Minnesota Teacher Colleges and Degrees Online Guide

This guide to teaching schools in Minnesota is designed to help aspiring teachers find the right program for their future career goals. There are many colleges and universities that offer teacher preparation programs that train students to work as professional educators. The information on this page includes lists of top-rated teaching programs, a table of accredited, state-approved teacher preparation programs, and student reviews. For anyone looking to obtain a teaching degree in Minnesota, this guide aims to help you find the best possible program for your individual needs.

Quick Facts

• There are 53 colleges and universities with teacher degree programs in Minnesota.¹
• 20 colleges and universities offer an associate’s degree in education.*¹
• 30 colleges and universities offer a bachelor’s degree in education.*¹
• 20 colleges and universities offer a master’s or advanced degree in education.*¹
• 8 schools ranked in Kiplinger’s Best College Values 2019.²
• No schools ranked in Princeton Review’s Great Schools for Education Majors 2020.³
• 4 schools ranked in US News & World Report’s Best Graduate Education Programs 2019.⁴
• 4 schools ranked in US News & World Report’s Best Online Graduate Education Programs 2019.⁵
• 12 not-for-profit teacher programs are accredited by the NCATE, TEAC, or CAEP.

*For not-for-profit colleges and universities with teacher degree programs.

Top-Ranked Schools with Education Programs in Minnesota

Kiplinger’s Best College Values 2019*

• Carleton College (#39)
• St. Olaf College (#61)
• University of Minnesota-Twin Cities (#74)
• University of Minnesota-Morris (#161)
• St. John’s University (#200)
• Bethel University (#224)
• College of Saint Benedict (#231)
• University of St. Thomas (#269)

*Institution-wide ranking.

US News & World Report’s Best Graduate Education Programs 2019

• University of Minnesota-Twin Cities (#21)
• University of Minnesota-Duluth (#177 tie)
• Hamline University (#195-258)
• University of St. Thomas (#195-258)

US News & World Report’s Best Online Graduate Education Programs 2019

• College of St. Scholastica (#89 tie)
• Concordia University St. Paul (#131 tie)
• Minnesota State University-Moorhead (#194 tie)
• Martin Luther College (#200 tie)

Comparison of Teacher Preparation Programs

We have designed the following table to help you compare teacher preparation programs in Minnesota according to various factors. All of the schools included are not-for-profit institutions approved by the Minnesota Board of Teaching for the preparation of teachers. Completing a state-approved teacher preparation program is an important step towards earning licensure.

While accreditation from the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) is not a requirement for licensure, it is included in the following table as CAEP provides a highly-regarded accreditation that is accepted in many states. Read more about the CAEP, NCATE, and TEAC accrediting bodies. We have also included rankings from the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ), a research and policy group that scores teacher preparation programs at the national level using key standards chosen to measure students’ preparation for success in teaching. For further information on the NCTQ’s program rankings, please see the notes below the table.

You will also find data on teacher preparation program enrollment, completion, and licensing exam pass rates by institution for the 2017-2018 academic year in this table. These data points are collected from annual US Department of Education records under Title II (Teacher Quality) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), which provides for reporting that holds institutions and state departments of education accountable for increasing academic achievement through improvements in teacher quality.

Programs that are not ranked, or for which data is not available, in a given category are denoted as “–“.

*The NCTQ rated undergraduate elementary teaching programs in 2016 and undergraduate secondary teaching programs in 2017 by national percentile based on their overall scores on the NCTQ’s standards for teacher education. Schools that do not provide data on all key standards or that fall below the top 50% of schools nationally are not included by the NCTQ in their ratings. Visit the NCTQ website for more information on its standards and methodologies.
**Net price is per year for undergraduate tuition as calculated by the National Center for Education Statistics based on the cost of attendance (tuition, books, room and board, and related expenses) for students who qualify for in-state tuition and fees, less the average financial aid award (including grants and scholarships).

