• Overview
  • Requirements
  • Be a Teacher
  • Advising

The educational studies department at the College has two main goals: to promote the study of educational processes, institutions and thought; and to prepare highly qualified teachers for elementary and secondary classrooms. Courses and programs examine education as an essential and complex social process that occurs in formal and informal teaching-learning situations. While the department is dedicated to the preparation of effective teachers, we invite and encourage other students to take courses to develop greater understanding of educational issues and concerns.

The secondary education major, along with a minor or licensure path listed in the requirements, leads to teacher licensure in the middle and high school content areas (grades 4-12) of English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, or Social Studies.  The educational studies department also offers PK-12 certification programs in art, foreign language (French and Spanish), music, physical education, physical education and health, and theatre (pending program approval).

You can learn more in the Teacher Education Handbook. Ripon College also offers a major in elementary education for those interested in teaching regular education in kindergarten through ninth grade.

Achieve More

Advising

Ripon College faculty and professional staff are dedicated to helping you reach your goals, whatever they may be and however often they may change along the way. It’s part of our value statement to you.

As a student at Ripon, you will be assigned a faculty adviser based on your area(s) of interest. You will meet with your faculty adviser throughout your time as a student to discuss your current aspirations, plan your course schedule and plot a future trajectory. We also work collaboratively with Ripon College Career and Professional Development to help match your interests and skills to concrete goals and construct a plan for professional success offering personalized career counseling, off-campus learning opportunities and an online job board with potential to connect with local, national and international employers.

Advising at Ripon

Requirements

Teacher Licensure
Ripon College offers programs leading to teaching licensure in Elementary Education (K-9), Middle School/ High School (grades 4-12) subject areas and K-12 licensure in French, Spanish, art, health, physical education, music and theater. Licensure in English as a Second Language can be added to any teacher licensure program.

Licensure programs at Ripon meet standards set by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Students who complete the requirements of a licensure program are eligible for a Tier 2Wisconsin teaching license. Most other states accept the Wisconsin teaching license, and the Director of Teacher Education is prepared to help students identify requirements for states outside Wisconsin.
Requirements for Major in Secondary Education (Grades 4-12)
Core Courses This major, along with a minor or licensure path listed below, leads to teacher licensure in the middle and high school content areas (grades 4-12) in the areas of English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, or Social Studies. Students take the following educational studies courses: EDU 190 School and Society, 250 Psychological Foundations of Education, 260 Diversity in American Education, 270 Differentiated Instruction: Approaches for the Classroom Teacher, 316 Middle School Education, 270 Differentiated Instruction: Approaches for the Classroom Teacher, 311 Literacy Development in Middle/Secondary Schools, 316 Middle School Education, 320 Pre-Student Teaching Practicum, 344 Theory and Practice of Secondary School Teaching, 451 Student Teaching: Middle School, 461 Student Teaching: Secondary, 571 Student Teaching Seminar*.

*EDU 512 Philosophical and Social Issues in Education may replace EDU 441, 461, 571 as the capstone experience for this major for students not seeking teaching licensure.
Recommended Courses PSC 242 Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood is encouraged.
Additional Criteria Students seeking the secondary education major and a teaching licensure will also need to complete a program of study in English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science or Social Studies.

The secondary education major is also required for students wishing to license in art education, French, or Spanish.
Requirements for English Language Arts Licensure
Core Requirements In addition to completing the secondary education major, licensure requires:

  • an English major (ENG 101 Introduction to the Literary Conversation, 450 Literary Theory, 530 Senior Seminar, 251 Early British Literature or 255 Later British Literature, 246 Early American Literature or 250 Later American Literature)

  • 4 credits of creative writing

  • 8 credits of 300-level electives - 4 credits of electives must satisfy the department’s Diversity, Equity and Justice requirement

  • ENG 402 English Teaching Methods, CMM 215 or THE 248 The Actor's Voice for Stage and Media
Recommended Courses LIN 332 Introduction to Linguistics or LAT 111 Elementary Latin I
Requirements for Mathematics Licensure
Core Requirements In addition to completing the secondary education major, licensure requires:

