Elementary Education (K-6)
Make a Difference in the Entire World Right from Your Elementary School Classroom
Catawba College’s Teacher Education program will prepare you to leave your mark on the world one child at a time. You’ll learn valuable, lifelong skills while learning to establish and develop these skills in young minds.
Catawba’s Elementary Education program prepares students for North Carolina initial licensure to teach students between kindergarten and 6th grade. Majors can select a non-licensure or licensure pathway. Students selecting a licensure pathway will complete requirements in addition to the courses in the major (student teaching semester, licensure exams, and edTPA portfolio) to qualify for NC state licensure.
Catawba's Teacher Education programs are approved by the North Carolina State Board of Education and the Department of Public Instruction for licensure of our graduates. With a rich tradition of developing excellent teachers that dates back to 1925, Catawba College’s Education graduates enjoy great success in securing jobs or admission to graduate programs immediately after graduation.
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Experiential Learning
Benefit from strong partnerships with local school systems, experiential visits early on, year-long internships your junior year, and a co-teaching student teaching model for optimum support and growth.
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Essential Skill Development
Developing skills that transfer to immediate and future careers provides a competitive edge. You will learn critical thinking, management, public speaking, and technology skills, plus motivational techniques and service orientation.
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Academy for Teaching
Established in 2007, the Shirley Ritchie Academy for Teaching offers opportunities for personal and professional growth through travel, professional development programs, cohort activities, guest speakers, networking, and field experiences.
School of Education at Catawba College
Catawba College's Teacher Education Department prepares reflective teachers who possess the professional knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary for effectively teaching students in a diverse and global society. Our Teacher Education program has a rich tradition of turning out excellent teachers dating back to 1925.
Education Pathways
The Department of Teacher Education at Catawba College offers several pathways that allow students greater flexibility in completing education majors and minors while providing different options for future careers as educators.
In the traditional pathway (“licensure route”) students are admitted the Teacher Education program, complete student teaching, and earn a recommendation for full licensure. This traditional pathway requires students to complete a series of standardized assessments in order to obtain licensure. Historically, our program alumni have been in incredibly high demand, have entered the teaching profession with all requirements completed for an initial teaching license, and have qualified for licensure in other states.
The non-licensure pathway is for students who want to:
- Work in public or private schools that do not require teachers to have a teaching license, but who still want a solid preparation in developing the skills to teach;
- Get a “head start” on alternative routes to licensure (such as the NC Residency License); or
- Develop knowledge and skills useful in industry (working as Educational trainers) or college/university teaching.
While there is a minimum GPA requirement of 2.50 (and work in the public schools often requires a criminal background check), students in the non-licensure pathway are not required to pass the standardized assessments required of students in the traditional, licensure pathway. The non-licensure pathway allows students to continue in education coursework and earn an education degree or minor without seeking licensure.
Both the licensure and non-licensure pathways are academically rigorous and offer flexibility to allow students to transition between pathways as plans change.
Program Details
Student Professional Associations
Student Professional Associations
SNCAE (Student North Carolina Association of Educators): Catawba's prospective teachers club, SNCAE, is open to anyone majoring or minoring in education. The regular monthly meetings are devoted to the professional and social enrichment of the members and to the advancement and refinement of the profession. SNCAE sponsors social activities, professional development, and community service activities throughout the year.
Kappa Delta Pi Honor Society: Kappa Delta Pi is an International Honor Society in Education dedicated to recognizing excellence in education. Kappa Delta Pi invites members who exhibit the ideals of scholarship, high personal standards, and promise in teaching and allied professions. The Theta Phi Chapter at Catawba College was installed on February 28, 1958 and reactivated in 1983. KDP accepts members who exhibit commendable personal qualities, worthy educational ideals, and sound scholarship.
Net Price Calculator
Net Price Calculator
Estimate your share of college costs and how much financial aid you may be eligible to receive
Our calculator is designed to give you an early indication of what type of financial aid you may qualify for if you were attending Catawba College as a first-year, transfer, online, or graduate student.
Outcomes
Outcomes
Jobs - Although most Elementary Education majors from Catawba College go on to make an impact as a classroom teacher in grades K-6, some also pursue additional education and have careers in these positions:
- School Administrator
- School Counselor
- Librarian
- Information Systems
- Literacy/Reading Specialist
- Audiology/Speech Pathologist
- School Psychologist
- School Social Worker
- UNC-Greensboro
- The College of William and Mary
- UNC-Charlotte
- UNC-Chapel Hill
- Wake Forest University
- Appalachian State University
Catawba College Grad Abigail Hartsoe Harnois Named Beginning Teacher of the Year for East Rowan High
Catawba College is proud to announce that Abigail Hartsoe Harnois, a 2023 graduate with a major in Mathematics and a minor in Secondary Education, has been named the Beginning Teacher of the Year by Salisbury Rowan Schools at East Rowan High School.
Dr. Melissa Tapp, Assistant Professor of Special Education, has received the designation of Board Certified Behavior Analyst-Doctoral® (BCBA-D®).
Catawba College is proud to announce that Ashley Johnson, a 2023 graduate with a major in Mathematics and a minor in Secondary Education, has been named the Davie County Beginning Teacher of the Year for the 2024-2025 academic year. The award was announced on August 23 and recognizes her teaching excellence and contributions to Davie County High School.
