I was interested in becoming a teacher and I was wondering what qualifications you need?

Question

I was looking into becoming a science teacher or english teacher and i was wondering what courses you need to take from grade 9-12. What marks you need to get accepted into university for that field. And, do you need any specific courses (grade 12 calculise, grade 11 bilogy etc..) Also, how many years do you need to be in university and what degrees do you need to get?

Answer 1

Everything here in the US depends on what state you're in, since the states govern their own education. That said, every state mandates that teachers have at least a college degree (Bachelor's), while some of them are requiring that teachers have or are working towards a master's degree.

The unfortunate truth is that teacher ed programs in the US are pretty easy to get into and not particularly challenging academically. So, in grades 9-12, just focus on taking the most challenging courses you're ready for and doing your best. When looking at colleges, you can look for schools that have a good teacher ed program or that offer an accelerated master's degree with the bachelor's.

Finally, to teach you need certification in the state in which you wish to work. This generally involves passing an exam or two, and all states require an internship (student teaching). Check out http://www.uky.edu/Education/TEP/usacert.html to link to individual states' certification requirements.

Answer 2

First, it helps to be able to spell Biology and Calculus.

Requirements for teachers are different depending on where you live. However, the BEST starting-point for a high school teacher is the following:

1. A four-year BA or BSc in the area you want to teach AND
2. A two-year BEd in Secondary Education

Your 9-12 courses don't matter. What matters is getting accepted into university into a relevant program and then getting a high enough GPA there to be accepted into the Education program.

Answer 3

commenting on the 2nd comment....do NOT go from getting a bachelor's right to getting a masters becuase no one wants to hire a master's person without experience. The school system will hire you, and then while you teach, take classes, and then your pay will go up, and then you mihgt be able to go somewhere else where they pay better or something becuase you have the degree, AND the experience.

As to high school, for example, if you want to be a math teacher. If you only make it to algebra two, they will test you in somewhere to a certain class. Typically, the "Math major classes" start at calculus 1. So, the classes you take before that don't count towards your major, but you have to take them becuase of where you tested into. Also, the higher math classes you get the better while in high school. The better grades really determine which colleges you can and will get into....also extra curricular...schools look at that too.

Hope this clears it up.

Answer 4

I'm currently in college for an education degree. There aren't any specific courses you need to take in high school to get accepted for the school of education that I know of. All you need to do is make sure you are well rounded in all areas and take some sort of foreign language (at least two years). It also depends on what grade you want to teach. There are programs for early childhood, grades 1-8, and high school (9-12). If you were planning on teaching 9-12 you have to take harder courses. If you plan on teaching middle school you usually have to pick two focus areas like math, science, english, or social studies. I would suggest taking as much math as possible in high school because it is much harder in college. Also, be sure to take plenty of english and literature courses. You have to take a test in order to get into the school of education and this consists of english and math sections.

Answer 5

Your college major should have been in the field you intend to teach.

You need to take special teaching courses required by a given state for teaching.

You need to qualify in the field of teaching and grade level you intend to teach.

You generally need to student teach for 12 to 20 weeks. Which generally includes doing a sylabus.

Then you have to pay a fee and pass a test to get your credentials.

Answer 6

Well, you'd probably need a bachelors or masters in that subject. Teachers have to go to school for levels of education way past who they're planning to teach. I wouldn't even count on the bachelors being enough.

Why don't you ask a real teacher?