嘿嘿视频

Wondering How to Become a Teacher?

Here鈥檚 5 Steps to Take in Undergrad

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A grad cap that reads, "And the student became the teacher," in white cursive within a bright red apple, surrounded by teaching equipment like rulers, crayons and a pencil that reads, "Ms. Murillo." The photo was taken at 嘿嘿视频' School of Education Commencement graduation ceremony in 2023.
嘿嘿视频 graduate Ms. Murillo proudly dons a custom teacher-themed grad cap at the School of Education Commencement graduation ceremony at the Mondavi Center in June 2023. (Gregory Urquiaga/嘿嘿视频)

As university students, we鈥檝e spent most of our lives up to this point sitting in classrooms. Our classroom experience, though, has been limited to receiving instruction. Have you ever wondered what it鈥檚 like to be on the other side of the equation?

The Rundown on Teaching

A professor with short gray hair, wearing square-rimmed glasses and a black blazer points to a presentation slide off-camera while teaching an art history class at 嘿嘿视频.
Professor of Art History Talinn Grigor teaches the art history class AHI001: "Understanding Visual Culture" in Everson Hall on the first day of classes for the 2023-24 school year. (Karin Higgins/嘿嘿视频)

How much do teachers make?

According to the , for teachers in California unified school districts of medium size, the average annual salary is $54,190 for beginning teachers and $105,000 for seasoned teachers.

What degree do you need to be a teacher?

The minimum requirement for becoming a teacher in California is a bachelor鈥檚 degree from an accredited college or university. Then, you鈥檒l need a certificate from a teaching credential program approved by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. Some elementary and secondary school teachers also obtain a master鈥檚 degree in education.

How long does it take to become a teacher?

It takes five to seven years to become a teacher. You will need to obtain a four-year bachelor鈥檚 degree and a one-year credential program certificate at minimum. If you choose to obtain a master鈥檚 degree, it can add another one to two years to your education.

How do you become an elementary school teacher?

Elementary school teachers will need a bachelor鈥檚 degree and a multiple-subject teaching credential, which prepares you to teach several subjects at the elementary level.

How do you become a high school teacher?

Middle and high school teachers will need a bachelor鈥檚 degree and a single-subject teaching credential, which prepares you to teach one subject at the middle or high school level.

By all accounts, teaching at any grade level is a deeply rewarding profession. You can dedicate yourself to educating and mentoring the next generation, with lots of options as to what age of students you鈥檇 like to work with. If you love the environment of academia, you can stay and work with a diverse array of people. As Tracy Falk, an advisor at the 嘿嘿视频 School of Education, joked, 鈥淚f it were down to me, there would be no more bridges. We need engineers for that, and we need all kinds of people. Education at its core supports all types of learners; I like being a part of that big web.鈥 Education is the beating heart of society, and you have the opportunity to be a part of it.

 But how can you prepare for a career in teaching? It starts right here in undergrad. If you believe that education is right for you, here are five steps you can take during your undergraduate studies to prepare for a future in teaching.

1. Pick the right major to become a teacher

A 嘿嘿视频 teaching assistant with short blue hair and wearing a blue lab coat points to a chemical equation on a blackboard.
Alexia Davis, graduate student and teaching assistant, teaches a chemistry lab in the 嘿嘿视频 Sciences Laboratory Building in Feb. 2023. (Karin Higgins/嘿嘿视频)

Trying to figure out what to study in undergrad if you want to become a teacher can be difficult. 嘿嘿视频 offers an education minor but not an education major, so where should you be focusing your efforts to prepare for a teaching career?

According to School of Education Advisor Tracy Falk, the best bet is to major in whatever subject you plan on teaching. 鈥淟ook at what you鈥檙e interested in,鈥 she said. 鈥淚n we offer an agriculture credential and English, math, science and social science. That鈥檚 for seventh through twelfth grade. We offer a multiple-subject credential, which is kindergarten through sixth grade, and students from all different types of majors enroll in our program.鈥 Earning an undergraduate degree in the subject you want to teach will prepare you for a credential program.

If you aren鈥檛 majoring in one of the credential subjects, don鈥檛 sweat it. There is a subject matter competency requirement for admission to any California teaching credential program. This requirement is fulfilled by a bachelor鈥檚 degree in the subject, but it can also be fulfilled in other ways. For example, a passing subject score on the will fulfill the requirement. If your major doesn鈥檛 align exactly, you can take the CSET to qualify for credentialing.

