School of Education

Minor Requirement: Elementary Education

All Elementary Education students must select a minor area of study. Minor requirements vary by credit depending on the subject area of interest. Choose this link for the full list of School of Education minors. Students are strongly encouraged to consult early with an EAS advisor about the minor requirement. Students may select from among these options:

• Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, Economics, English, Geography, History, Mathematics, Physics, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology. These are often referred to as “Secondary Education” minors because they were originally constructed as minors for secondary-level certified students. Elementary Education majors may also complete these majors to meet their minor requirement. Find the detailed requirements for these minors in the materials for these subjects.
• Afro-American Studies, Communication Arts, Dance, English Language Arts, Health, Science (general), and Theatre and Drama. These minors were developed specifically for students completing an Elementary Education major. Click here for a list of minors and links to specific information.
• French, German, Hebrew and Semitic Studies, Italian, Latin, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. Note that these minors generally do not lead to certification in the language, but allow students to develop oral and written skills in a second language.
• Any UW-Madison College of Letters and Science (L&S) major. See the L&S section of the Undergraduate Catalog for a full list of majors. See this link for specific directions on declaring an additional L&S major while a School of Education student.
• Any UW-Madison certificate program. If the certificate program is less than 24 credits, students must consult with their Elementary Education faculty advisor and the certificate program advisor to determine appropriate 200-level and above courses to take toward the 24-credit minimum. See the registrar's Web site for a current list of certificate programs.
• A previous undergraduate degree in a field other than education. The faculty advisor and EAS staff may review records of students with a previous education degree to determine if an equivalent of any of the previous options has been completed.

Important Note for Students Planning to Teach Middle School/Junior High School

Students should note that, in most states, middle school/junior high school licensing requires both completion of a certifiable major or minor in a content area and passing scores on a content examination in that area. Students planning to teach middle school or junior high school outside Wisconsin should consult with other states' departments of education or public instruction regarding their licensing requirements.