teacher education
The Classroom is Your Calling
Teachers make the future. You can make it brighter.
Think about the teachers who’ve made a lasting impression on you. The ones who made learning fun. Who piqued your curiosity and set you on a quest for knowledge. Who helped you build confidence. Who believed in you. You can be that teacher. And your path to teaching begins at Oregon State.
Great teachers start by being great learners, and you will be one at Oregon State University. We offer a variety of undergraduate and graduate programs to prepare teachers, counselors, community college administrators and other education leaders.
And as an Oregon State graduate, you’ll join an outstanding group of award-winning teachers, principals, superintendents, college faculty and administrators — people who are making a difference in students’ lives and strengthening communities.
Get ready for what’s next.
Whether you’re entering the classroom to teach or to learn, you should have a plan in mind. If you’re looking to teach, you’ll want to pursue a strong and varied academic program before college to prepare for your education studies. And if you want to teach at the high school level, you should take any courses that are available in the area you want to teach.
Your Dream Career Can Start at Oregon State
Oregon State’s education curriculum emphasizes preparing and licensing teachers for K-12 public school classrooms. But an education degree also opens doors to a range of careers involving teaching, advising or administration in school, community and business settings. You could be:
- A preschool teacher in a day care or business setting.
- An elementary, middle or high school teacher.
- A school counselor after additional preparation — see our counselor education programs for details.
- An informal educator or outreach coordinator for a company, community or nonprofit.
- A bilingual or dual-language education teacher working with students whose native language is not English.
- A director of an outdoor school, museum, zoo, aquarium or summer camp.
- A university or school administrator.
Prospective teachers learn a lot by getting out and teaching. Oregon State’s teacher education programs give you 700+ hours of hands-on experience by putting you in public school classrooms where you will work with students under the guidance of professional teachers
Your First Year
Multiple pathways to a brighter future.
For teachers and other education professionals, it’s vital to have a broad and comprehensive base of knowledge. During your first year at Oregon State, you’ll complete foundational education coursework, along with beginning courses in your area of interest. You’ll also develop critical thinking, communication and problem-solving skills through classes from Oregon State’s Core Education, which includes the physical and biological sciences, arts and humanities, mathematics, writing, cultural diversity and first-year orientation.
If you’re interested in elementary education, you can pursue our four-year Teaching degree with Elementary Education options (all campuses) The Education degree prepares you to teach in a middle school or high school, and you can specialize in a content area that aligns with the subject you want to teach. Dual majors or double degrees that align with that content area are encouraged! No matter which path you choose, our advising staff — including student peer advisors — will help you plan and navigate your entire educational career, licensure requirements, campus resources and finally — graduation!
There are many paths to becoming a teacher. We’ll help you find yours.
Good teachers know how to listen, learn, and lead. Some ideas to get started:
- Experience counts. Get a job in an after-school club, volunteer to coach, read to children in a library, work as a youth counselor for an
outdoor school, serve as a tutor or teacher’s aide, or join other activities where you can gain experience working with children and teens. - Diversify your knowledge. Gain insight about other cultures, countries and languages. Study a language so you can communicate
more effectively with students and parents as a teacher. - Develop your leadership skills. Join leadership or student government, start a club, organize a community fundraiser or participate in school-wide activities.
- Stay curious — about everything. Teachers may be called upon to teach reading, math, languages, science and art. Middle and high school teachers usually teach only one or two subjects, but you should participate in activities that build your knowledge about the subjects that interest you most.
- Learn from your favorite teachers. Find out what they like about their job, what challenges they face and what advice they can offer to help you prepare for your career.
There are many paths to becoming a teacher. We'll help you find yours.
Elementary Education
Oregon State’s Bachelor of Science in Teaching degree will help you acquire the skills and experience you need for a successful career as an elementary school teacher. Our program focuses on research-based and classroom-tested instructional methods and strategies, child development, emerging technologies, the multicultural classroom and mastering elementary education content. After completing the program, you will be qualified to apply for a teaching license in grades K-6. Oregon State’s Teaching degree is available in Corvallis, OSU-Cascades in Bend and online via Ecampus. Talk to an advisor to discuss the best pathway for you.
Secondary Education
The Education degree is offered in Corvallis and will prepare you to teach at the middle school or high school level, and upon graduation, you’ll be eligible to apply for a teaching license in grades 6-12. You can choose any one of the following secondary teaching endorsement areas, and a dual degree in the area you want to teach is encouraged so you can gain in-depth knowledge.
- Advanced Mathematics
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Family and Consumer Sciences
- Foundational Mathematics
- Health
- Integrated Science
- Language Arts (English)
- Physics
- Social Studies
Oregon State also offers graduate-level programs in agriculture, elementary education, language arts, mathematics, music, science and social studies and physical education (various campuses). Through the College of Education, you may elect to pursue English for Speakers of Other Languages or Dual Language Specialization (Spanish) endorsements along with your primary subject area.
Multiple scholarships are available. Be sure to apply.
Get some help paying for college with a variety of university-wide and departmental scholarships. Most scholarships are awarded based on information in the Oregon State application, but others require separate applications, such as our OSU ScholarDollars portal. The deadline to apply for university scholarships is Feb. 3. Be sure to check with your college and department on the deadlines for other scholarships. Apply Now.
In addition, the College of Education has an extensive scholarship program; visit education.oregonstate.edu for more information.
Put yourself out there.
Oregon State offers a resource-rich environment that encourages you to take advantage of opportunities like the Honors College and study abroad programs. You’ll even have opportunities to work with public school students through multiple classes and volunteer programs.
Research lets you discover and solve.
Like internships, research experience can give you an advantage when applying to graduate and professional programs. In most health areas, you’ll have opportunities to make real contributions to faculty and graduate students’ research projects. You may also develop and pursue your own research addressing local, national and international health concerns.