Why Study Secondary Education?
Teacher education has been a cornerstone of UW-River Falls since our founding in 1874. Our secondary education program prepares teachers for secondary school positions, in either Early Adolescence (grades 6-12) or Early Childhood – Adolescence (K-12). It consists of a minimum of 120 semester hours of broad general education, specialized preparation in one or more subject areas and professional preparation needed for effective teaching.
Early Adolescence/Adolescence Programs
Our early adolescence/adolescence programs prepare students to teach grades 6-12. It includes comprehensive majors in the following areas:
- Broad Area English
- Broad Field Science licensure (Biology, Chemistry, Physics)
- Broad Field Social Studies
- Physical Science
It also includes majors in the following areas:
- Chemistry
- Communication Sciences and Disorders (does not lead to licensing at the undergraduate level)
- Geology (Earth Science Certification)
- English
- Mathematics
- Physics
Early Childhood/Adolescence Programs
Our early childhood/adolescence programs prepare students to teach kindergarten through 12th grade. It includes comprehensive majors in the following areas:
- Agricultural Education
- Art
- Health and Physical Education
- Music (choral or instrumental options)
It also includes majors in the follow areas:
- Health Education
- Spanish
- Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)
We make it easy to choose a major area that interests you and in addition to our variety of major options, we’ve got a broad selection of minors, allowing you to personalize your education and focus on passions. Minor options include:
- Adapted Physical Education (EA-C)
- Anthropology (EA-A)
- Biology (EA-A)
- Chemistry (EA-A)
- Coaching (EA-A, EA-C)
- Earth Science (EA-A)
- Economics (EA-A)
- English (EA-A)
- Geography (EA-A)
- German (EA-A, EA-C)
- Health Education (EA-A)
- History (EA-A)
- Mathematics (EA-A)
- Physics (EA-A)
- Political Science (EA-A)
- Spanish (EA-A, EA-C)
- Sociology (EA-A)
- TESOL (EA-A, EA-C)
(*EA-A denotes Early Adolescence – Adolescence, EC-A denotes Early Adolescence – Childhood)
Skills and Learning Outcomes
- Demonstrate proficiency in best practices and implement them in the preparation and development of classroom materials, schedules and lessons for students.
- Design, implement and assess teaching tools.
- Develop and use assessments to evaluate student performance and promote intellectual, personal and social growth of students.
- Communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
- Understand students’ diverse needs and utilize tools to meet needs through instruction
“The best experience I had was my student teaching experience. I was paired with an amazingly smart professional educator who taught me everything I need to know to be a teacher! She trusted me and pushed me to try new things – even letting me teach on the second day of school. As a student teacher, I had the whole experience of a real classroom teacher: going to meetings, teaching students, writing tests and worksheets, creating classroom activities and even lunch duty a couple of times!”
– Nick McGrath, broad field social studies - history emphasis major
Potential Careers
UWRF’s secondary education program prepares you for a career in secondary education. Our graduates land teaching positions each year in Wisconsin, Minnesota and beyond.
Elementary Education
- Degree Type: Major
- Area of Interest: Education/Communication
- College: CEPS
Health and Physical Education (K-12)
- Degree Type: Major
- Area of Interest: Health and Human Performance
- College: CEPS
Agricultural Education
- Degree Type: Major
- Area of Interest: Agriculture/Education
- College: CAFES