What degree(s) to pursue in order to become a high school math teacher?

College Majors Math/Computer Science Majors
1

I want to become a high school math teacher. I’m looking at going to Indiana University Bloomington for undergrad, and maybe for grad school as well. They have a few different options for math degrees and I’m wondering if any math teachers or former math majors have any insight into which ones I should pursue and what, if anything, I should do for grad school.

The undergraduate degrees in math are the following, with descriptions taken directly from IU’s website:

B.S. I program: The B.S. degree is designed to provide students with an extensive background in mathematics. It provides appropriate training for those students who plan to do graduate work in mathematics (Program I)

B.S. II program: or in related areas such as astronomy, biology, chemistry, computer science, economics, geology, physics, or psychology (Program II).

An additional description of the B.S. programs says the following: The Mathematics B.S. gives a much deeper look at the subject. Within it, there are two different options: a B.S. I, focusing on theoretical math, and a B.S. II, concerned with mathematical applications

B.A. program: The Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) offers you broad flexibility to combine your interest in math with almost any other major, minor or certificate

The typical Math B.A. major:
Likes to be challenged
Enjoys solving puzzles
Has other interests and talents outside of math
Desires flexibility and choice in major requirements
Has strong analytical skills and wants to develop them further
Wants to keep options open for a variety of career fields

…

I should add here that I want to take a minor in a completely unrelated field offered by the same college (College of Arts and Sciences) but that’s it. The minor is linguistics, to be more specific.

Now, given these descriptions, it seems to me that the best course of action would be to do the B.S. I degree because after graduation I would do either the Transition to Teaching program or a graduate program in education to become certified to teach in Indiana. (It may be worth noting I might move in the future to another state but I have no idea which one yet, however my initial certification would be for Indiana.) In any case, whether I choose to go on to graduate school for education which may have a track in mathematics, or I just do the Transition to Teaching program, it seems like the B.S. I offers the most in-depth look at mathematics for math’s sake, which is what I think I would want. The only thing that gives me pause is the fact that the B.A. program seems to indicate that if I want to minor in an unrelated field I’d want to pursue the B.A. instead. Does that seem right to you?

Now in terms of what I would do after my Bachelor’s, I’m considering pursuing the M.S.Ed. in Secondary Education (Mathematics Track) because this would boost my salary as a math teacher, give me more in-depth training as a teacher, and qualify me to be a department head or other such promotions as a high school math teacher. Is this a good idea? Is it worth the money? Will I be more employable if I do this as opposed to just the Transition to Teaching program, especially since there is a shortage of STEM teachers? Additionally, would it be frowned upon to do grad school in the same place I got my undergrad? Their graduate program in math education is apparently one of the best in the country, and I would really like to do undergrad here as well so I’d really like to do both at IU, I just don’t want it to look bad to future employers.

If you have any questions because I didn’t make something very clear, please ask. I’d be happy to answer. Thank you for the help.

2

A couple of things:
Why do you want to get a bachelor’s and then a master’s? As a teacher (particularly in Indiana, which pays teachers terribly), you won’t make a lot of money, and by getting a master’s you would just be adding to your debt. A cursory google search tells me that you can teach in Indiana with a bachelor’s in math and a minor in education, which would save you a lot of time and money.

If you want a master’s for the salary boost, know that many school districts will fund a master’s once you have been working for them for some time. As for whether they care if a grad degree and undergrad come from the same place, they absolutely do not. They really don’t care where the credentials come from as long as you have them.

I would also put some serious consideration into where you want to work. States have different requirements, and Indiana is one of the worst states right now for teachers. There are jobs aplenty, but teachers are paid poorly and are treated pretty badly.

3

The BA program may have fewer requirements so that you can take more other courses. You may want to count up requirements for the BS program to see how much schedule space you will have for linguistics.

4

I mentioned in my post why I might want to get a master’s. With a master’s, you get paid more, you can get promotions more easily and you are the first pick for department head, that kind of thing. The question is about the ratio of pros and cons, for example, do I make enough extra money for having a master’s degree to offset the debt, and potentially even have extra leftover? Or is it just more of a drain financially in the long run? But there are other benefits too, as I mentioned, also including potential employability, but with the question there being whether it would matter so much since there is a shortage of STEM teachers anyway. All of this is to say I’m not sure whether or not I want a master’s and that was one of the main questions in my post.

Would a minor in education be doable with another minor, especially if I want to pursue the B.S. I degree? That’s an important question, because I don’t really want to toss my other minor to the side but I also don’t want to overload myself with work. If that’s maybe too challenging, I’d prefer to do the Transition to Teaching program if the masters would be more of a detriment in the big picture.

If they fund a master’s degree, would I be expected to work and go to school at the same time? I don’t know that I’m capable of juggling that many responsibilities at once, considering teaching seems to be a difficult enough job as it is and very time-consuming. If they don’t expect that of me, however, that might be an option I’d pursue.

The only reason I’d be teaching in Indiana initially is because it’s where I’m from and I’d need a little time to figure out where I’m going and make that transition. IU’s website mentions that the requirements for teacher certification in Indiana are reciprocal in many other states, although I haven’t looked into which ones yet. I’ve seriously considered moving to Washington state in particular, but other than that I’m not entirely sure.