In Missouri, middle school certification is defined as grades 5-9.  Middle school teachers often work in teams and typically only teach one or two subjects. Middle school certification is specific to a content area.  While all middle school majors take education courses, you must also complete courses for the specific subject area you intend to teach.  At Lindenwood, we offer the following middle school certifications:

• Business Emphasis
• English / Language Arts Emphasis
• Mathematics Emphasis
• Science Emphasis
• Social Science Emphasis

Lindenwood University’s middle school teacher education program prepares you for a career as teacher of grades 5-9 in the state of Missouri by emphasizing the development of professionally trained specialists in teaching early adolescents. You are given a top learning experience as you contemplate a variety of teaching philosophies and methods as well as master your content area. Throughout the program, you are encouraged to challenge yourself as an educator in order to improve lessons and teaching strategies so you are ready for the real-world experience. Besides the work you complete in the Lindenwood University classroom, you will participate in multiple observations and field experiences, which involve working with adolescents and experienced teachers. With a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in middle school education from Lindenwood University, you are ready for the grades 5-9 classroom as a highly qualified educator.

Each content area has a separate Missouri Content Assessment.  Students must pass the appropriate assessment before being placed for student teaching.  This assessment is a certification requirement.

Lindenwood University Middle School Education Certification Faculty

The highly credentialed and experienced education faculty at Lindenwood University brings both academic and real world professional achievement to the classroom. They collaborate with colleagues from many school and community partnerships to deliver outstanding innovative learning opportunities for you and all of our education students at every level of experience.

Earning a Degree in Education with Middle School Certification at Lindenwood University

Lindenwood University offers a bachelor of arts (BA) in education with middle school certification, which requires 48-50 credit hours in middle school education and 3-6 credit hours in methods of teaching. Topics of study include psychology of teaching and learning, education of the exceptional child, middle school psychology, and more.

Undergraduate Students

For undergraduate students, your major will be middle school education with the appropriate content area.

You must meet all requirements to be admitted into the Department of Teacher Education.

Master of Arts in Teaching Students

If you are a MAT student, you are encouraged to examine the Missouri course requirements or competencies for your intended subject area. You should meet with an advisor to determine if any additional undergraduate content coursework is necessary. 

The education requirements for secondary and middle school MAT students are similar; however, middle school certification requires fewer content credit hours but four additional education courses.  To expedite certification, you should select a content area that closely aligns with your undergraduate major.

What Can I Do With Middle School Certification from Lindenwood University?

When you complete your degree in middle school education from Lindenwood University, you are a certified teacher ready to teach grades 5-9 in the classroom.