The minor in education is an 18 credit hour undergraduate program designed to introduce students to fundamental issues in supporting children’s and youth’s learning and development through the creation of high-quality learning environments. Consisting of 12 credit hours of core coursework and 6 credit hours of electives, it is ideal for any student looking to work in formal or informal educational settings upon graduation. No more than 9 credit hours taken for the minor may be at the 100 or 200 level.

It is also particularly well suited for students in content-area majors looking to pursue a graduate level-teaching degree in order to teach their subject at the middle, secondary, or K-12 grade levels. Three of the core courses are prerequisites to UMKC’s certification-granting Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program. UMKC undergraduate students interested in applying to the graduate MAT program are strongly encouraged to declare an education minor to complete program prerequisites and (with interest area advisor approval) content-area coursework in preparation for the MAT’s required content assessment.

Relationship of the Education Minor to the MAT 4+1 track:  

Students who are interested in completing the 4+1 bachelor’s/MAT program should declare an education minor early in their undergraduate study. In addition to completing prerequisite coursework as minor requirements, students take the 7 credit hours of MAT coursework completed in their senior year of undergraduate study after admission to the 4+1 program as minor electives. Please consult with an advisor to ensure that coursework completed for the minor fulfills MAT program requirements. Completion of all MAT pre-requisites, MAT 4+1 courses, and minor requirements totals 20-22 credit hours.

Student Learning Outcomes

Students graduating from this program will:

• Recognize variations in learning and development within and across developmental domains.
• Assess the ability of learning environments to meet the needs of diverse learners and communities.
• Critique learning environments in their ability to support individual and collaborative learning
• Create opportunities for learners to creatively address authentic local and global issues using relevant concepts and multiple perspectives

¹

Classes fulfilling the Minor in Education elective requirements will be determined by student’s education interest level and approved by the interest area advisor. Students in the 4+1 program may also be approved to take content area courses as electives in the minor.