the department of education offers a teacher education program for students seeking teaching careers in grades kindergarten through eight (k-8). the elementary education major is designed to provide a broad educational foundation with a focus on how science, technology, engineering, and math interconnect within the language arts, social studies, arts, and health enhancement curricula. this program content is essential in the preparation of successful k-8 pre-service teachers.

prospective elementary school teachers follow a program of study the first two years which is essentially the same for all students. there is sufficient flexibility, however, for specialization in the various teaching options available.

one of the major attributes of the elementary education program at montana state university is its extensive field experience component. this includes service learning experiences in the freshman year, micro-teaching experiences in the after school partnership in the sophomore year, and two practicum teaching semesters prior to student teaching.  during these semesters, students spend the equivalent of four half-days for a minimum of eight weeks in supervised settings working directly with children while concurrently completing methods courses on campus. the final clinical experience is student teaching where students spend fourteen weeks in a supervised classroom setting.