It would not be necessary to get a master's degree in education. It would be necessary to investigate what it will take based on YOUR college. Many states have requirements but allow colleges and universities to make the evaluations and recommend students for certification. This usually requires a minimum amount of education classes that would have to be taken. When I did this about 10 years ago after being an engineer/scientist for 18 years, I took about 18 hours of education classes and then did another semester of a combination of a curriculum class in sciences and my student teaching. I was in a hurry and already had 2 undergrad degrees and a masters so it might have been easier for me but plan on at least a year (and probabaly an additional summer) to accomplish this.
Many states are requiring portfolios and other assessment tools but these are done during the first 1 or 2 years of teaching. You may get a beginning license and within 2 years you must upgrade it by doing the portfolio. There are many different requirements depending on state.
Example... if you have a mechanical engineering degree you probably have already had enough physics and mathematics to become a physics teacher.
You will have to see what the requirements are.
The upside of getting a degree first is that you are usually referred to as "highly qualified" under the regulations and this is good for your career as the No Child Left Behind regs require schools to have this. Many career teachers got degrees in education which the government does not consider "highly qualified" for some reason. Some states require teachers to have a degree before they get their certification and some don't. The key would be to talk to YOUR college education department and find out what to do.
A word to the wise... be prepared for an exhausting career... pay is not extremely good... responsibility is huge...you won't get any recognition from anyone.... BUT you will never find anything more rewarding...NOTHING is like finally seeing the light come on in a student you have worked with for a long time... it also keeps you young (at least in spirit..)
Going on 9 years I am very happy with the choice I made.
If you have any other questions please let me know... IM would be fine.
Good luck...
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Originally Posted by BurningQuestion
From Wikipedia:For you, sanddrag, it sounds like you would need to complete your undergraduate degree, and then get your teaching certification and masters degree in education. (Someone correct me if I am wrong!)
From what I hear and observe (my parents are both educators), nowadays, the aquisition of your teaching certification in increasingly more difficult than it used to be. New teachers at my high school in Connecticut must spend two years (as student teachers) developing a portfolio in order to get certified. From what they tell me, the process is rather difficult and stressful.
Try talking to a teacher from your state (who teaches at the grade level you are interested in), and ask them about the specific requirements, as well as their experiences.
Good luck!
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