' development. With the current teacher shortage, art educators are in demand!
At Missouri S&T, future art teachers major in Education with an emphasis in Secondary Teaching. You'll take 30 credit hours of art classes to meet the certification requirements along with education courses and field experiences in schools.
To see more about the art faculty, studio art minor, and examples from the student art shows, please see the Arts, Languages, and Philosophy website. Art and Film – Arts, Languages, and Philosophy | Missouri S&T
Already have an art degree but ready to switch careers to teaching? We can help you with teacher certification!
For more information, please contact education@mst.edu.
Departmental Contact
Phyllis Blackwell
Education Advisor
573-341-4162
Biological Sciences BA/Secondary Education Advisement Sheet
Teaching high school biology is a challenging but rewarding career. Missouri and many other states are experiencing a teacher shortage, particularly in rural areas, so there are plenty of jobs available! At S&T, students earn a B.A. in Biological Sciences while taking education coursework from their first semester. Experiences in schools are embedded throughout the program, beginning second semester freshman year. The program balances rigorous content knowledge with a commitment to building engaging learning experiences in small, interactive education courses.
Biological sciences or biology is the study of life and living organisms. Biological sciences embraces a vast and rapidly expanding body of knowledge. Biologists draw from the physical sciences – chemistry, physics, mathematics and earth sciences, as well as the behavioral sciences, for the analysis and interpretation of life’s varied processes and interrelationships. For more information about course content, please see the biological sciences website.
Departmental Contact
Dr. David Westenberg
Biology Education Advisor
573-341-4798
Business and Management Systems BS/Secondary Education Advisement Sheet
Praxis Business Education (5101) Test
High school business teachers are responsible for courses including accounting, entrepreneurship, multimedia, web design, computer applications, and more. Teaching high school is a challenging but rewarding career. At Missouri S&T, students earn a bachelor’s degree in business while pursuing teacher certification. Experiences in schools are embedded throughout the program, beginning second semester freshman year.
Departmental Contact
Dr. Yu-Hsien Chiu
Business Education Advisor
573-341-6907
Chemistry BA/Secondary Education Advisement Sheet
Teaching high school chemistry is a challenging but rewarding career. There is a shortage of qualified science teachers across Missouri and the nation, especially in rural areas. Students earn a B.A. in Chemistry while taking education coursework from their first semester. Experiences in schools are embedded throughout the program, beginning second semester freshman year.
Qualified teachers are greatly needed to teach modern chemistry to tomorrow’s students. Chemistry has solved many of the world’s greatest challenges: from sequencing our genetic code to development of space age materials; from reducing the size of the heart of a semiconductor to synthesizing materials used in an artificial human heart. Modern chemistry is centric to many careers including: chemical syntheses, precision analyses, energy generation and storage, new materials, medicines, patent law, environmental science, biochemistry, chemical sales and marketing, science instruction, and many other areas. For more information about course requirements, please see the chemistry department's website.
Departmental Contact
Dr. Thomas Schuman
Chemistry Education Advisor
573-341-6236
Education BS/Secondary Computer Science Advisement Sheet
Praxis Computer Science (5652) Test
Missouri S&T offers one of the first undergraduate teacher certification programs for computer science in the state.
Students take 30 credit hours in Information Science and Technology or computer science, along with their education courses. You'll major in Education with an emphasis in Secondary Teaching.
Using national and state standards as frameworks, this program supports career-aligned, high impact technology use by high school students. You'll take an entire course about AI and emerging technologies in schools along with courses about web design, information security, and more. Missouri S&T also funds a limited number of education students to become certified in Project Lead the Way computer science.
This emphasis can be combined with another degree for a double major, although it may add time to your degree completion.
If you're interested in working in IT in schools rather than being a teacher, we can also design a customized degree using the educational studies emphasis area.
Departmental Contact
Phyllis Blackwell
Education Advisor
573-341-4162
English Tech Comm BS/Secondary Education Advisement Sheet
Praxis English Language Arts (5038)
Teaching high school English language arts is a challenging but rewarding career. Students earn a B.A. in English while taking education coursework from their first semester. Experiences in schools are embedded throughout the program, beginning second semester freshman year.
The English curriculum involves the study of language, literature, and culture. Topics include literary history; criticism; forms-such as the short story, novel drama, and poetry; and detailed examinations of individual authors-such as Chaucer, Shakespeare, Milton, Tennyson, Browning, George Eliot, Joyce, Twain, and Faulkner. Additional genre and theme courses are available, including world literature, literature and film, science and literature, true crime and the literature of fact, literature by women, and law in literature. Linguistics and writing courses include the history and structure of the English language, advanced composition, desktop publishing, and writing for the web. For more information about course content, please see the English and technical communication department's website.
