Secondary Education Major

Secondary Education

Teaching middle or high school could be the perfect career path if you’re passionate about a subject and love sharing that knowledge with others. As a Secondary Education Major, you’ll double-major in your favorite subject area. We offer complementary majors in Biology, Chemistry, English, French, History, Mathematics and Spanish. As you gain expertise in your chosen field, you’ll learn how to teach and mentor pre-teens and teenagers with diverse academic, social, and emotional needs. Depending on your specialization, our Secondary Education Major leads to initial licensure to teach students in grades 8-12 or 5-12.

As a Secondary Education Major, you also have the option to complement your studies with our Teaching Multilingual Learners Minor. You’ll earn a TESOL certificate with the option to apply for ESL licensure. Learning how to teach English language learners opens up diverse career opportunities in U.S. classrooms, schools abroad and nonprofit organizations.

Majors

NOTE: As a Secondary Education Major, it is important to meet with your academic advisor regularly to stay on track with requirements.

Field Experience and Mentorship

Wheaton students presenting to Norton Public School students in a classroom.

As a Secondary Education Major at Wheaton, you’ll gain hands-on experience through fieldwork and student-teaching in diverse educational settings. This includes placements at local schools and the option to study abroad. You’ll be part of a small cohort of student-teachers, ensuring personalized placement aligned with your career goals.

Our faculty have extensive middle and high school teaching experience. In addition to teaching your courses at Wheaton, they will observe you in the field to help you connect theory to practice. You’ll also receive mentorship on teaching strategies and career preparation, whether you’re applying for teaching positions, pursuing fellowships, or continuing your education.

School Placements

Our faculty maintain strong, ongoing connections with principals and teachers at public middle and high schools in the area. Here are just some of the schools you might visit as a Secondary Education Major:

Norton Middle School (Norton, MA)
Norton High School (Norton, MA)
Foxboro Regional Charter School (Foxborough, MA)
Attleboro High School (Attleboro, MA)
Brennan Middle School (Attleboro, MA)

Licensure

As a Secondary Education Major, you’ll acquire the skills to teach in a variety of settings. In order to teach at a Massachusetts public school, you’ll need to pass two Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTELs). The first test is the Communication and Literacy exam, typically taken in your sophomore year. Then, you’ll take your subject-specific exam before January of your senior year. Upon successful completion of the MTEL exams and your practicum, you’ll earn initial licensure to teach grades 5-12 or 8-12 in Massachusetts, depending on your specialty. You may also opt to convert your license in other states. Some jurisdictions require additional exams, courses or fees.

Programs