Home > Articles > Degree Programs And Certifications > Education Degrees > Middle School Education Degrees

Middle School Education Degrees

Middle school education degree programs prepare students to teach middle school students in a specific area of study such as math, English, social studies or science. Licensing requirements for middle school teachers vary by state with approximately 28 states offering a middle school teaching license. 18 other states require a middle school endorsement in addition to either an elementary or secondary school license. Teachers may also need to obtain a subject-specific endorsement for the subject they will teach. The grades which middle school licenses cover also vary by state, ranging from fourth through ninth grades.

There is a higher demand for middle school teachers in general than there is for elementary or high-school teachers. The highest demand is for those who can teach math and science and for those willing to work in low-income areas. The federal TEACH grant is available to help finance college costs for individuals who make a commitment to work in one of these high need areas.

Degree Options

Bachelor's Degree – A bachelor's degree in middle school education will prepare students to become licensed middle school teachers in public school systems or to teach at private middle schools.
Master's Degree – A master's degree in middle school education can be earned to expand a student's expertise in a specific subject area or to gain administrative training. This is also an option for those who have a bachelor's degree in an area outside of education. Graduates of master's programs may choose to teach, become curriculum specialists or school administrators.
Doctoral Degree – Doctoral programs in education are not typically specific to one age group but rather focus on administration, leadership or education psychology. Doctoral program graduates may take on administrative roles such as Principal or Superintendant of Schools or they may choose to become consultants, researchers or college instructors.

Schools

Middle school education degree programs can be found at universities and colleges as well as at many online schools. These programs are not as easy to find as other teaching degrees since many states allow those with elementary education or secondary education degrees to teach middle school.

Coursework

Below are some common courses a middle school education degree student may take. In addition, students will need to take general education courses and courses specific to the subject matter they will be teaching.

Educational Psychology - This course studies the psychological foundations for educational practices, including cognitive skills and learning conditions.
Adolescent Development – Students learn about the cognitive, social, emotional and physical development of adolescents and the influence these factors play in middle school education.
Integrating Culture and Diversity into the Classroom – This course develops students' awareness of cultural differences and strategies for teaching students whose native language is not English.
Classroom Management – Teaches practical methods for managing student behavior so that classroom learning can be maximized.
Principles of Teaching, Learning and Assessment - Introduces principles that guide teaching methods, learning assumptions and assessments.
Working with Special Needs Students – Students learn best practices for teaching classrooms that include students with exceptional learning needs.

Interests and Aptitudes

Those who are considering a Middle School Education program should possess a special ability to relate to early adolescents during this difficult time in their development. They need to recognize that their success will have as much to do with how they interact with their students as it does their knowledge of the subject matter they are teaching. Middle school teachers have a challenging and very important job that requires a sense of humor, flexibility and a desire to reach out to individual students in ways that go beyond academics.

Career Options

Most graduates of Middle School Education degree programs will become Middle School Teachers in public or private middle schools. Graduates of Master's or Doctoral programs may choose to become school administrators, curriculum specialists, researchers or college instructors.

Related Majors

Elementary School Education - Programs focus on knowledge and skills needed to teach children from K-6 grades. Courses in child psychology, childhood development and courses specific to teaching each subject matter are included.
Secondary Education - Students learn to teach a specific subject matter at the high school level. Also covered are topics related to the development and learning process of high school students.
Special Education - These programs address the topics relevant to teaching students with varying learning disabilities. Behavior management, teaching methods, legal requirements and emotional needs of these students are also covered.
Early Childhood Education - Studies include development and learning processes of children aged zero to five and include academic as well as physical, emotional and social development.
Educational Administration - These master's and doctoral level degrees include courses in leadership, management, education policy, finance and law as they pertain to school principals and superintendants.

How To Evaluate Middle School Education Degree Programs

Some considerations when choosing a degree program are listed below:

State Requirements – Since middle school teaching requirements differ widely by state, it is important to verify the program meets the requirements of the state in which the person intends to work.
Internship Availability - It is important that internships are readily available so that students will be able to intern in the subject matter they will be teaching.
Accreditation – Middle school education degree programs should be accredited by one of the six regional accrediting agencies as well as by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education or the Teacher Education Accreditation Council.
Convenience - There are many programs that offer classes online so for those who will be working while attending school, the availability of this option may be a deciding factor.

