<p>Hi, this is a great thread for me. I'm thinking that I might want to teach after college, and might need to in order to pay off or work off some loans. It sounds like I could either go to a college and major in a subject and then take teaching courses, or at some schools you can study teaching but have to take a major in the subject you want to teach.</p>
<p>So, what would be the difference between the two? I mean, wouldn't I be better off going to a teachers college with a good rep, like NYU Steinhart, Mich or Vanderbilt and get a degree in teaching with a major in like history, instead of just going to the regular college and majoring in history???</p>
<p>PollySigh, if you complete your undergraduate years with both an education degree and a major in a desirable field, you will be "better off" in terms of being ready to go directly into teaching without having to do additional coursework for certification. (Compared to graduating with no teacher degree.)</p>
<p>However, you mention having to pay off college loans, so where you get your degree is a big consideration. The program at Vanderbilt's Peabody College is a good program, but it is a private university and carries a big price tag unless you qualify for a lot of need-based help or a merit scholarship.</p>
<p>It seems to me that there are a lot of different options. In my state, there is a smaller state university--with a good reputation--that combines teacher certification with a major in a field (no straight teaching degrees), or there is the state flagship public that offers a traditional teaching degree and leaves it up to the student whether or not to also get a second major in a field through the College of Arts and Sciences. Both of those options are far less expensive for in-state students than a private university.</p>
<p>The OP mentioned that cost was not a factor for her family, so people have mentioned programs like Vanderbilt's. I happen to think it is a good program, but it would take a while to pay off undergraduate loans with a starting teacher's salary.</p>
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The OP mentioned that cost was not a factor for her family, so people have mentioned programs like Vanderbilt's. I happen to think it is a good program, but it would take a while to pay off undergraduate loans with a starting teacher's salary.
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<p>I agree with this. Starting salaries for teachers in our area are not bad at all, but private schools lie Vanderbilt's can be expensive. If working in a public school system the pay will be the same whether one attended a third tier public, a 4th tier private, or a school like Columbia or Vanderbilt. In fact, I would not even suggest a that students necessarily attend what might be a reach school because states have minimum gpas for certification I believe, and a gpa from Cornell or a gpa from Podunk U will be seen as equal for certification and pay will be the same taking out the variables like teaching experience. In our district we have teachers who have degrees from the Ivys and teachers with degrees from our 2nd tier instate public schools. In fact I know someone who got her master's in teaching from a lower tier public U at night and this has really blossomed into a nice career in special education administration (nice paycheck).</p>
<p>Here is a list of top national universities sorted by the proportion of bachelors graduates in education. IPEDS 2004</p>
<p>university, SAT 75th percentile, total bachelors graduates, number of bachelors graduates in education, proportion of bachelors graduates in education</p>
<p>INDIANA UNIVERSITY-BLOOMINGTON 1220 6172 1006 0.163
BAYLOR UNIVERSITY 1290 2296 309 0.135
BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY 1320 6829 789 0.116
MIAMI UNIVERSITY-OXFORD 1320 3784 437 0.115
UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE 1280 3392 391 0.115
UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA 1320 5769 613 0.106
CLEMSON UNIVERSITY 1300 3020 306 0.101
BOSTON COLLEGE 1410 2223 195 0.088
AUBURN UNIVERSITY MAIN CAMPUS 1210 3917 328 0.084
IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY 1230 4523 363 0.080
PURDUE UNIVERSITY-MAIN CAMPUS 1260 6242 487 0.078
PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY-MAIN CAMPUS 1290 9134 600 0.066
UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA 1280 4086 247 0.060
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND-COLLEGE PARK 1370 5959 357 0.060
TUFTS UNIVERSITY 1470 1336 73 0.055
UNIVERSITY OF IOWA 1240 4015 201 0.050
OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY-MAIN CAMPUS 1280 8288 380 0.046
VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY 1440 1514 67 0.044
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY 1320 2798 108 0.039
SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY-MAIN CAMPUS 1320 1614 62 0.038
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY 1240 7783 287 0.037
YESHIVA UNIVERSITY 1350 575 21 0.037
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA-TWIN CITIES 1280 6049 219 0.036
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN 1410 6763 241 0.036
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON 1390 6336 203 0.032
UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT 1270 3673 107 0.029
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 1360 8574 247 0.029
BOSTON UNIVERSITY 1390 3991 107 0.027
UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI 1350 2155 52 0.024
THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE 1240 4035 91 0.023
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN-ANN ARBOR 1390 5923 122 0.021
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY 1410 4492 90 0.020
RUTGERS UNIVERSITY-NEW BRUNSWICK 1310 5734 110 0.019
MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY 1280 1549 28 0.018
WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY 1410 1000 18 0.018
UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER 1410 1174 19 0.016
AMERICAN UNIVERSITY 1350 1291 18 0.014
PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY 1310 800 11 0.014
BROWN UNIVERSITY 1520 1490 20 0.013
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY 1500 1999 24 0.012
VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE AND STATE UNIV 1290 4876 52 0.011
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 1440 4344 43 0.010
WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST LOUIS 1520 1634 14 0.009
EMORY UNIVERSITY 1460 1480 12 0.008
UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA-MAIN CAMPUS 1430 3207 21 0.007
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-SAN DIEGO 1360 4131 20 0.005
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON-SEATTLE CAMPUS 1310 7194 33 0.005
UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH-MAIN CAMPUS 1330 3861 15 0.004</p>
<p>I would like to correct an error in my last post! huskem was in fact correct, CETE is an an organization limited to the schools he listed. Repsonding off the cuff, I inadvetently confused CETE with NCATE (National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education). One of NCATE's missions is as I described it, and the current and prospective certified members are far more numerous than those in CETE. Sorry for any confusion I may have caused.</p>
<p>Yeah, I guess those are all good points about re-paying loans for a top tier school on a teacher's salary. But if I do get some good financial aid, is it wrong to think, after working so hard in hs, that I'd rather have the chance to go to a school like UMich, Cornell or Vanderbilt than........Podunk U (?). </p>
<p>Not to mention that it might make me a better teacher (no offense meant to Podunk grads)</p>
<p>And what if along the way I decide not to teach? Unless, is the education or experience or degree I 'd get from one of their teachers colleges much different and also not worth it?</p>
<p>Only you can decide whether the extra cost of a top-ranked school is worth it, because "worth it" has so many different definitions.</p>
<p>If you are not a resident of Michigan, you may not be in a good position to get much in the way of financial aid--at least that is my understanding.</p>
<p>Cornell does not give merit scholarships, so you are left with need-based aid.</p>
<p>Vanderbilt offers a variety of merit scholarships--very competitive qualifications are required--but also has a relatively good need-based aid record.</p>
<p>It doesn't hurt to cast a wide net and see what kind of financial aid offers you get. But at the same time, look into the specifics of the teacher ed. programs at a variety of more affordable schools.</p>
<p>Even if you say that money's not an issue, I'll echo what other posters have said: I personally don't think it's worth it to rack up hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of debt for a teaching degree.</p>
<p>I understand wanting a new experience, but CA is a really diverse state. Why not try schools in NorCal? She'd get distance from the family, a new (colder) environment, etc. </p>
<p>I have a friend from San Francisco who goes to UCLA, and even though it's not on the opposite side of the country, she absolutely loves the novelty of the experience. She definitely gets the traditional "moving away for college" feel.</p>
<p>Thanks, midmo (and everyone), i guess i'll spend the next couple of weeks stringing together a wider net before the tide flows out. And ask my parents finish the aid form.</p>
<p>I'm amazed that the University of Virginia has only been mentioned once in this thread. UVa's five year program has been singled out by NCATE for its excellence and innovation and is the model upon which most other five year BA/MEd programs are built.</p>
<p>Here's the deal: she would major in Math or Biology or whatever else and take secondary ed classes as her minor and graduate with her BA at the end of her fourth year. She would then stay on as a fifth year student and do her student teaching and the coursework for her M.Ed. in Science or Math Ed. At the end of the whole deal, she'll have both degrees.</p>
<p>I can't speak highly enough of the programs. Lots of great faculty in Science and Math Ed too.</p>
<p>I'll add my amazement that Northwestern's School of Education and Social Policy (SESP) hasn't been mentioned. The typical freshman class is only 50 strong gradually increasing to about 100 by senior year (transfers are primarily in-house from other NU programs). The school offers an incredibly intimate LAC-like environment with great faculty/student ratios and unbeatable advising. The obvious advantages offered by the greater Northwestern campus add to the experience. Despite its small size, the graduate department was ranked 7th in the nation this year. The entering class of 2011 stats are the highest of any undergraduate education program in the country.</p>