As an elementary educator, you can introduce children to the pleasures of reading and writing, math, science, social studies, and the arts. You’ll learn about how children develop and learn, explore options for teaching a wide range of content areas, and develop the skills and knowledge to inspire lifelong intellectual curiosity in the students you teach.

The Education Department offers a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education with a choice of an area of concentration.

The Areas of Concentration

Elementary majors select one area of concentration from a possible set of six areas to broaden their expertise in at least one area. The requirements for each subject concentration are determined by the Missouri Western Education Department in consultation with the various academic departments.

Four of the concentration areas also yield an additional teaching certification (called an added endorsement) approved by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Those four areas are:

  1. Early Childhood-Special Education (birth to grade 3);
  2. Early Childhood Education (birth to grade 3);
  3. Special Reading (K-12); and
  4. English Language Learners (ELL) (K-12).

The General Concentration consists of 4 total credits of coursework in Education that is not part of the major requirements.

Teacher instructing students