Profiles of Well-Known Schools

University of Minnesota, Crookston: The Liberal Arts and Education Department at the University of Minnesota, Crookston confers two degrees for future educators: A Bachelor of Science (BS) in Early Childhood Education and a BS in Elementary Education. The Early Childhood Education curriculum focuses on training students to meet the educational needs of children from newborns up through eight years of age (3rd grade) using a developmental approach. When combined with an emphasis in primary education, students are qualified to apply for licensure as teachers within the state of Minnesota. The university’s advanced Early Childhood facility is a recognized benefit for students, allowing them to gain laboratory and practical experience working with younger children. The Elementary Education program prepares students to teach children from kindergarten through grade six. Emphasizing career skills, this program provides students with hands-on learning and practice experiences guided by full-time faculty. Before completion of the degree, students take the Teacher Performance Assessment, a national assessment that analyzes a student’s preparedness to teach.

St. Olaf College: St. Olaf College’s Department of Education is focused on graduating future teachers who have sound knowledge in specific subject matter areas. In addition to a Bachelor of Arts in Social Studies Education and a Bachelor of Music in Music Education, St. Olaf College can recommend graduates for licensure in major subject areas including mathematics, biology, English as a second language, and science. Admission to the teacher education program is based on the prospective student’s GPA and strength of his or her overall application, which includes an interview with education and content-area faculty. Once accepted, all students complete at least 120 hours of field experience prior to completing a formal student teaching placement. To qualify for continuation in the program from semester to semester, students must maintain a 3.0 GPA in proposed licensure content areas and overall. St. Olaf College’s education program is approved by the Minnesota Board of Teaching. Students who are pursuing licensure in a state-recognized teacher shortage area in Minnesota may be eligible for the Minnesota Teacher Shortage Student Loan Repayment Program.

School Programs for Becoming a Teacher in Minnesota

Schools with Teaching Degree Programs in Minnesota

Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55454
(612) 330-1000
www.augsburg.edu

Bemidji State University
1500 Birchmont Dr
Bemidji, MN 56601
(800) 475-2001
www.bemidjistate.edu

Student Review: “In a world full of phenomenal schools, Bemidji is a force to be reckoned with, and their education programs are no exception. The staff are all passionate and caring about their students, and the environment is warm, friendly, and welcoming. We are constantly learning new and innovative methods, and every day is a new adventure. The school assigns us to go on practicums to the local schools, where we work first-hand with students, and observe professionals at work. The school also has a very welcoming approach with the community, which gives us more opportunity to teach and learn, making the experience even more valuable. Choosing a school was not an easy task, but if I could go back again, I know I wouldn’t choose any other school than Bemidji.” -Josh M., student at Bemidji State University

Bethel University
3900 Bethel Dr
Saint Paul, MN 55112-6902
(651) 638-6400
cas.bethel.edu

Century Community and Technical College*
3300 Century Ave N
White Bear Lake, MN 55110
(651) 770-3200
www.century.edu

College of St Catherine
2004 Randolph Ave
Saint Paul, MN 55105
(651) 690-6000
www.stkate.edu

Concordia College at Moorhead
901 S 8th St
Moorhead, MN 56562
(218) 299-4100
www.cord.edu

Concordia University-Saint Paul
275 Syndicate Street North
Saint Paul, MN 55104-5494
(651) 641-8278
www.csp.edu

Crown College
8700 College View Drive
Saint Bonifacius, MN 55375-9001
(952) 446-4100

Gustavus Adolphus College
800 West College Avenue
Saint Peter, MN 56082-1498
(507) 933-8000
www.gustavus.edu

Hamline University
1536 Hewitt Avenue
Saint Paul, MN 55104-1284
(651) 523-2800
www.hamline.edu

Mesabi Range Community and Technical College*
1001 Chestnut St W
Virginia, MN 55792
(218) 741-3095
www.mr.mnscu.edu

Metropolitan State University
700 E Seventh St
Saint Paul, MN 55106-5000
(651) 793-1212
www.metrostate.edu

Minnesota State College Southeast*
308 Pioneer Rd, Red Wing, MN 55066
(651) 385-6300
https://www.southeastmn.edu/

