In some states -- for example, Pennsylvania, Florida and North Carolina -- potential teachers can become certified with only a degree in a specified content area. These include majors such as English, math, history, or a major in a science such as biology or chemistry. Typically, individual schools will appeal to the state’s board of education asking for an emergency certification of the unlicensed teacher they wish to hire. The teacher is then eligible to teach in the classroom for several years before acquiring an additional degree or certification.
The most common route to becoming a classroom teacher is to major in a content area with a specialized focus in education. Often labeled as specific “tracks” within a major -- for example, an English education major or science education major -- these specialized education focuses require students to take classes in pedagogy and instruction in addition to required courses in their major. Additionally, when majoring in an education track, students will often complete a student teaching internship in which they get hands-on experience teaching in a classroom.
For students interested in the theories and practices of education generally, some colleges and universities offer an education major. Students in this major typically go on to pursue graduate studies in education but occasionally can become teachers in general education teaching positions such as in a life skills class. Education majors focus entirely on theories of pedagogy and instruction as well as curriculum development, teaching technologies and so on.
Many universities with schools of education offer several different graduate degrees for students who have finished a four-year degree with a content-area major and are looking to enter the classroom. These degrees range from the Master of Education (M.Ed.) to the Master of Arts in teaching (M.A.T.) to doctoral degrees in education (Ed.D.). They include a condensed course load focusing on pedagogy, instruction, curriculum development and so on, meant to supplement the student’s four-year degree in a content area.