Elementary Education
Thayer School of Education
Are you one in a million? The country needs nearly 70 million new teachers by 2030 to meet the demands and goals of education in America.
Answer the call to teach.
The Elementary Education major seeks to equip you with the skills necessary to effectively mentor children in their early educational journey. In doing so, you will be learning the skills needed to teach grades K-6. All students in the education program begin as Educational Studies/pre-elementary education majors. Upon completion or transfer of 45 credits hours, students who meet the criteria are eligible to apply for admission to the Elementary Education, K-6, Teacher Education Licensure Program.
Thayer School of Education provides many opportunities in Elementary, Middle, Secondary, Health and Physical and Music Education. Please choose what fits in your area of interest!
Admission Requirements
Students may be admitted to the Teacher Education Program upon satisfying the following requirements and being approved by the Teacher Education Committee.
The student must:
- Submit a formal application to the Teacher Education Committee the semester that he or she is scheduled to complete 45 semester hours. A brief autobiography is required.
- Have a cumulative and specialty GPA of at least 2.70 at the time of application. A minimum 2.70 cumulative is required each semester until graduation to maintain an active status in the program.
- Have passed at least one course in education at Wingate University and must have a minimum of 10-12 clock hours of successful field experience in an elementary, middle or secondary public school setting.
- Successfully meet the minimum score requirements of the PRAXIS Core, (cumulative score of 468), SAT (cumulative score of 1170 from Math and Verbal) or ACT (24) tests.
- Candidates must have passed the PRAXIS Core or be exempt before being formally accepted into the program on or before December 1 for spring admissions, on or before August 1 for fall admissions. Please see an education professor for further information regarding minimum scores.
- Have a minimum grade of “C-“ or above in English 110.
- Elementary Education applicants must have a minimum grade of “C-“or above in Math 118 and Math 119.
- Provide three (3) references from Wingate University professors. One recommendation must come from a core professor in education.
- Complete School of Education interview upon completion of all other requirements.
The Teacher Education Committee reserves the right to deny admission or continuance in the program to any student who has displayed deficiencies in the following areas:
- academic performance
- sense of responsibility
- interpersonal and communication skills
- moral standards
Exceptions to the above policies may be recommended by the Assistant Dean of the Thayer School of Education and approved by the Teacher Education Committee.
4+1 Master of Arts in Elementary Education
The streamlined approach of the Thayer School of Education’s 4 + 1 program eliminates the need for two separate schools and six or more years of study. You’ll earn a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education in four years, followed by an intensive one-year program to earn your Master of Arts in Elementary Education degree. With field experiences embedded in each graduate course, the hands-on experiences from your first four years continue without a hitch.
