Montana Teacher Colleges and Degrees Online Guide

This guide to teacher preparation programs in Montana is designed to provide key information to help aspiring teachers decide on which program best suits their individual career needs. All teachers in Montana are required to complete a teacher preparation program in the state and there are quite a few teaching schools in Montana to choose from. In order to find the best school for your needs, we have compiled lists of top-rated teaching programs, a table of accredited, state-approved teacher preparation programs, and student reviews. Whether you are a first-time college student or are switching from another career, use this guide to start on your way to your teaching degree in Montana.

Quick Facts

• There are 17 colleges and universities with teacher degree programs in Montana.¹
• 11 colleges and universities offer an associate’s degree in education.*¹
• 10 colleges and universities offer a bachelor’s degree in education.*¹
• 5 colleges and universities offer a master’s or advanced degree in education.*¹
• No schools ranked in Kiplinger’s Best College Values 2019.²
• 1 school ranked in Princeton Review’s Great Schools for Education Majors 2020.³
• No schools ranked in US News & World Report’s Best Graduate Education Programs 2019.⁴
• 1 school ranked in US News & World Report’s Best Online Graduate Education Programs 2019.⁵
• 4 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 Montana

Princeton Review’s Great Schools for Education Majors 2020

• University of Montana-Missoula

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

• University of Montana (#100 tie)

School Programs for Becoming a Teacher in Montana

Comparison of Teacher Preparation Programs

We have designed the following table to help you compare teacher preparation programs in Montana according to various factors. All of the schools included are not-for-profit institutions approved by the Montana Office of Public Instruction 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

Montana State University: Located in the beautiful city of Bozeman, the Montana State University College of Education, Health and Human Development offers students a wide variety of degree options that cover the spectrum of higher education from undergraduate to doctorate. Students can prepare for careers as elementary teachers, high school teachers, counselors, and administrators. The human development department offers majors that lead to rewarding careers in community health, exercise scientists, nutritionists, dieticians, and more. The College of Education and Human Development is one of the largest in terms of total student population on the MSU campus. The college consistently trains some of the state’s best educators. Some of the degrees include BS in Elementary Education, BS in Secondary Education, BS in Educational Technology, MA in Adult and Higher Education, Principal Certification and a Doctor of Educational Leadership.

University of Montana: The University of Montana is located in Missoula, Montana and is home to the Phyllis J. Washington College of Education and Human Sciences. The College houses five departments including Communicative Sciences and Disorders, Counselor Education, Curriculum and Instruction, Educational Leadership, and Health and Human Performance. All of the departments are equally important, but the heart of the College is definitely the Curriculum and Instruction department that trains future teachers for placement in the k-12 system. Current and future educators are able to earn one or more degrees in several dozen majors and areas of emphasis. Students are able to curtail their education to fit their personal and professional needs as they see fit. All of the faculty within the department of Curriculum and Instruction are themselves licensed educators.

Schools with Teaching Degree Programs in Montana

Carroll College
1601 N Benton Ave
Helena, MT 59625-0002
(406) 447-4300
www.carroll.edu

Montana State University
Montana State University
Bozeman, MT 59717
(406) 994-0211
www.montana.edu

Montana State University-Billings
1500 University Dr
Billings, MT 59101-0298
(406) 657-2011
www.msubillings.edu

Montana State University-Great Falls College of Technology
2100 16th Ave S
Great Falls, MT 59405
(406) 771-4300
www.msugf.edu

Montana State University-Northern
300 W 11th St
Havre, MT 59501
(406) 265-3700
www.msun.edu

Rocky Mountain College
1511 Poly Dr
Billings, MT 59102-1796
(406) 657-1000

Salish Kottenai College
58138 US-93
Pablo, MT 59855
(406) 275-4800
www.skc.edu

University of Montana
Missoula, MT 59812
(406) 243-0211
www.umt.edu

Student Review: “In all honesty, I would strongly recommend against choosing the University of Montana as a path to a teaching certificate. While it appears friendly and welcoming on the outside, on the inside very few professors care about their students as individuals. All of the worst, most disorganized, rude and hostile professors I had at college I had within the School of Education at UM. Classes were asinine, no one would tell me who my advisor was, and worst of all was the system used to place students in a student teaching/observation location. I got placed over forty miles outside of town and wasn’t able to afford gas to get back and forth, and I begged and pleaded with everyone from my professors, the observation coordinator, and even the dean of the school. Each time I got the same answer: If you really wanted to teach, you’d shut up and figure it out.” -Student at the University of Montana

The University of Montana-Western
710 S Atlantic
Dillon, MT 59725-3598
(406) 683-7011
www.umwestern.edu

Student Review: “I really like my school because we have a unique class system in which we only take one class at a time. The classes run 3 hours a day, 5 days a week, for 18 days and then we’re done with that class and move onto a different one. It makes it so much easier to focus on one class at a time and really get what we’re supposed to be learning and have time to focus on the work for that class. We also have small classes (25 students max), so it means the professors get to know the students on a lot more personal basis and it’s a lot easier to talk to them if you need help. The professors are all really knowledgeable and have diverse backgrounds and are very approachable and helpful when it comes to anything you need with class.” -Lacey W., student at The University of Montana-Western

Student Review: “This university was very willing to work with the fact that I have a family. I wanted to pursue a teaching degree and I wasn’t sure whether or not it was possible. With the unique perspectives to college and the overall effort put forth by the staff of the university, I feel like it was challenging – but manageable – to obtain my degree. The university has what is called the “block” system in which the student only takes one class at a time for three hours a day, Monday through Friday. I was diagnosed with ADHD as a child and a traditional college experience was overwhelming for me. But this university was very helpful and helped me to obtain my goals. I was able to put all of my attention and effort into one class at a time and therefore I was much more successful than I might have been in a traditional college.” -Student at University of Montana

University of Providence
1301 20th St S
Great Falls, MT 59405-4996
(406) 761-8210

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