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Secondary Education

Browse Majors & Minors

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Considering a career in teaching middle school or high school students?

A Secondary Education certificate permits teaching in grades 6-12 in content area majors or minors.

High School and Middle School Endorsements

Experiential Learning

  • Field experiences are a key part of your development as a professional educator. As a secondary teacher candidate, you will have at least three (3) extended classroom experiences prior to student teaching. These build sequentially, based on program levels, allowing you to develop and refine your professional knowledge, skills, and dispositions as you progress through the program and prepare for student teaching. You will usually have your first experience in your first year.
  • The student teaching term is 14 weeks long. You can choose to student teach up to 90 minutes from campus in urban, rural, or suburban settings. You also have the option of student teaching in Chicago.
  • Learn more about Field Placements and Student Teaching on the Current Student Resources page. 
  • You will have opportunities for International Teaching Experiences through Spring Terms and P-Global and Venture Grants.
  • The Michigan Future Educator Fellowship will offer up to a $10,000 scholarship to up to 2,500 future educators every year. This is a new program and the application is not open yet. Sign up to be the first to hear when the application becomes available.

Graduate Success

Our secondary teacher candidates are well-prepared and knowledgeable as they graduate Alma College. Those completing their programs and becoming eligible for certification in 2017-18 had overall GPAs averaging 3.40, and 100% are now certified to teach.

Our secondary candidates may choose to earn Honors in Education based on high GPA, exemplary student teaching, and an honors thesis and presentation.

Our graduates are teaching across Michigan, the U.S. and internationally. For example, recent graduates found teaching jobs in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, and overseas in Rwanda.

Those students admitted to our Teacher Education Program (TEP) successfully complete their program and become certified in high numbers, should they choose to do so. For example: of those admitted to TEP in 2014-15, over 60% are certified; of those admitted to TEP in 2013-14, 100% became certified. Some students choose to graduate with Educational Studies, and some pursue graduate school.

Secondary teacher candidates are advised and supported in ways that help them complete their program in a timely fashion. For example, of those incoming first-year (non-transfer) students who graduated from our secondary certification program from 2014-2018, approximately 17% graduated in 4 years or less; about 41% graduated in four years plus their student teaching semester; and all graduated within 6 years. This has included at least a secondary education major, teaching major, and teaching minor, or a K-12 major. Secondary certification requirements have now changed and the program may be completed in less time by those who choose.