Elementary Education

Students who want an elementary teaching license can complete an undergraduate degree in education, and then complete a graduate degree for licensure.  Students interested in elementary education can apply for the UO undergraduate major in Educational Foundations.  The EdF major addresses the critical needs in the preparation of future elementary teachers by engaging students in a critical examination of political, cultural, and social issues in education.  This bachelor’s degree is designed to prepare graduates for competitive admissions into graduate teacher licensure programs in Oregon and around the country (the EdF major does NOT culminate in licensure).  If one was interested in seeking a teaching license at UO, they would apply to UO Teach.  Completion of UO Teach leads to a teaching license and a master’s of education (M.Ed.) in Teaching and Learning.  Students interested in the bachelor's degree in Educational Foundations may contact Rachel Johnson in the College of Education at rachelj@uoregon.edu, (541) 346-0658.  More information is available at http://education.uoregon.edu/edf. 

Middle-Secondary Education

Students who want a middle-secondary teaching license should complete their undergraduate degree in the content area in which they want to teach, and then apply to a graduate program. Appropriate areas of undergraduate preparation include: foreign language—French, German, Japanese, Latin, Russian, Spanish; language arts; social studies; biology, chemistry, physics, integrated science; and mathematics (basic, advanced). Students interested in social studies will want to take coursework in geography and history, though they may major in political science, sociology, or another field. Students interested in language arts will want to take coursework—and possibly major—in English. The Education Careers Advising Team (ECAT) is composed of faculty members in the College of Arts and Sciences. ECAT assists students in completing the B.A. or B.S. degree in a way that ensures strong preparation in specific subject matter for a middle/secondary graduate program.

Graduate Level Licensure Programs

Graduate programs are offered at the UO and at other universities and colleges to earn licenses, endorsements, or certificates in the areas of early childhood education, communication disorders, early intervention, ESOL/bilingual, special education, and music. Graduate programs for teaching agriculture science, art, drama, educational media, general business, health education, hearing impaired, family & consumer science, marketing, physical education, adapted physical education, reading, speech, technology education, and visually impaired are offered at other universities and colleges. For information on music education, contact the School of Music.

These graduate level licensure programs take approximately one year to complete, and emphasize field work, educational theory and foundations, and pedagogy. Admission to any of the graduate programs (UO Teach or programs at other schools) is competitive and requires a strong academic record. Applicants are expected to have tested their interest in teaching through various experiences with young people. It is important for prospective candidates to make early and regular contact with graduate programs at UO Teach and/or other universities or colleges to keep abreast of application timetables and admission requirements. In addition to teaching programs, there are also graduate programs in personnel service and administration: School psychologist, administrator, and superintendent programs are offered at the UO, while these programs plus school counselor programs are offered at other universities and colleges.

Students interested in the UO Teach graduate program may get more information at http://education.uoregon.edu/uoteach.  Information sessions are held the first Wednesday of each month from 4-5pm.  Meeting locations are posted on the website.