The Education Department, working with the other Academic Departments of the College of Saint Benedict/Saint John’s University, builds upon the Common Curriculum of a dynamic liberal arts program to prepare undergraduate students to become strong and effective teachers according to our “Teacher as Reflective Decision Maker” conceptual framework.

K-12 classroom experience as observers, aides, tutors, and instructors in diverse educational settings is woven throughout candidates’ four years of study and practice.

• Elementary candidates invest 200 hours in field experiences followed by 600 hours during 16 weeks of student teaching.
• 5-12 secondary candidates invest 140 hours in field experiences followed by 600 hours during 16 weeks of student teaching.
• K-12 candidates invest more than 140 hours in field experiences followed by varied hours during student teaching, depending on their area of study.

All licensure programs are approved by the Minnesota Board of Teaching.

• Grade K-6 Elementary Education
• Grade K-8 World Languages and Cultures: French, German, Spanish
• Grade 5-8 Language Arts, Mathematics, General Science
• Grade 5-12 Language Arts, Social Studies, Mathematics
• Grade 9-12 Biology, Chemistry, Physics
• Grade K-12 Visual Arts, Vocal or Instrumental Music, French, German, Spanish, Teaching English as a Second Language

All candidates affirm their instructional effectiveness during their student teaching experience by completing a graded teacher work sample and a nationally scored Stanford-Pearson Teacher Performance Assessment.

Candidates’ average annual employment rate in educational settings exceeds 80%.

• Art Education
• Elementary Education
• English Education
• Mathematics Education
• Music Education
• Science Education
• Social Studies Education
• Teaching English as a Second Language
• Theology Education
• World Languages Education