Teach and Help Guide Young Children
Dedicated elementary school teachers can have an outsized impact on the lives and development of young children. If you’d like to be one of them, learn the skills you’ll need in the Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education program at the University of Michigan-Flint.
The program emphasizes human development and its importance in teaching young children. You’ll learn about literacy, early childhood education, educational technology, science education, math education, special education, and social and psychological foundations, taught by the region’s leading experts in these fields. And you’ll spend 600 hours as a student teacher, giving you invaluable hands-on experience before you step into your own classroom.
UM-Flint Degree & Certificate Programs
Besides the Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education program, the College of Arts, Sciences and Education offers other programs to prospective and working elementary educators:
- The Early Childhood Trauma and Education Certificate is a 12-credit program focusing on how trauma can impact learning and how families and communities can help a child recover from a traumatic experience.
- The Early Childhood Studies Minor program is aimed at Elementary Education majors who aren’t pursuing the Early Childhood Specialist Endorsement (ZS) and students who aren’t Elementary Education majors.
- The Master of Arts in Educational Administration is a part-time program designed for principal preparation that combines online coursework with classes that meet one Saturday a month.
- The Education Specialist is a 20-month post-master program designed for working teachers and school administrators who want to increase their skills in leadership, communication, and administration.
- The Doctor of Education program is designed for practicing teachers and administrators and can be completed in as little as three years.
In addition, two other departments at UM-Flint offer programs that lead to K-12 teacher certification:
Accreditation
The teacher education program at the University of Michigan-Flint is approved by the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) and the Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) to offer programs in elementary education, early childhood education, selected secondary education programs, and selected programs that prepare teachers for teaching in all grades.
Scholarships for Elementary Education Students
Besides being eligible for financial assistance through UM-Flint’s Office of Financial Aid, you can apply for numerous UM-Flint scholarships that are specifically for elementary education students or education students in general. They include:
- Everett L. and Viola E. Bray Scholarship
- James H. and Sara Burnham Memorial Scholarship
- Kathryn Carl Education Scholarship
- Ralph M. and Emmalyn E. Freeman Education and Human Services Scholarship
- Edward F. Gwiazdowski Scholarship
- Dale Edward Kildee Education Scholarship
- School of Education & Human Services Alumni Scholarship for Education
- Clarence and Arteka Sevillian Scholarship for Elementary Education Students
- Marian E. Wright Scholarship for Elementary Education Students
- Norma J. Wright-Kendall Scholarship for Elementary Education
Academic Advising for Elementary Education Majors
At UM-Flint, our academic advisors can help you every step of the way through your program. Most importantly, they’ll work with you to chart a path to success.
Linda Blakey is the dedicated academic advisor for Elementary Education majors. Contact her at [email protected] or 810-424-5215.
A major map we’ve created for Elementary Education majors also provides valuable information for planning your UM-Flint experience. The map provides year-by-year information about topics like class selection, extracurricular opportunities, career preparation, and more.
Career Opportunities in Elementary Education
Demand for kindergarten and elementary school teachers should grow by 7 percent through 2030, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s about average for all occupations. The BLS projects there will be approximately 124,300 job openings annually for kindergarten and elementary school teachers through 2030. The median salary for the job is $60,660 per year.
More information about careers in education is available from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Get Started on Your Elementary Education Career Today
If you want to teach young children and help guide them through a critical phase of their development, apply to the University of Michigan-Flint’s Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education program today. If you have questions, you can contact Linda Blakey, the program’s academic advisor, at [email protected] or 810-424-5215.