Major in Math with a Secondary Education Concentration
For students interested in pursuing a Math Education major in Pennsylvania, there is no better choice than Elizabethtown College. We have a well-established, successful Mathematics Education program, which continues to take the lead in response to the constantly changing demands placed on professional educators.
Our program is structured as a Secondary Education concentration within the Math major, which means that students who complete the program earn a fully-fledged Mathematics degree, as well as certification to teach math in secondary schools (grades 7-12) in Pennsylvania and reciprocal states.
- Etown's Mathematics Secondary Education program combines the versatility and deep content knowledge of a full Mathematics major with all Education coursework and fieldwork needed for certification to teach at the secondary level in PA and reciprocating states.
- The program director is a full-time member of the faculty who combines doctoral-level academic credentials in Mathematics Education with 20 years of public high school teaching experience.
- Our program is well-established and well-respected. Local high schools actively seek out our graduates. In recent years, all Mathematics Secondary Education graduates seeking teaching positions have secured full-time employment within months of graduation.
- We feature coursework and faculty expertise pertaining to educational technology.
- Our students and faculty comprise a supportive, helpful community in which students of pure and applied mathematics, mathematics education, actuarial science, and mathematical business all learn alongside one another.
Our Mathematics Secondary Education program is rigorous and thorough with respect to both mathematical and educational preparation, yet designed so that students complete it within four years. Our program has a long history of success, and is well-regarded by local school districts, many of which seek out our students as student teachers and for permanent positions after graduation.
Students in this concentration are given a solid foundation in geometry, algebra and statistics essential for teaching and analyzing and implementing secondary school mathematics curriculum. The required math courses will satisfy the requirement of two math courses for Education certification. In addition to the math-based curriculum courses for the major, students will also take a selection of education courses including adolescent development, teaching methods, and complete a professional internship (also called student teaching). View the full curriculum for the major and concentration here.
A Leader in Inclusive Excellence
Etown’s School of Engineering, Math, and Computer Science has been honored by the American Society for Engineering Education’s (ASEE) Diversity Recognition Program , earning Bronze Level recognition. ASEE’s bronze category is the highest level issued to institutions during the 2021-22 submission cycle and recognizes the School among the nation’s leaders in inclusive excellence. Etown was one of just nine institutions in the nation to receive the recognition. The Diversity Recognition Program was created by the ASEE to publicly recognize those engineering and engineering technology units that make significant, measurable progress in increasing diversity, inclusion, and degree attainment outcomes of their programs.
The field placement is what changed my life. To experience a classroom first-hand is so much different than reading about it. It was an eye-opener.”
Ryan Stadel, '13
One distinctive feature of our Mathematics Education program is first-year field experience. Students in the program visit classrooms at a variety of levels (elementary, middle, and high school) during their first year of study. This early exposure to how classrooms work from the teacher’s point of view is invaluable for honing students’ professional aspirations. Fieldwork continues throughout the four years of the program at increasing levels of professional involvement, culminating with the formal student teaching that is required for certification. Significantly, our students obtain roughly 186 hours in the field prior to student teaching. Many of our Mathematics Education students report that the early and ongoing fieldwork, together with expert supervision and feedback, positions them well for success in student teaching and later full-time employment.