Program Overview

Bachelor's Degree in Middle Grades Education (grades 5-9) - English

Why Earn Your Middle Grades Education - English Degree at Saint Leo University?

Do you love literature and creative writing? Do you want to inspire and shape future generations? Share your passion with young people, and get them excited about composition, critical thinking and literature. As an English teacher, you’ll guide students to important discoveries about language and culture.

Undergraduate Middle Grades Education - English Program Details

Find your voice through British and American lit classes, the Saint Leo University Writer’s Circle and Sandhill Review literary magazine, while learning effective strategies—including the use of emerging technologies—for teaching language arts to adolescents, including ESOL, special education, multicultural and at-risk populations.

Accumulate more than 800 hours of field experience by the end of your senior year—almost double the hours recommended by the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education. By the time you graduate, you’ll be well equipped to command a classroom of your own as a certified grade 5-12 English teacher.

In 2011, Saint Leo’s Education department was named a national finalist for the Distinguished Program in Teacher Education Award. And, according to a recent survey, between 92-98% of school principals who've had a Saint Leo graduate as a first-year teacher at their school report that they'd provide a positive recommendation for rehiring.

Program Details

• Campus Education Center: The Middle Grades Education Program is a state-approved teacher education program and therefore meets the Florida State standards and coursework requirements for graduates to obtain teaching certification.
• English Specialization: Majors will receive the ESOL and Reading Endorsement.
• Certification: Middle grades majors are required to take the Subject Area Exam for grades 5-9. All graduates are also eligible to receive certification in the secondary grades after passing the additional Subject Area Exam for grades 6-12 of the Florida Teacher Certification Exam.
• Est. Time to Complete: 4 years
• Credit Hours: 120 hours

Learn Your Way

• Online: Saint Leo University’s online learning experience provides a well-rounded education with the flexibility to tailor your course of study to meet your individual needs.
• On Campus: Students who pursue their degrees at Saint Leo’s main campus near sunny Tampa Bay, Florida, join a community of enthusiastic learners just like them.
• Education Centers: You may also choose to pursue your degree through one of our education centers, which merge a traditional in-person education with the flexibility to match your lifestyle.

Career Outlook

• Florida Teacher Certification: Middle Grades majors are required to take the Subject Area Exam for grades 5-9. All graduates are also eligible to receive certification in the secondary grades after passing the additional Subject Area Exam for grades 6-12 of the Florida Teacher Certification Exam.
• Student Teaching: Hone your skills through no less than four field placements, including teaching fulltime in a middle school one semester your senior year.
• Professional Seminar: Prepare yourself for the job market: Create your resume, meet with school district representatives to learn about the application process, participate in mock interviews with school principals and district administrators.
• 21st Century Classroom: Discover how to enhance learning with technologies such as iPads, the Mimio Teach and MimioVote assessment system and interactive SMART boards.
• Conferences: Attend at least one professional conference before graduation, such as the Florida Council for Teachers of English.
• Co-Curricular Activities: Participate in the Future Teachers Association and become an active member of Kappa Delta Pi, the International Honor Society for Educators.

What Can You Do with an Undergraduate Middle Grades Education Degree?

• English Teacher
• Reading Teacher
• ESOL Teacher
• Curriculum Developer

Where Are Saint Leo Middle Grades Education Graduates Now?

Our students find success as certified teachers in school districts around Florida and outside of the state, thanks to interstate agreements between the Florida Department of Education and many states. Saint Leo graduates often assume leadership positions in their schools—as team leaders and department chairs—within three to four years of employment. Many Saint Leo graduates have been recognized as Teachers of the Year for their schools and even their entire school districts.