Franklin & Marshall College

According to Franklin & Marshall’s Mission Statement, the College aims to “inspire in young people of high promise and diverse backgrounds a genuine and enduring love for learning, to teach them to read, write, and think critically, to instill in them the capacity for both independent and collaborative action, and to educate them to explore and understand the natural, social, and cultural worlds in which they live (2005).”  For students interested in pursuing careers in elementary and secondary education, a commitment to a broad liberal arts background is viewed as an ideal backdrop for teaching in the diverse schools of the 21st century. 

Students interested in pursuing a teaching career while at Franklin & Marshall have two primary options: (1) to embrace the liberal arts and fine subject preparation in its entirety, therefore pursuing teacher education coursework following graduation, or (2) work to integrate teacher education coursework at Millersville University with the aim of securing the Pennsylvania Instructional I Teacher Certification in areas of secondary education.

Teacher Education Coursework Following Graduation

Many faculty at Franklin & Marshall would argue that pursuing teacher education coursework after graduation allows for the students to best take advantage of all the F&M education has to offer.  This allows the students to fully embrace the liberal arts and subject preparation, pursuing a teaching certificate, a masters degree program, or private school teaching following graduation.  While at F&M, students choosing this route are strongly advised to pursue the following:

• Coursework from relevant disciplines (e.g., Sociology, Anthropology, Public Policy) that will address foundational issues in education 
• Service-learning opportunities in social services and education (e.g., Lancaster City Schools)
• Internships and academic credit opportunities (e.g., Science Teaching Internship, America Reads/America Counts)
• Employment related to education (laboratory teaching assistant, preceptor, Writing Center tutor, other tutoring opportunities)
• Study off-campus at programs such as Urban Education Semester, a for-credit program with the Bank Street College of Education in New York City

Teacher Education Coursework While at F&M

For students who seek the opportunity to secure the Pennsylvania Instructional I Teacher Certification in areas of secondary education during their undergraduate studies, Franklin & Marshall has a cooperative program with Millersville University. Students may be certified in Social Studies, English, French, Spanish, Latin, Chemistry, Biology, Earth Science, Physics, and Mathematics. Upon successful completion of the degree requirements and the certification program, the Pennsylvania Instructional I Teacher Certification is issued granting permission to teach in public schools in Pennsylvania.

To accomplish the teacher education certification in its entirety, F&M students are required to complete F&M requirements for graduation in addition to the coursework at Millersville. Students who complete the entire certificate program earn a total of eight F&M course credits (8 of the 32 total credit for F&M graduation) by pursuing the program in its entirety. The students must independently arrange for their transportation and coordinate scheduling.  Due to the unusually heavy load of required courses, students often take only a portion of the Millersville coursework during their undergraduate program and/or delay the student teaching semester until after graduation.

The Urban Education Semester

 The Urban Education Semester is an interdisciplinary, academic immersion program that introduces students from all academic backgrounds to the complexity of issues facing urban public education. The program addresses topics ranging from theories of child development and child-centered learning, creating mission-driven schools, and the systemic implementation of policies and school reform. Students participating in the program discover that high quality, effective education is possible in urban public schools, and that attentiveness to issues of public education is a social responsibility that all of us must share as citizens in today's world. F&M students typically pursue this option during the junior year or the first-semester senior year.

Pursuing a solid liberal arts foundation with excellent subject area preparation avails students to all of advantages a Franklin & Marshall education and places them in a strong position to step into practice or pursue a teacher education program following graduation.  Students also have the opportunity to explore education coursework at Millersville University for one or more semesters during their tenure at F&M.