Elementary and Middle Level Education
Your legacy starts here
Teaching is a passion, a calling. And, for the University of Northern Iowa, a legacy.
Interested in teaching and guiding elementary students or specializing in grades 5-8? The Department of Elementary and Middle Level Education at UNI offers the expertise you seek.
No other department in Iowa prepares more future teachers for the state and beyond. Here you build the foundation to become both a caring and professional educator. You will link theory with practice and learn from professors with experience in the classroom and a vision for the future of education. You'll become a world class educator. A UNI teacher.
And when you’re ready? Advance your practice and your career with graduate programs and certificates that take you to the next level as educators, teachers and leaders.
Leading UNI Major
More undergraduates select elementary education at UNI than any other major--1 in 8 students!
Placement Among Recent Grads
96% of recent College of Education teaching graduates are employed or continuing their education.
Among the Best
EMLE programs are among the best for online master’s in education programs (US News & World Report 2025).
Undergraduate Programs
Iowa's largest elementary education undergrad program
It’s true: this is the leading major at UNI with about 1 in 8 students studying elementary education. Our faculty help you build an understanding of social-emotional learning and develop the essential skills for teaching and managing today's inclusive classrooms.
And with options like a professional development school setting, online programs including an accelerated path for paraeducators and transfer program--and minors galore--you’re well on your way.
Gaining focus 'in the middle'
Some say middle level education is the toughest (others disagree!). But as one of the oldest teacher education programs focused on young adolescents, we know middle level education.
This dual major option — paired with elementary education or a secondary education teaching major — provides the expertise that school districts are looking for. Add a concentration in two subject areas and you’re prepared for a great future.
Iowa's largest elementary education undergrad program
It’s true: this is the leading major at UNI with about 1 in 8 students studying elementary education. Our faculty help you build an understanding of social-emotional learning and develop the essential skills for teaching and managing today's inclusive classrooms.
And with options like a professional development school setting, online programs including an accelerated path for paraeducators and transfer program--and minors galore--you’re well on your way.
Gaining focus 'in the middle'
Some say middle level education is the toughest (others disagree!). But as one of the oldest teacher education programs focused on young adolescents, we know middle level education.
This dual major option — paired with elementary education or a secondary education teaching major — provides the expertise that school districts are looking for. Add a concentration in two subject areas and you’re prepared for a great future.
The first grade student I tutored at a local school drew a picture of us reading a book together and wrote, 'Thanks for being such a good reading buddy.' That picture hangs above my desk to remind me of why I want to be a teacher.
Get Ready to Be Immersed
Experience is the name of the game, with more than 725 hours in the field before you’ve completed your degree. From your first internship through student teaching, you engage with students in multiple settings with increasing responsibility. As an elementary education major, you can gain extra experience by taking your methods courses paired with your clinical experience at an elementary school as part of a semester-long immersion program called professional development school.
Experts. Leaders. Mentors.
In curriculum and instruction, we have our very own "science guy." Known for kicking off his UNI classes with a rocket launch, Mason Kuhn first taught 3rd-5th grade students and was honored with a 2012 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching for his work as an elementary teacher.
Different Roads to A Degree
Purple Pathway for Paraeducators
Earn your elementary teaching BA degree while working in the classroom. The Purple Pathway for Paraeducators is a fully online, accelerated pathway specifically designed for paraeducators who are currently employed in Iowa elementary schools.
Transfer Programs
Earn an elementary education BA degree without moving to campus. Take all your courses online except for clinical experiences and student teaching, which you can complete in a school near you. Designed for Iowans who have or are finishing an AA, AS, or BA degree, but anyone who wants to earn an Iowa elementary teaching license can apply. The college also offers a similar program for early childhood education.
Centers of Excellence
EMLE staff member Maria Ackerson leads the UNI Child Development Center, a NAEYC-accredited child care center which supports learning for children of UNI faculty, staff and students while also serving as a site for teaching interns, volunteers and student workers.