Elementary Education (K-6) (BSE)

Why USF for Elementary Education?

As an elementary education major at University of Saint Francis, you will learn how to create an inclusive learning environment and meet the needs of all young students. Our curriculum covers teaching strategies and assessment methods and prepares you for the array of subjects you’d cover in the K-6 classroom.

At USF, you also will develop expertise in a content area of your choice through a required minor, such as science, English or math. You can boost your marketability — and career opportunities — by adding a special education concentration.

Our nationally accredited program prepares you for the Indiana licensure exams, which are requirements to become an elementary teacher in Indiana.

Hands-On Learning: Student Teaching & Field Experience

Begin working with elementary school students from your first semester at USF. By the time you start student teaching, you will have already gained over 300 hours of field experience in schools and classrooms of all kinds: public, private, charter and religious, and in urban, suburban and rural settings.

For your student-teaching semester, you will be paired with a professional educator who will offer mentorship in their classroom. During this experience, one of your final steps to become an elementary teacher, you’ll put everything you’ve learned into action and further develop your skills and confidence.

Faculty & Facilities

At USF, you will learn in small classes from faculty mentors who are experts in their field of education. And you will find everything you’ll need to create lesson plans and prepare for student teaching in the Antoinette V. Murray Cougar Classroom, a learning lab filled with technology, resources and materials.

Campus and Community Involvement

As you prepare to become an elementary teacher, you can gain experience teaching and leading others through campus ministries, student groups and service-learning projects. A few clubs and activities of interest to elementary education majors are:

• Educators in Action
• Council for Exceptional Children
• Alpha Theta Epsilon (honor society)

I was hired as a classroom teacher right after I graduated, which is a testament to USF’s program. I felt very well prepared due to the course content, the diverse field experiences, and the faculty support.

Claudia Alcala ’15
Kindergarten Teacher
Harrison Elementary School

Where You’ll Find Our Elementary Education Graduates

USF graduates are teaching in elementary school classrooms and making a difference in communities across Indiana and beyond:

• Bishop Noll Institute
• DeKalb County Central United School District
• Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend Catholic Schools
• Fort Wayne Community Schools
• Northeast Indiana Special Education Cooperative
• Prairie Heights School Corporation
• Prince Chapman Academy
• Smith Academy for Excellence (SAFE) Boy’s School
• West Noble School Corporation
• Edgerton Local Schools

Grad School and Other Opportunities

Teachers are lifelong learners. Throughout their careers, USF elementary education majors may return to the classroom for continuing education credits, graduate certificates, additional licensures, and even master’s degrees. These additional credentials not only help fulfill your school’s professional development requirements, but they can also prepare you to move into education administration.

USF offers graduate programs in education, special education, school psychology and school counseling.

In this video, alumna Nadzara Sakinovic (BS ’08 MS ’13) shares how one of her elementary school students inspired her to return to USF for a master’s in school counseling:

Accreditation

The Department of Education is accredited by the Indiana Department of Education and the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), which was previously known as the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).