If you鈥檙e interested in education but aren鈥檛 sure about teaching a specific subject, you can explore other related topics. 鈥淎 lot of our education minor students come from human development, psychology, communications, political science and history,鈥 Falk said. These majors can prepare you to further explore the education field later. There are many non-teaching roles in education that need to be filled, such as administration, counseling, policy-making and research.

Unsure what major would be best for you? Take a look at all our available majors in the education career field.

2. Consider minoring in education

A student raises their hand and calls out a question from the back of the auditorium, surrounded by other students.
Students take notes and listen to instruction from professor Julia Chamberlain in CHE 002C: "General Chemistry" during the first day of class on Sept. 27, 2023. (Gregory Urquiaga/嘿嘿视频)

Although 嘿嘿视频 doesn鈥檛 have an education major, it does offer a minor in education with a wide array of education course offerings for undergraduate students. The minor is twenty upper-division units. You鈥檒l take three core classes 鈥 EDU 100: Introduction to Schools, EDU 110: General Educational Psychology and EDU 120: Philosophical & Social Foundations of Teaching. With this solid foundation, the minor is finished off with eight units of electives in education. The School of Education offers plenty of fascinating elective courses, like 鈥淓ducating Children with Disabilities,鈥 鈥淓thnic Studies in K-12 Schools鈥 and 鈥淕uidance and Counseling.鈥

鈥淭he education minor provides the framework for students to decide if they want to go to a graduate or credential program or if they want to go into work,鈥 Falk said. By completing the minor, you can build a foundation of knowledge, gain experience working in classrooms and boost your applications to credential and M.A. programs. Taking education courses will also allow you to build relationships with faculty from the 嘿嘿视频 School of Education.

One such faculty member is Dr. Sophia Mattingly, who teaches core classes like EDU 100: Introduction to Schools, as well as some electives. Her course EDU 122: Children, Learning & Material Culture is a favorite of her students. 

鈥淭hat class is so much fun,鈥 Mattingly said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 all about everything around us 鈥 all the little hidden messaging we get in symbols and signs and words 鈥 and how those things can impact how we learn. We talk about Lego and Barbie and violent video games. We discuss how those topics relate to learning and how the educational system impacts them.鈥 The education minor allows you to explore fascinating and fun topics like this while building skills for your future career.

3. Get classroom or internship experience in teaching

A student wearing a light gray long-sleeve 嘿嘿视频 shirt leans down to assist two junior high school students. In the background is a large whiteboard with equations written on it.
2023 University Medalist Neeraj Senthil, a biomedical engineering major, has been a student teacher at Oliver Wendell Holmes Junior High School and taught a class how to calculate the volume of a sphere in May 2023.

A vital step in preparing to become a teacher is making sure you like it! While you鈥檙e still in undergrad, make sure to gain some experience. This will allow you to determine how well you click with the field while also building relevant skills.

鈥淭he more experience you get working in an educational setting, the better,鈥 Falk said. That includes classrooms, but also tutoring gigs, summer camps and even working here at 嘿嘿视频. 鈥淭here are so many great jobs here on campus where you can just get into the culture and rhythm of an educational setting,鈥 she said.

There are plenty of resources here on campus to help you find internships. The course EDU 100 includes a thirty-hour off-campus internship in a classroom setting. 鈥淪ometimes people don鈥檛 think they鈥檙e interested in teaching until they do an internship in a classroom,鈥 Mattingly said. 鈥淲hen you鈥檙e on the other side of that desk, you really get an understanding of how much work there is and how the system operates. Our classes provide that perspective.鈥 

The is also a good place to look for internships in tutoring and other educational settings. You can earn credit for internships through the EDU 192: Internship course which can count toward your minor. Education students can also find opportunities in the School of Education , which are labs and projects in education run by faculty who often recruit undergraduate researchers. Whatever form it takes, try to get some experience out in the field!

4. Join the Student California Teachers Association

A 嘿嘿视频 professor in a dark blue button-up shirt teaches a class.
Professor John Eadie was the 2023 winner of the 嘿嘿视频 Teaching Prize. (Gregory Urquiaga/嘿嘿视频)

One of the best ways to prepare for a career in education is to surround yourself with people who have similar goals and interests. The provides opportunities for networking, professional development and making connections with other aspiring educators. 

鈥淥ur Student California Teachers Association club brings together students who are interested in all different aspects of education 鈥 teaching, but also policy work, library studies, museum studies and non-profit work,鈥 Falk said. The list goes on. The SCTA is a campus home for undergraduate students invested in the world of education.

