| Those college and university students who want to | | | | have the choice of looking for a career in your |
| pursue careers as teachers will be required to | | | | chosen field, and if it does not pan out, have a |
| concentrate on teaching courses. While the specific | | | | teaching certificate to fall back on. |
| teaching courses they take may differ from college | | | | Alternative Route Teaching Courses |
| to college, all of the teaching courses will fit into a | | | | While all public schools in the US, under the "No Child |
| few broader categories. | | | | Left Behind" act, require their teachers to have |
| Elementary and Secondary Teaching Courses | | | | Bachelor's Degrees, some states offer "alternative |
| If you are interested in becoming an elementary | | | | route" teaching certificates for those who begin one |
| school teacher you will have to either major or minor | | | | career and decide to switch to teaching. |
| in education with a preponderance of teaching | | | | These certificate programs will accept professional |
| courses to get your bachelor's Degree. If you get a | | | | experience and college degree in areas other than |
| bachelor's Degree in some other field, you can still | | | | education towards qualification for a teaching |
| qualify for a teaching career by getting taking several | | | | certificate, but most will also require you to take |
| post-graduate level teaching courses and getting your | | | | some teaching courses. |
| a Master's Degree in Education. | | | | Once you have completed the teaching courses, you |
| If you intend to teach on the secondary level, you | | | | will take the state exams and participate in any |
| will have to narrow your focus and get a Bachelor's | | | | mandatory student teaching or supervised teaching |
| Degree in the area on which you wish to | | | | to get classroom experience. You can find out what |
| concentrate--math, history, English, political science, | | | | teaching curses are necessary in your state by |
| art--any field for which you have a passion and which | | | | visiting its Department of Education website. For |
| you would be happy devoting your life to teaching. | | | | more info see on Teaching. |
| You'll supplement the coursework you do in that | | | | You may even be able to get academic credit for |
| specific field with teaching courses and student | | | | your work and life experiences in an education |
| teaching to prepare you for getting your teaching | | | | degree program which includes teaching courses and |
| credential when you graduate. | | | | move from that to a teaching career. Check with the |
| You can also major in something unrelated to | | | | admissions programs at each college or university in |
| education, and then go for a year of teaching | | | | which you are interested to find their policies on |
| courses in a post-graduate program. You will then | | | | accepting work and life experience for credit. |