Free Online Courses

Various free online courses are available which can help individuals learn more about middle school teaching:

Resources

National Middle School Association

National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education

Annenberg Media: Workshops and Courses for Educators

National Board for Professional Teaching Standards

U.S. Department of Education: TEACH grant

Online Course Finder

Find the path to your
education in 3 easy steps.

Degree Finder

Find the path to your
education in 3 easy steps.

Apply For a BrainTrack Teaching Scholarship

First ($1,000) and Second Place ($500) awards, twice annually, for students currently pursuing a related degree (Associate or higher).

Submit answers to essay questions to help people evaluate career paths. BrainTrack publishes the most helpful essays.

Deadlines are November 1 and March 1

Awards are payable towards the current or next semester's tuition.

Winners and examples are at BrainTrack's College Student Stories section. For more info, visit About BrainTrack Scholarships.

See Additional Scholarship Rules

Additional Rules

All submissions must be done online, on the scholarship entry form, accessed by clicking the I Agree button below.

The competition is open to students who have completed at least one semester or one quarter of credits in a related program, are currently pursuing a relevant degree, and are enrolled in one or more relevant courses at the time of the entry deadline. Students may be in either a full-time or part-time program, and studying on-campus and/or online.

Winners will be notified by email and telephone, within 12 weeks following the entry deadline. All award payments are made to the school of the winner, toward the student's tuition.

Each individual may submit only one entry every 12 months.

Entrant's school must be in the US and have accreditation recognized by the US Department of Education.

By submitting a scholarship entry, each entrant agrees that his/her submission becomes the exclusive property of BrainTrack's publisher, each entrant consents to BrainTrack's publisher to use their submission for promotional or other any other purposes, and each entrant retains no rights whatsoever in his/her submission materials.

Entrants selected as finalists may be contacted by BrainTrack's publisher to provide references from their school, who may be contacted to verify the entrant's qualifications.

Entrants who win scholarships may have their names published both on BrainTrack's website and in print media, and, as a condition to the award of their scholarship, must agree to a brief telephone interview which may also be published or used in promotion.

BrainTrack's publisher will keep other entrant's identifying data private, and not use it other than for this scholarship competition.

No purchase is necessary to enter.

BrainTrack reserves the right to change rules between scholarship competitions at its discretion and to make rule clarifications at any time as needed.

Scholarship recipients are responsible for all taxes or other impositions associated with their scholarship award.

This scholarship competition is void where prohibited.

Only entries submitted electronically to BrainTrack's website in accordance with these rules will be eligible for consideration. Entries will be deemed to have been submitted by the authorized account holder of the e-mail address submitted at the time of the entry. "Authorized account holder" is defined as the natural person who is assigned to an e-mail address by an Internet access provider, online service provider or organization (e.g., business, educational institution, etc.) that is responsible for assigning e-mail addresses for the domain associated with the submitted e-mail address.

Limitations of Liability/Reserved Rights: Neither Brain Track nor any of its affiliates shall have any obligation or responsibility with regard to (i) entries that contain inaccurate information or do not comply with these rules, (ii) entries, prize claims or notifications that are lost, late, incomplete, illegible, unintelligible, damaged or otherwise not received by the intended recipient, in whole or in part, due to computer or technical error of any kind, (iii) telephone, electronic, hardware, software, network, Internet or computer malfunctions, failures or difficulties, or (iv) any damages or losses of any kind caused by any prize or resulting from acceptance, possession or use of any prize. Brain Track, in its sole discretion, reserves the right to disqualify any person tampering with the entry process or the operation of its website or otherwise violating these rules. Brain Track further reserve the right to cancel, terminate or modify this scholarship competition if it cannot be completed as planned because of infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention or technical failures of any sort.

Questions or comments? Please contact BrainTrack at scholarships@braintrack.com

Middle School Education Degrees

Online Course Finder

Degree Finder

Categories

Apply For a BrainTrack Teaching Scholarship

Related Careers

Also of Interest

Resources