Middle school students collaborate on project in classroom

Secondary Education Minor

TLPL

The minor in secondary education provides an opportunity for non-Education majors to enroll in a sequence of education courses that will introduce them to the teaching profession. The 15-credit minor incorporates courses in student development, issues in American public education, the importance of reading across the curriculum, and pedagogical foundations in teaching the core subjects in today's high schools. Students in the following majors/subject areas are eligible to declare the minor in secondary education: Studio Art, English, Foreign Language (Chinese, French, German, Italian, Latin, Russian, and Spanish), Mathematics, Science (Agricultural Education, Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, and Physics), and Social Studies (Geography, Government and Politics, and History). A minimum 2.75 GPA is also required to declare the minor in secondary education.

Students interested in the Minor in Secondary Education can apply at any time. In order to add the minor, a student must

  1. be enrolled in a certifiable content area major (i.e. Math, English, History, etc), and
  2. have a minimum 2.75 cumulative UMD GPA. 

Students interested in declaring the Minor in Secondary Education should contact the Office of Student Services via email at educminors@umd.edu to schedule an advising appointment. Eligible students are accepted to the minor on a rolling basis.

Students interested in learning more about the Minor in Secondary Education should contact the Office of Student Services via email at educminors@umd.edu or by phone at 301-405-2364.

Students currently registered in the Minor in Secondary Education should contact via email educminors@umd.edu for advising assistance.

The Minor in Secondary Education consists of 15 credits (5 classes). The following courses are required:

  • EDHD 413 Adolescent Development (3 credits) (All majors except math & science)
  • TLPL 414 Special Topics in Education; Knowing and Learning (3 credits) (Math & Science majors only)
  • TLPL 250 Historical and Philosophical Perspectives on Education (3 credits)   or
  • TLPL 360 Foundations of Education (3 credits)
  • TLPL 481 Embracing Diversity in the Classroom Community (3 credits)
  • Math 274 History of Mathematics  (3 credits)
  • EDHD 426 Cognition and Motivation in Reading (3 credits)
The introductory methods course for your subject area (3 credits):
  • TLPL 451 Teaching and Learning in Secondary English
  • TLPL 445 Methods I: K-12 World Language Methods and Technology
  • TLPL 401 Special Topics in Education (Math & Science)
  • TLPL 470 Knowledge, Reasoning, and Learning in Secondary Social Studies 

All courses presented for the minor must be passed with a grade of "C" or better. A cumulative GPA of 2.5 is required for enrollment in the secondary education introductory methods course required for your subject area. No more than six of the required credits (two courses) may be taken at an institution other than the University of Maryland - College Park.

The minor may be declared prior to admission into one of our teacher certification programs; however, this minor does NOT satisfy ALL of the requirements for teacher certification. Students wishing to become certified to teach are recommended to apply to our undergraduate double-major teacher certification program or the five-year integrated Master's certification program. 

Program Requirements and Major Four Year Plans

Admission to the Minor in Secondary Education is available on an ongoing basis. 

Visit the undergraduate studies webpage for information on undergraduate forms and policies.