Hey everyone! I am currently a HS junior and I want to be either a middle school or high school math teacher.
I have a majority of California schools on my list as that is where I want to teach after college (and it is hard to get a California credential if you don’t go to college there). I already have a solid list of colleges but I am not sure what major(s) I should be looking at. I know that Liberal Studies tends to be for elementary teachers, while not many schools have Secondary Education majors. For reference, the schools on my list include UCLA, Stanford, USC, Cal Poly SLO, Santa Clara, Pepperdine, USD, SDSU, Chapman, LMU, UCSB, UCSD, UC Davis, UCSC, and ASU (for Barrett; I am in state).
Some schools have mathematics majors with an emphasis in education, some have educational studies with an emphasis in math, while others have education minors. Knowing my career aspirations, what would be the best thing for me to major in? Is it limiting to major in education? I am worried that majoring in math would be too rigorous for me, as I have not taken calculus yet to see if I am good at it or not.
So you have the money/budget worked out with your parents and they are OK in paying $65K/year or $260K for 4 years so you can attend schools like the UC’s to become a teacher?
Do your Undergrad at ASU and then come to California to teach.
Basically, you would major in math (some colleges have a specific recommended course selection or option for those who want to become high school math teachers) and then complete a single subject teaching credential.
@Gumbymom no, not everything is worked out yet with my parents. I know that it would be significantly less expensive to go to ASU and then go to California for my credential or a combined Master’s and credential program, but I also would like to explore the possibility of going to California for undergrad as well.
@ucbalumnus thanks for the links! I’ve checked out the CTCCA website before and they have great information about the credentialing process. I love math and consider myself pretty good at it, but I am just taking pre-calc this year so I need to see if I can excel at upper-level math as well. Additionally, some schools have combined Bachelor’s and credential programs, so I could get both in 4 years for a lower cost!
The Cal States are the ones that most focus on education wannabes. Math major at a top private will be difficult. The California public schools will be expensive – can your parents afford to pay full price?
If you want to teach in CA, you would probably be better off attending ASU or UA for undergrad and the applying to a California school for a master’s degree where you can also get your credential.
@ucbalumnus Yes, it definitely would cost less to go to ASU or UofA or NAU first. I really do not want to stay in-state and I love California, but I do understand that cost plays a very important factor.