Choose A Track

PSU offers a range of teacher preparation programs to help you develop the skills and knowledge you need to become a great teacher. Our programs offer high-quality education with a strong commitment to equity, inclusion, and social justice. You’ll also earn your Oregon Teaching License, or the license specific to your area of study.

A male teacher sporting an undercut and a light blue button-up crouches down to assist a young girl with plastic learning toys.

Early Childhood Education (pre-kindergarten)

Early childhood educators typically work in daycare centers or preschools as childcare center aids, preschool teachers, special education teachers, or as preschool/ childcare center directors or administrators.

Early Childhood Education

A diverse group of elementary school students sit on the floor watching their teacher read to them.

Elementary School (kindergarten - 5th grade)

Elementary teachers provide lead instruction in multiple subjects in kindergarten through fifth-grade classrooms. They are generalists, needing to know a little bit of everything rather than specializing in a particular area.

Elementary School

Mercedes Muñoz, 2020 Oregon Teacher of the Year, cheerfullly addresses her class at a whiteboard.

Middle or High School (6th - 12th grade)

Middle school and high school teachers provide lead instruction in a specific subject. They develop expertise in an area such as math, science or reading, and teach multiple groups of students throughout the day; sometimes using different lesson plans.

Middle or High School

Special Education (all ages)

Special education teachers work in collaboration with lead instructors and teaching assistants to develop individualized lesson plans for students with a wide range of special needs. PSU offers elementary and secondary education pathways to obtain a special education teaching license.

Special Education

A young Black woman smiles as she addresses a classroom full of children with raised hands.

Administration & Student Support

If you’d like to work in a school setting, but teaching isn’t your thing, we’ve got you covered. PSU offers programs in school counseling, education administration, and speech and hearing sciences. Each of these programs offers an alternative pathway to working in schools.

Admin & Student Support

A grouop of smiling high school students are gathered in a library.