UNI's Undergraduate Middle Level Education program prepares teachers who are able to design instruction for young adolescents in grades 5-8, enjoy an ever-changing group of students and school setting, and provide leadership in best programs and practices. A division of the Department of Curriculum & Instruction, the Middle Level Education program increases job prospects for graduates who learn to teach, work with, and understand the characteristics of young adolescents. Since 1938, UNI has provided Iowa with over 1,700 teachers specifically educated to teach young adolescents.

ATTENTION

IOWA MIDDLE SCHOOL ENDORSEMENT COURSES:

The Department of Curriculum and Instruction's Middle Level Education Division offers an Iowa Middle School Endorsement-only option. Collaboration between the Departments of Curriculum and Instruction and Educational Psychology and Foundations allows UNI to offer Middle School Endorsement courses via a completely online delivery system for graduate students only. The five middle level specialization courses will be offered in a sequence in two summers. Each cohort of students will begin during the even numbered year and will finish the odd numbered year. The content area concentrations of mathematics, science, language arts, and social studies for the Iowa Middle School Endorsement may not be offered online.

MASTER'S DEGREES: The Department of Curriculum and Instruction is currently (beginning May 2011) not enrolling new students into the Master's programs in Education of the Gifted and Middle Level Education. However, students who are currently in progress in these programs will be able to complete their degrees. Current budget constraints require faculty who usually teach in these master's programs to teach in other programs to replace faculty lost through retirement. Hopefully, this restriction is temporary and we will again be able to offer these Master's programs in the future as the budget situation improves.

Choose subject areas

Middle Level Dual Education Majors prepare for content specialization in at least two subject areas, chosen from mathematics, science, social studies, or language arts. Additionally, the ML Dual Education Majors earn a teaching license at the elementary, secondary, or K-12 level. Students develop electronic portfolios to document their knowledge of subject matter and teaching abilities.

Undergraduate Dual-Major Program Requirements

Practical experiences

The Middle Level Education program has a unique, long-term relationship with a middle school in the metropolitan area. At the school, UNI students observe, engage, and teach young adolescents, while being supervised and coached by the course instructor and cooperating teachers. UNI Middle Level students:

• assist in classrooms
• tutor middle school students with diverse needs and experiences
• create and teach a WebQuest (an online instructional unit)
• experience about 100 hours in a variety of additional school settings.

Out of Class Opportunities

The Student Association of Middle Level Educators (SAMLE) provides a forum for UNI students interested in teaching young adolescents. At the bi-monthly meetings, UNI students interact with their peers as well as professional educators from the metropolitan and surrounding area. SAMLE members have helped with an annual literacy conference, Special Olympics, and Constitution Day.

UNI-SAMLE plans and implements the annual leadership conference for 8th grade students, entitled E Pluribus Unum: Out of Many, One. The Northeast Iowa Community Foundation has provided a grant in support of the conference. Engergizer Carl Olson serves as keynote speaker and is in charge of one of the breakout sessions.

Middle Level Education Dual Majors can also participate in the People-to-People Ambassadors Program. UNI students travel to locations rich in culture and history, such as Washington, D.C., and work with groups of middle level student leaders by supervising field trips and providing guidance for academic assignments. UNI is one of a few of the nation's universities invited to participate in the partnership.

Excellence in faculty

Faculty in the program have published articles in nationally leading journals; earned awards for their teaching, service, and research; and served in leadership positions in national, state, and local professional organizations. The faculty members are well-prepared to support students to excel in middle level education.