5. Prepare for a teaching credential program

A 嘿嘿视频 student, wearing hoop earrings and a black denim jacket with floral embroidery, takes notes on a tablet in 嘿嘿视频' Center for Educational Effectiveness.
Lizzette Sanchez, a civil engineering major, studies at the 嘿嘿视频 Center for Educational Effectiveness. (Karin Higgins/嘿嘿视频)

On the road to becoming a teacher, you鈥檒l first need to complete a credential program. This is an approximately year-long program that gives you the tools and specialized preparation for teaching the subject and grade level of your choice. A credential program will also get you out working as a student teacher. You鈥檒l want to investigate the prerequisites for any programs you might be interested in, as different programs may have different requirements. 嘿嘿视频 offers a . 

Here are some important steps you can take while still in undergrad:

  • Keep your grades up: Many programs have an undergraduate GPA requirement. The requirement is often between a 2.5 and 3.0 minimum GPA.
  • Complete special coursework: Some programs require an educational psychology course and, if you plan on a multiple-subject credential, a fundamental mathematics course. There is also a U.S. Constitution proficiency requirement that can be fulfilled by either coursework or exam scores.
  • Fulfill the : Applicants must show basic proficiency in reading, writing and mathematics. These categories can be fulfilled with coursework or test scores, including AP, SAT and ACT scores. 
  • Get classroom observation hours: 嘿嘿视频 and some other credential programs require some experience observing classrooms in the grade level of your choice. 嘿嘿视频 requires at least 30 hours of observation.
  • Build relationships with professors: Although 嘿嘿视频 does not, many other programs will require letters of recommendation. You鈥檒l want to build close relationships with faculty members to get meaningful, personalized recommendations from them.

Start looking into credential programs early to determine what you need to prepare. When it comes to choosing a program, Mattingly advises, 鈥淵ou need to be really honest with yourself about what is important to you. For example, some of the programs start when the K-12 students go back to school. Other programs do not start at that same time. Another difference is that some programs will place you, and some programs you have to find your own placement.鈥 Researching what sets apart different programs will help you find the one best suited to your needs as a student teacher.

For more guidance on preparing for a credential program, consider making an appointment with or attending a 嘿嘿视频 School of Education . You can also with School of Education Advisor Tracy Falk.

Helping you become a helper

A student in a dark blue 嘿嘿视频 sweater and round-rimmed glasses helps an elementary student read a picture book. The elementary student looks up at the 嘿嘿视频 student with a big smile.
Lizette Luis, a College Corps fellow from 嘿嘿视频, instructs a reading group of children at North Davis Elementary in Oct. 2022. (Gregory Urquiaga/嘿嘿视频)

The road to becoming a teacher can be a long and exacting one. But by taking these steps to prepare while you鈥檙e still an undergraduate, you can streamline the process and acquire experience to become the best teacher you can be. 

Choose a related major so you have a background in what you鈥檇 like to teach. Consider minoring in education to receive guidance and mentorship from 嘿嘿视频鈥 School of Education faculty. Get volunteer and internship experience working in an educational setting to familiarize yourself with the work you鈥檒l be doing and build the skills you need. Join the SCTA and other on-campus organizations to network with other aspiring educators. Lay the preparational groundwork for an eventual teaching credential program application. 

And, finally, keep your goal in mind. It can be overwhelming to take on a multi-year odyssey to receive your teaching certification. Don鈥檛 neglect to remember the passion that drives you.

When asked what her favorite thing about teaching is, Mattingly pointed me toward the famous quote by the beloved children鈥檚 television host Mr. Rogers: 鈥淲hen I was a boy and I would see scary things on the news, my mother would say to me, 鈥楲ook for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.鈥欌 

鈥淭eaching is one of those jobs where you鈥檙e the helper, and so many kids look to you not just as the person who has information,鈥 Mattingly said. 鈥淲e are so many kids鈥 safe spaces. We are hope, and we鈥檙e more than just knowledge about English and math. That鈥檚 really year after year the thing that keeps me coming back.鈥


R.J. Praker (she/her) is a third year pursuing a bachelor鈥檚 degree in political science with minors in professional writing and Russian. She currently works as a writing intern for and an academic peer advisor for the . She also serves as chief copy editor at the . R.J. is from Placerville, California and loves to hike in the Sierra Nevada with her family鈥檚 dogs.

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