  • a mathematics major (MTH 206 Multiple Variable Calculus, 224 Linear Algebra, 248 Introduction fo Proof through Discrete Concepts or 305 Introduction to Mathematical Proofs, 501/502 Senior Seminar and at least 16 credits of mathematics courses numbered above 206 - at least eight of which are at the 400 level - MTH 361 Geometry, either 120 Elementary Statistics or 220 Data Analysis or 432 Mathematical Statistics, and 401 Secondary Teaching Methods)

  • EDU 150 Structures of Mathematics
Recommended Courses EDU 338 Elementary and Middle School Mathematics Teaching Methods
Requirements for Science Education Licensure
Core Requirements In addition to completing the secondary education major, licensure requires:

  • a major or minor in biology, chemistry, physics, or environmental studies

  • the following courses: BIO 122 Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, 123 Molecules, Cells and Genes, 211 Human Anatomy and Physiology I: Support, Movement and Integration, CHM 111 Organic Chemistry I, 112 Structure and Reactivity, ENV 120 Environmental Studies, PHY 131 General Physics I: Mechanics,152 Introductory Physics II: Electricity, Magnetism and Waves, and EDU 337 Elementary and Middle School Science Teaching Methods
Recommended Courses EDU 338 Elementary and Middle School Mathematics Teaching Methods
Requirements for Social Studies Education Licensure
Core Requirements In addition to completing the secondary education major, licensure requires:

  • a history major or minor including 8 credits of World History, 8 credits of American History, and at least 8 credits at the 300 level or above and HIS 295 History and Historians

  • ENV 120 Environmental Studies, PSC 110 General Psychology, POL 220 American Politics and Government, POL 335 Congress and the Presidency, ECO 211 or 212 Principles of Economics, ANT 110 The Human Experience: How to Think Anthropologically or SOC 110 Introduction to Sociological Imagination, and EDU 323 Elementary and Middle School Social Teaching Methods

The secondary education major is also required for students wishing to license in art education, French, or Spanish.

Requirements for PK-12 Licensure in Art Education
Students must complete the requirements for a major in studio art, and the secondary education major. Students must work with their advisors to arrange to take teaching methods course work. In addition, each student must qualify for and satisfactorily complete EDU 320 Pre-Student Teaching Practicum and a semester of student teaching (491 Student Teaching: Art and 571 Student Teaching Seminar).
Requirements for PK-12 Licensure in Music Education
Students must complete general education requirements for licensure, and the requirements for the music education major. In addition, students must complete EDU 320 Pre-Student Teaching Practicum and a semester of student teaching (EDU 421 Student Teaching: Music and 571 Student Teaching Seminar).
Requirements for PK-12 Licensure in Physical Education and Health
Students must complete general education requirements for licensure, and the requirements for a physical education and health major. In addition, students must complete EDU 320 Pre-Student Teaching Practicum and a semester of student teaching (EDU 431 Student Teaching: Physical Education/Health and 571 Student Teaching Seminar).
Requirements for certification in English as a Second Language (ESL)
In addition to an approved major, each student must complete a licensure program; and EDU 329 Meeting the Needs of English as a Second Language Student, 330 Methods and Materials for English as a Second Language Instruction, 331 English as a Second Language Assistant and LIN 332 Introduction to Linguistics. In addition, one of the two student-teaching placements must be completed in an ESL setting.

Be a Teacher

While it certainly is true that good teachers are always in demand, it also is true that changes in the economy, government funding for education, regional population shifts and family lifestyles affect employment trends for teachers. Ripon graduates have success finding teaching jobs, in part, because faculty work closely with students to help them plan programs and conduct job searches geared toward current employment trends.

Some Ripon graduates with teacher certification have elected to take advantage of opportunities for work abroad in the Peace Corps. Others are using their teaching skills in service and business settings. An increasing number of agencies and institutions seek teachers to staff their educational programs.

An additional career route for certified teachers is graduate school. Master’s degree-level programs enable students to add areas of certification such as special education, early childhood education and bilingual/bicultural education. Such specialized expertise often opens new opportunities for securing a teaching position.