Education Cluster
Is teaching your passion?
The next generation of teachers needs to be adaptable, technologically savvy, and passionate. If you have what it takes, working in education could lead to careers such as:
- Elementary, Middle, Secondary School Teacher
- Principal
- Reading Specialist
- Curriculum Developer
- Subject Area Supervisor
- Student Affairs
- Academic Support
- Athletic Trainer/Coach
- Librarian
- Pre-school Teacher
- School Psychologist
*A certificate that you pair with your major. Example: History major with a secondary education certificate.
The following are just a few courses that you might consider while exploring this career cluster. Please note that course numbers and titles are subject to change. Consult the Course Catalog for current course information.
Foundational Courses:
- EDU 205 - Historical Foundations of Education (1)
- EDU 215 - Educational Psychology (1)
- EDU 230 - Exceptional Learner (1)
- EDU 240 - Education and Culture (1)
General information about off-campus study, travel abroad, passport applications, and affiliated and non-affiliated study abroad programs are available from the Office of International and Off-Campus Studies. Students may participate in multiple off-campus study opportunities during their career at Cornell. In order to be eligible to participate in any off-campus study at Cornell, students must:
- have a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 (unless a higher grade point average is specified)
- be in good disciplinary standing with the college
- be in good financial standing with the college
Students interested in teaching abroad as a career or for a summer experience should check out the following links:
Recent internship sites:
- Early Education Intern, Metropolitan Family Services, Chicago, IL
- Early Education Intern, Education Station, Omaha, NE
- Education Services Assistant, Catherine McAuley Center, Cedar Rapids, IA
- International Teaching Fellow, Holy Family Junior School, Ennis, Ireland
- Assistant for Education and Training, University of CO-Anschutz, Aurora, CO
- Teams of Tomorrow Intern, Teams of Tomorrow Highlands Ranch, Highlands Ranch, CO
- Teaching Fellow, Generation Teach, Denver, CO
- Volunteer Teacher, Academy of Creative Thinking, Chicago, IL
- Youth Outreach Intern, Save Our Youth, Denver, CO
Job search resources:
- Berry Career Institute recommended job boards
- SchoolSpring.com
- Teach.com
- k12jobspot.com
Resources for teaching abroad as a career or as a summer experience:
Use the “See Alumni” button on the Cornell College page on LinkedIn to view alumni by major, geographic location, industry, etc.
Alumni Careers
- Academic Services Coordinator, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
- IB Mathematics Teacher, Xiamen International School, Fujian Province, China
- Vice Principal, Achieve Community Charter School, Brooklyn, NY
- Colegio Ingles, Torreon, Mexico
- Manager, Assessment Services, ACT, Iowa City, IA
- Associate Professor, Art History, Metropolitan State University of Denver, Denver, CO
- Teacher/Webmaster, Iowa City Community School District, Iowa City, IA
- English Teacher, Washington High School, Washington, IA
- LTAB Coach, Dundee-Crown High School, Carpentersville, IL
- 7-12 Science Teacher, Wapsie Valley High School, Fairbank, IA
- Associate Dean, Teacher Education and Student Services, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
- Vocal Music Teacher, Mount Vernon Community Schools, Mount Vernon, IA
- Computer Science Teacher/TEALs Instructor, Berkeley County School District, Charleston, SC
- Assistant Teacher, Haggard Nelson Childcare Resources, Inc., Greater Seattle Area
- Special Education Teacher, Iowa City School District, Iowa City, IA
- Elementary Steam Taecher, White River School District 416, Buckley, WA
Should I earn a postgraduate degree?
This depends on your career goals and what you'd like to practice:
- Master's degrees in specific disciplines such as curriculum design, educational leadership, TESOL and teaching often provide advanced skills and command a higher salary if you'd like to specialize in a given discipline.
- A Ph.D. is recommended for those pursuing research opportunities both in the private and public sectors or teaching at the graduate and undergraduate levels.