Endorsements
Endorsements on a teaching license indicate which subject areas and grade levels you are qualified to teach. When pursuing your undergraduate, post bachelor’s, or graduate teaching licensure area in the Iowa State University Educator Preparation Program, you have a multitude of endorsement options, depending on your interests. To be recommended for an endorsement on your license, you must complete the necessary requirements of the specific endorsement.
- K-12 teacher candidates major is the initial endorsement (example: physical education and music education)
- Secondary teacher candidates (middle school and high school) major is the initial endorsement (example: English, history)
- Elementary education teacher candidates’ major is the initial endorsement and are required to also earn one additional endorsement.
- Early childhood education teacher candidates major is the initial endorsement but has PK-K ECE special education additional endorsement embedded into this program.
| Endorsement | Initial undergraduate | Initial graduate | K-8 (Elementary specializations) | Grades 5-12 | Grades K-12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agricultural education | X | X | X | ||
| Chinese | X | X | |||
| Coaching interscholastic athletics | X1 | ||||
| English and language arts | X | X | X | ||
| English as a second language | X | X | |||
| Family and consumer sciences | X | X | |||
| French | X | X | |||
| German | X | X | |||
| Health | X | X | |||
| History | X | X | |||
| Latin | X | ||||
| Mathematics | X | X | X | X | |
| Music | X | X | |||
| Physical education | X | X | |||
| Reading | X1 | X | |||
| Russian | X | ||||
| Science | X | X | X | X | |
| Science—biology | X | X | X | ||
| Science—chemistry | X | X | X | ||
| Science—earth | X | X | X | ||
| Science—physics | X | X | X | ||
| Social studies | X | ||||
| Spanish | X | X | |||
| Special education | X | X2 | |||
| Speech | X1 |
1 Coaching, Reading, & Speech are not stand-alone endorsements but can be added to any initial endorsement.
2 K-12 Instructional Strategist II: BD/LD is available as an additional endorsement to an existing license and with graduate course work in special education.
Need More Information?
Teresa Kahler
Coordinator of Licensure
133A MacKay Hall,
2302 Osborn Drive,
Ames, Iowa 50011-1078