Student Review: “The Early Childhood Education Program, when I started, was a brand-new program linking to a higher, 2+2 teaching degree in education from birth to third grade, in partnership with Minnesota State University. As I took classes recommended by the program, the final requirements were still under revision. The final revision ended up rendering some of the classes I had taken obsolete, and I am still taking classes to fulfill the final requirements to even move on to the last two years at Minnesota State University. Most of the classes were online, with the exception of an internship, which was off-site. I interned at a daycare in Saint Cloud and at an early childhood facility in Red Wing. I will be taking an Algebra CLEP test to finish my final requirement of the first two years in order to move on to MSU. This has taken me four years, due to the nature of the changing final course requirements, being an online student and my situation as a single mother with a special needs child. I loved the communication with the teachers. They are extremely knowledgeable, helpful and communicative. I do not enjoy having wasted so much of my time and college funding taking classes that were unnecessary to the completion of the degree, how long it’s taking me to finish the first two years, and the frustration of having fallen behind my peers.” -Student at Minnesota State College

Minnesota State Community and Technical College*
1414 College Way
Fergus Falls, MN 56537-1000
(218) 736-1500
www.minnesota.edu

Minnesota State University-Mankato
South Rd and Ellis Ave
Mankato, MN 56001
(507) 389-1866
www.mnsu.edu

Minnesota State University-Moorhead
1104 7th Ave S
Moorhead, MN 56563
(218) 477-4000
www.mnstate.edu

Student Review: “Minnesota State University in Moorhead has been a whirlwind of great experiences. It has a small and beautiful campus with a relatively small student population. Generally, the professors are very encouraging, communicative and driven to make their students succeed. There are some downsides to the college, however. The food is average at best and there is no longer wireless Internet in the dorms. Probably the biggest disadvantage of all is the temperature of northern Minnesota, which is bitterly cold, windy, and makes walking to class a chore at times. All things considered, it is a lovely campus and a wonderful place to meet friends and grow as an individual.” -Asher S., student at Minnesota State University-Moorhead

Minnesota West Community and Technical College*
1593 11th Ave
Granite Falls, MN 56241
(320) 564-4511
www.mnwest.edu

Northland Community and Technical College*
1101 Hwy # 1 East
Thief River Falls, MN 56701
(218) 683-8800

Northwestern College-Saint Paul
3003 Snelling Ave N
Saint Paul, MN 55113-1598
(651) 631-5100
www.nwc.edu

Pillsbury Baptist Bible College
315 S Grove
Owatonna, MN 55060
(507) 451-2710

Ridgewater College
2101 15th Ave NW
Willmar, MN 56201
(800) 722-1151
www.ridgewater.edu

Rochester Community and Technical College*
851 30th Ave SE
Rochester, MN 55904-4999
(507) 285-7210
www.rctc.edu

Saint Cloud State University
720 Fourth Ave. South
Saint Cloud, MN 56301-4498
(320) 308-0121
www.stcloudstate.edu

Student Review: “For the most part I’ve enjoyed my experience at St. Cloud State. I learned about a lot of different aspects of teaching. I loved my professors. There were a couple of professors that I had a difficult experience with, where I didn’t get the grade I was looking for, but I think you’re going to have that problem at whatever school or program you get enrolled in. I have mixed feelings because I’ve noticed that a lot of my class material is online. I like how it saves trees but I sometimes question whether or not it’s as good as learning in a classroom. I feel like the technology used in learning facilities such as St. Cloud State’s should become more interactive for the students and professors, where communication is easier. As a student of education, I believe that having interaction between both is going to facilitate the most learning, as opposed to just reading slideshows as a lot of online classes do.” -Keith W., student at Saint Cloud State University

Student Review: “Saint Cloud State University’s teacher preparation program was very good overall! The professors in my area of concentration (social studies education) were all extremely knowledgeable. The social studies course offerings were diverse, allowing me to study the histories of entire continents or specific time periods, such as Renaissance-era Italy. Along with having access to a large number of content-specific courses, I was also exposed to other social studies subject areas, such as Anthropology, Sociology, and Psychology. The teaching pedagogy courses were hit-or-miss, unfortunately. Some courses were taught by highly qualified former instructors, and between the field experience, practicum experience, and the student teaching experience, I graduated with a large amount of real-world experience on the job. However, many of the courses in the College of Education were delivered by instructors that did not seem to understand how to effectively transmit ideas to college students, since they were often former elementary school teachers. These instructors also had issues with creating interesting, challenging content, and had no standard grading procedures. I would recommend this program as a whole, despite these specific issues with the pedagogy portion.” -Student at Saint Cloud University