Departmental Contact
Dr. Kathryn Dolan
English Education Advisor
573-341-4681
Environmental Sciences BS/Earth Science Secondary Education Advisement Sheet
Praxis Earth and Space Sciences (5572) Test
Teaching high school earth science is a challenging but rewarding career. At S&T, students earn a B.S. in Biological Sciences while taking education coursework from their very first year. The Missouri S&T education program promotes a balance between science and professional competence in teaching.
The program balances rigorous content knowledge with a commitment to building engaging learning experiences in small, interactive education courses. Experiences in schools are embedded throughout the program, beginning in the second semester of the freshman year. Students can intern at the Kummer Center for STEM Education to gain more experience delivering lessons in schools with the Mobile STEM Lab. For more information about course requirements, please visit the environmental science website.
Departmental Contact
Dr. Robin Verble
Environmental Sciences Education Advisor
573-341-7274
Education BS/Secondary General Science Advisement Sheet
Praxis General Science (5436) Test
Inspire the next generation of scientists with a General Science (9–12) teaching certification from Missouri S&T. Our program builds your confidence across biology, chemistry, physics, and earth/space science while preparing you to work in today's high school classrooms. This is a great option for students wanting to work in rural schools, where it's not uncommon to teach multiple science subjects. At S&T, general science students earn a B.S. in Education, a flexible and transfer-friendly degree. The program balances rigorous content knowledge with a commitment to building engaging learning experiences in small, interactive education courses.
This is a great option for those who already have a degree in a science-related field like engineering. A second bachelor's degree is only 30 credit hours, and teachers can complete those courses online to fulfill Temporary Authorization Certificate or provisional certificate requirements.
Departmental Contact
Phyllis Blackwell
Education Advisor
573-341-4162
History BA/Secondary Education Advisement Sheet
Praxis Social Studies (5581) Test
Teaching high school social studies is a challenging but rewarding career. Students earn a B.A. in History while taking education coursework from their first semester. Experiences in schools are embedded throughout the program, beginning second semester freshman year.
Missouri S&T offers three paths to social science certification: a major in history, economics, or psychology. All result in a 9-12 teaching certificate for social science, which means you are eligible to teach world history, American history, government, psychology, and any other social science high school course.
History majors learn to analyze information, develop communication skills, and engage in research. In Missouri, social science certification includes history, government, economics, and social sciences such as psychology. A certificate to teach grades 9-12 includes all of these areas. For more information about course requirements, please see the history and political science department's website.
Departmental Contact
Dr. Shannon Fogg
History Education Advisor
573-341-4816
Physics BS/Secondary Education Advisement Sheet
Teaching high school physics is a challenging but rewarding career. At S&T, students earn a B.S. degree in physics while taking coursework to earn a teaching certificate in secondary mathematics. There is a shortage of qualified physics teachers across Missouri and the nation, especially in rural areas, so there are many jobs available.
Physics is devoted to the discovery and exploration of the most basic physical laws governing the universe. The physicist attempts to express these laws in their most elegant mathematical form, so they can be applied to predict the behavior of all forms of matter and energy. For more information about course requirements, please see the physics department's website.
Departmental Contact
Dr. Agnes Vojta
Physics Education Advisor
573-341-6546
Psychology BA/Secondary Education Advisement Sheet
Praxis Social Studies (5581) Test
Missouri S&T offers three paths to social science certification: a major in history or psychology. All result in a 9-12 teaching certificate for social science, which means you are eligible to teach world history, American history, government, psychology, and any other social science high school course. Teaching high school social studies is a challenging but rewarding career. Students earn a B.A. in Psychology while taking education coursework from their first semester. Experiences in schools are embedded throughout the program, beginning second semester freshman year.
Psychology is the science of mind and behavior. Neuroscience, perception, memory, personality, emotion, stress and health, abnormal behavior, and social relations are among the basic topics of psychological research. The discipline also involves the application of basic research to improve the quality of life and work. The statistics and experimental psychology courses required of our majors prepare you to engage in undergraduate research in your junior or senior years. For more information about course requirements, please see the psychological science department's website.
Departmental Contact
Dr. Merilee Krueger
Psychology Education Advisor
573-341-7244
Education BS/Emphasis in Spanish-Secondary Education
Praxis Spanish: World Language (5195)
Inspire the next generation of students to learn a new language! You’ll have the opportunity to travel abroad and then bring that cultural experience to your future classroom. The combination of language and education coursework provides skills you can use almost anywhere. You'll start in education coursework your first semester and be observing in a school the next.
Students pursuing a B.S. in Education with an emphasis in Spanish secondary education can earn Missouri Spanish teacher certification by taking the required education and language coursework and meeting all state requirements.
Join a close-knit community of passionate future teachers at Missouri S&T who are making a difference in schools all over the state. Now more than ever, we need qualified, caring teachers who care about their content and their students.
Departmental Contact
Phyllis Blackwell
Education Advisor
573-341-4162
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