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Career in Secondary Education

BS in Mathematics with a Minor in Secondary Education

Interested students should declare a Major in Mathematics with a Concentration in Secondary Education. The courses that fulfill a minor in secondary education must be taken; you can view requirements at the School of Education website. Please consult with faculty from the School of Education as you consider and proceed along this path. View example of a four-year schedule. To complete the program in four years, a decision is usually made in the sophomore year. The advantage of this path is that you are finished and certified within your four undergraduate years, but the schedule is rigorous.

Five-year BS in Mathematics with the Master of Arts in Teaching

For this pathway, you follow the normal timetable for the Mathematics major and choose General Program, Applied Math, or Pure Math as your concentration. Taking MA431 - Geometry is strongly recommended. In the spring of your junior year, you apply to the MAT program. This plan results in a bachelor’s and master’s degree in a total of five years. The advantages of this path are:

  • The pay is higher in the school system if you have a master’s degree, and required eventually in most states. 
  • The overall four-year undergraduate schedule is more flexible than the one that includes a minor in secondary education.
  • You do not have to make a decision to embark on this path until the junior year.
  • Some courses for your master’s program would be taken in your senior year as an undergraduate, leaving you fewer courses to take (and pay for) as a graduate student (25 credits rather than 34). 
  • Loyola also offers a 15% tuition discount to Loyola alumni admitted to eligible graduate degree programs.

Master of Arts in Teaching

You can also complete your BS in Mathematics with a concentration in General Program, Applied Math, or Pure Math. In this pathway, you follow a 4-year schedule in the major, apply to the MAT program in your senior year, and enter the MAT program after graduation. The program can be completed in as little as one year, but can also be taken part time. See Loyola’s Fast-Track MAT Admission for Loyola Seniors.