Undergraduate
Advising
Programs
Student Teaching

Graduate
M.S. Programs
Counselor Ed.
Ed. Leadership
Graduate Induction
LC Master Teacher
TLC Masters Program
Traditional
Certificate Programs
Counselor Ed.
Ed. Technology
Licensure Programs
Business Ed.
Special Ed.
Specialist Programs
Ed. Leadership

Frequently Asked Questions:

• Can I earn an elementary teaching license through this program?
  The program is not designed to lead to licensure of any kind. Candidates for this program must be eligible for a Minnesota teaching license in grades K-6 and have that license in hand at the beginning of their year-long teaching assignment. It is designed to assist beginning teachers with challenges unique to the field of teaching and results in a Master of Science in Education degree.
• Am I eligible for this program if I already have teaching experience?
  If you have one or more years of full-time, elementary teaching experience on a regular contract in a public school setting, you are not eligible for the program. The program is designed for elementary teachers with little or no experience. You may have worked as a substitute teacher, including long-term substitute positions for one or more years.
• Will it be more difficult to find a teaching position because I have earned my Master’s degree?
  Graduates of our program have an exceptionally high hiring rate (85-100% since 1986) because of the skills they develop during the program. Our graduates have found jobs throughout the United States including both metropolitan and small rural school districts. The inability to relocate is usually the primary reason our graduates are unable to find a teaching position.
  What advantages are there to earning my Master’s degree through this program?
  One of the greatest advantages is the boost to the earning power that you will carry throughout your teaching career. In some districts there can be as much as an $8000 difference in salary between a teacher with a Bachelor’s degree and one with a Master’s degree. Over a 10-year period, that could result in as much as $80,000 in additional income.
  Another tremendous benefit of the program is the intensive mentoring that you receive from clinical supervisors who are veteran teachers that have demonstrated teaching excellence in their own classrooms. This accelerates your learning of how to become the very best teacher possible.
• Will I have my own classroom or do I teach with the clinical supervisor?
  During the year-long practicum, you have full responsibility for the classroom on a daily basis. You are the classroom teacher. Your clinical supervisor simply provides the support needed to be successful to you and three other graduate residents who are placed in different buildings.
• How long does it take to complete the program?
  The academic coursework begins in early June and lasts for about six weeks in the summer. Work with the school district begins in mid-August and continues throughout the school year. After the school year ends, residents complete additional coursework, their action research paper, and comprehensive exams. The program is usually completed by the end of July during that second summer.
• How can I obtain more information about the program?
  It is strongly recommended that you talk to someone who has completed the program to get a sense of the requirements, time commitment and benefits of the program. More than 100 currently employed Rochester elementary teachers are graduates of our program.
  
  You are also encouraged to visit our Rochester GIP website.
  
  You may also call the Graduate Induction Program office at (507) 287-2199.