School of Education
Elementary Education Degree
Major, Undergrad Teaching Certification
Teaching elementary school is more than a choice–it is a calling
The elementary education major is an interdisciplinary undergraduate program that focuses on the knowledge, skills and dispositions needed to teach children, grades 4K-9, in the state of Wisconsin. Successful candidates in the program earn a bachelor’s degree and Wisconsin teaching license in K-9 Elementary and Middle, which allows them to teach 4-year-old kindergarten through ninth grade. Our graduates are well prepared to engage students in inquiry, facilitate learning, develop curriculum and use student data to inform instruction.
In addition to a major in elementary education, students are encouraged to minor in early childhood special education (birth-3rd grade Early Childhood Special Education license), minor in health education (K-12 Health license), minor in teaching English as a second language (ESL K-12 teaching license), minor or double major in special education (K-12 Cross Categorical Special Education license), double major in early childhood education (birth-3rd grade license) or pursue any one of a number of minors or certificates.
Why study Elementary Education at UW-Stevens Point?
Our program provides students with frequent opportunities for hands-on learning in PK-12 classrooms and schools. This includes practicum experiences working with school-aged children early and often throughout the program. The Elementary Methods Block (EMB) is a significant practicum experience one semester prior to student teaching in which elementary education majors spend six to eight weeks immersed in area schools.
Student teaching is the culminating experience in the teacher candidate’s academic program of study at UW-Stevens Point. It provides an opportunity for teacher candidates to practice and refine their knowledge and skills under the supervision and guidance of cooperating teachers and our own faculty who have dedicated their careers to education and a lifetime of student learning.
School of Education
Field Experiences
The responsibility of the Office of Field Experiences is to provide quality field experiences for students enrolled in the teacher education program at UW-Stevens Point. These experiences, such as student teaching, involve our students and instructors in practical activities with cooperating teachers and administrators in actual schools and educational agencies.
Elementary Education
Hired Before Graduation
Melissa Pohle ’23
Melissa Pohle was hired before graduation at Whitehall Memorial Elementary School as a 5th grade teacher.
School of Education
Ranked #2 in the U.S.
For the second year in a row, the education program at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point has been ranked second in the nation according to Study.com.
School of Education
Community and Centers
Through many School of Education centers and programs, our students may observe the development process in young children and then apply principles discussed in teaching method classes to real life situations.
School of Education
Alumni Map
Where are they now?
UW-Stevens Point School of Education alumni live and work all over the world—so if you’re looking for networking opportunities close to a new home or contact info for fellow Pointer in another city, you’re in luck. Looking for a fellow UWSP teacher near you? Start with our map.
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What to Expect?
Student teaching is the culminating experience in the teacher candidate’s academic program of study at UW-Stevens Point. It provides an opportunity for teacher candidates to practice and refine their knowledge and skills under the supervision and guidance of cooperating teachers and our own faculty who have dedicated their careers to education and a lifetime of student learning. We allow our students to student teach anywhere within Wisconsin, as well opportunities in the Lower Kuskokwim School District in Alaska, pending availability of appropriate assignments.
UW-Stevens Point graduates in the School of Education typically have some of the highest placement rates of full-time teaching jobs within their first year after graduation across the UW System. For example, nearly 100 percent of our recent elementary education graduates have been hired within one year of graduation.
Our alumni are high-quality educators who experience high career success. They are responsive to the needs of their students and positively impact our diverse world. See where our graduates are working on our alumni map.
Get Involved on Campus
Through volunteer opportunities and varied professional development opportunities, you’ll be an active learner closely involved in real-world situations designed to ensure your professional success.
Our students are academically engaged, highly motivated, and actively involved at the local, state, national and international levels. Student organizations are vital to your pre-professional experiences. As such, the School of Education sponsors the following organizations: Aspiring Educators, Early Childhood Educators, Kappa Delta Pi, and Student Council for Exceptional Children.
You may be lucky enough to work with one of the Neale Fellows, select teachers whose projects make a difference at their schools and who work jointly with faculty teaching your classes.
Elementary Education
Navigate Your Major
Major Maps help students map their first day to the first job in their chosen field. While a four-year plan outlines classes to get a degree, Major Maps help students learn how to build career-ready skills and experiences outside the classroom. Each Major Map shows how students can get the most of their UW-Stevens Point journey from enrollment to graduation and beyond. It’s a roadmap to discovering your purpose!
Meet Your Faculty and Staff
Our School of Education faculty and staff are caring, involved and committed to student success. They are dynamically responsive to the changes happening in education and offer outstanding support to our students’ professional preparation.
Perry Cook
- Professor – Science Education
- Director – Harju Center for Equity in Education
- Coordinator – Elementary Methods Block Program
715-346-3263
Amber Garbe
- Assistant Professor – Education
- Literacy Coordinator
- Reading Methods & Elementary Social Studies Methods
Jacquelyn Sernau
- Assistant Professor – School of Education
- Coordinator – Foundations of Reading Test (FoRT)
Tim Wright
- Interim Assistant Dean – School of Education
- Professor – Health Education
- Program Coordinator – Physical Education major, Health Education minor, Adapted Physical Education Certificate
715-346-4822
DPI Accreditation
UW-Stevens Point’s teacher education programs are accredited by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.
School of Education
Programs