Saint Cloud Technical College
1540 Northway Drive
Saint Cloud, MN 56303-1240
(320) 308-5000
www.sctc.edu

Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota
700 Terrace Heights
Winona, MN 55987-1399
(507) 457-1600
https://www.smumn.edu/

Student Review: “The Masters of Arts in Teaching program at SMUMN is a highly effective and beneficial program. The professors and the school program administrators go above and beyond to make sure you are learning the path to becoming a successful teacher. The professors are up to date on pedagogy research and making sure they are giving their students the necessary resources. The education department is like a big family that sticks together and will do anything possible to make sure their students are taken care of. I would recommend Saint Mary’s University of MN to anyone interested in receiving a degree in education.” -Student at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota

Student Review: “I really enjoyed my program. It was taught by someone that had taught for years and was now a Special Education Director. The classes met on the weekend, which I liked because I could work while going, but it did take up multiple weekends. I didn’t like having to meet in different towns to attend school but I did like the freedom of taking much of it online and I also liked that it took a year and a half to complete even with student teaching. The entire program costed eleven thousand dollars.” -Student at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota

Southwest Minnesota State University
1501 State St
Marshall, MN 56258-5468
(507) 537-7021
www.smsu.edu

St. Olaf College
1520 St Olaf Ave
Northfield, MN 55057-1098
(507) 786-2222
www.stolaf.edu

The College of Saint Scholastica
1200 Kenwood Ave
Duluth, MN 55811-4199
(218) 723-6000
www.css.edu

University of Minnesota-Crookston
2900 University Ave
Crookston, MN 56716-5001
(800) 862-6466
www.umcrookston.edu

University of Minnesota-Duluth
515 Darland Administration Bldg
Duluth, MN 55812
(218) 726-8000
www.d.umn.edu

Student Review: “While I very much enjoyed my time at the University of Minnesota-Duluth (UMD) in general I don’t believe that the teaching program from which I graduated in 2008 was anywhere near as effective as it could or should be in preparing teaching students for life in the classroom. I learned a great deal in the two years that I was in the teaching program at UMD, however, much of that was geared towards teaching in an ideal classroom setting where all students are engaged in learning. There was an extreme lack of attention paid to classroom management which, I’ve found, is well over half of the job. I realized that this was an issue while I was doing my student teaching – before I had even left the program. I was placed in a special education classroom for emotionally and behaviorally challenged students. From the first day that I was in the classroom, I realized that I was woefully underprepared for this experience. Essentially everything that I had been taught over the prior 3 semesters was thrown out the window within the first week. Luckily I was blessed with an amazing cooperating teacher, who was nominated for teacher of the year in Minnesota while I was in her classroom. She was able to point me in the right direction and give the help and guidance that I wasn’t given at UMD.” -Student at University of Minnesota-Duluth

University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
100 Church Street SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455-0213
(612) 625-5000

University of St Thomas-Saint Paul
2115 Summit Ave
Saint Paul, MN 55105-1078
(651) 962-5000
www.stthomas.edu

Winona State University
8th and Johnson St
Winona, MN 55987-5838
(507) 457-5000
www.winona.edu

An asterisk (*) denotes a two-year or certificate program in education. While a two-year degree will not qualify graduates for teacher certification, it can be a good starting point for a teaching career. To learn more about what you can do with this degree, see our guide to associate’s degrees in education.

References:
1. National Center for Education Statistics College Navigator: https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/
2. Kiplinger’s Best College Values: https://www.kiplinger.com/tool/college/T014-S001-best-college-values-college-finder/index.php#Tile
3. The Princeton Review. The Best 385 Colleges, 2020 Edition. The Princeton Review, 2019.
4. US News & World Report Best Graduate Education Schools 2019: https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-education-schools/edu-rankings
5. US News & World Report Best Online Graduate Education Schools 2019: https://www.usnews.com/education/online-education/education/rankings
6. Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP): http://caepnet.org/provider-search
7. National Council on Teacher Quality Teacher Preparation Program Review: https://www.nctq.org/review/home
8. US Department of Education 2018 Title II Reports: https://title2.ed.gov/Public/Home.aspx