Elementary Education AS Degree | North Hennepin C.C.

The Elementary Education Foundations Transfer Pathway AS degree is designed for students planning to transfer to a four-year teacher education program. It offers core education courses and hands-on learning experiences to prepare for a career in teaching.

Quick Facts

Overview

The Elementary Education AS degree curriculum provides specific training, general education, and experience working with children or youth in educational settings. The degree requires 30 hours of field experience related to education. Field experience is embedded into course assignments and is completed outside of class meeting times.

Delivery Method: In-person, Hybrid

Important Links

Elementary Education Foundations Transfer Pathway AS Curriculum PDF

Elementary Education Foundations Transfer Pathway Course Outlines and Descripti…

Free College Tuition - North Star Promise Scholarship

Time to Complete

The Elementary Education Foundations Transfer Pathway AS degree program can be completed in four semesters. Transferring credits into NHCC may result in the program taking less time. Taking classes on a part-time basis will require additional semesters.

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Costs

Tuition & Fees:
$210.86 per credit (60 credits)
$220.48 per fully online credit

Tuition Details

What You Will Learn

• Demonstrate written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills appropriate to various educational settings.

• Articulate strategies for creating classrooms which are responsive to diversity, cultural differences, and ethnic identity.

• Conduct literacy education research and apply the findings to strategies for the classroom.

• Describe how learning theories and philosophies impact instructional decisions.

After NHCC

After completing the Elementary Education Foundations Transfer Pathway AS degree program, students can directly transfer to designated Elementary Education bachelor's degree programs at Minnesota State Universities.

Traditional paths to teaching can include: Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education (teachers licensure also required), bachelor of arts or bachelor of science degree with a major of choice and a minor in Secondary Education, master's degree or doctorate, typically required for teaching at the college level.

In partnership with St. Cloud State University, students can earn a bachelor's degree in Special Education on NHCC's campus.

Elementary Education Program Highlights

Students benefit from volunteer experiences in classrooms and nearby schools year-round.
The teaching approach maximizes student engagement.
Students attend a bi-annual student-led Why Teach education conference.
Students who complete this program and transfer to a bachelor’s program save thousands, and they can use their associate degree while completing their bachelor's degree.

Transfer Options

The Elementary Education Foundations Transfer Pathway AS transfers to any of the following Minnesota State universities:

For information on transferring, speak with an academic advisor.

Education classes at NHCC are engaging. Students learn through real-world, hands-on projects, field experience, and active learning experiences that simulate teaching in a classroom.

students doing an activity in a classroom

students presenting at the front of a classroom

students in classroom listening to a presenter

students doing an activity in a classroom standing in a circle

students talking at table while another student is presenting

a student talking to an instructor in a classroom while other students do an activity

Career Outlook

The education field is full of rewarding career opportunities. After completing your AS degree, you can work in the field and increase your professional experience while working to complete your bachelor's in education. Completing your bachelor's degree significantly increases your career options in teaching and education.

Potential Job Titles

With an Associate Degree:

Early childcare education teacher
Pre-school lead teacher
Childcare Center Director
Paraprofessional
Teacher’s Aide
Small business owner in tutoring

With a Bachelor's Degree:

Elementary teacher (grades K-6)
Elementary Education Program Director
Corporate trainer
Human resources trainer (onboarding implementation)
Management personnel for youth-oriented organizations
Director of educational programs

Where Program Grads Work

Bethany Christian Academy
Calvary Child Care
IDS 287
Kinderberry Hill Child Development Center
KinderCare Learning Center
Lil Explorers
New Horizon Academy
Osseo Area Schools
Teachers on Call
West Education Center
And many more!

Graduate Perspective

The advice I would give to future teachers is: listen more than you talk. Get to know your students. Children are always trying to communicate whether verbally, or with a behavior. Remember, when you build relationships with students it will significantly increase how you can support your students.

Ashley - NHCC Education Grad

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Can I get a teaching job with an associate degree?

When you complete the Elementary Education Transfer Pathway and earn your associate degree, you can start or further your career in education.

Here are some examples of jobs you can get with an associate degree in education and in some cases, related experience:

Early childcare education teacher
Pre-school lead teacher
Childcare center director
Paraprofessional
Teacher’s aide
Small business owner in tutoring

The great thing about starting at NHCC and getting your associate degree is you can work in the field and gain experience while pursuing your bachelor's degree. You can also save thousands on tuition by starting at NHCC.

What can I do with a bachelor's degree in elementary education?

Here are some examples of jobs you can get with a bachelor's degree in education:

Elementary teacher (grades K-8)
Elementary education program director
Corporate trainer
Human resources trainer (onboarding implementation)
Management personnel for youth-oriented organizations
Director of educational programs

To work as an elementary teacher (grades K-8), you'll also need to complete a licensure exam after completing your bachelor's degree.

Will I get teaching experience in this program?

Education students participate in an array of teaching experiences in education class sessions and in their clinical experiences in K-12 schools. Students first learn how to teach using a co-teaching instructional model in their EDUC 1200 Introduction to Education course. In following education courses, students become more accustomed to individually planning and implementing the instructional delivery of course content.

Do teachers have to pass background checks?

All school employees must agree to a background check. There is a process for determining what needs to be done if a future employee’s background check is flagged with concerns.

Who is the primary instructor?

Dr. Susan Moore, North Hennepin Community College’s Education Faculty, has a vast education and teaching background. She holds the following degrees:

Minnesota State University, Mankato

Bachelor of Science in Teaching Speech, Theater, and English
Master of Arts in Continuing Studies (Women’s Studies)

Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota

Master of Science in Literacy Education

Hamline University

Doctorate in Education

Certifications

National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT)
Reading Teacher Certificate, MN

Dr. Moore taught grades 7-12 for 28 years, was a coordinator of curriculum, assessment and instruction for 2 years, and director of the Master of Arts in Instruction Program, an initial teacher licensure program, for 10 years at Saint Mary’s University in Minneapolis, MN before joining North Hennepin Community College.

She has also volunteered for nonprofit organizations:

Urban League Board of Directors, St. Paul, MN
African American Family Services Board of Directors, Minneapolis, MN
Higher Ground Academy Charter School Board of Directors
Initial Teaching Alphabet (ITA) Foundation Board of Directors, New York, NY

(Also served as Executive Director for one year)

Dr. Susan Moore became full time Education faculty in January 2021 and has produced two Associate of Science Education degree programs at NHCC:

Elementary Education Foundations Transfer Pathway AS Degree
Special Education Transfer Pathway AS Degree

NHCC's tuition is among the most affordable in Minnesota.

Graph showing the costs of various colleges with NHCC as the lowest cost

Financial Aid

Scholarships are money you don't have to repay
Grants are money you don't have to repay

Free College Tuition

The North Star Promise scholarship program provides free college tuition to eligible students. Find out if you might be eligible.

Earn a $2,500 Scholarship!

In addition to NHCC scholarships, the college will be awarding $2,500 Workforce Development Scholarships that encourage and reward students pursuing high-demand occupations. Exercise Science is a high-demand field and Exercise Science students are eligible to apply for a $2,500 Workforce Development Scholarship.

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Program Roadmaps

Program roadmaps provide students with a guide to understand the recommended course sequence to complete their degree.

Education Curriculum

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Curriculum

Print Curriculum

Program Courses
Course Code	Title	Course Outlines	Goal Areas	Credits
EDUC 1200	Introduction to Education	View-EDUC 1200	n/a	4
EDUC 1280	Multicultural Education and	View-EDUC 1280	n/a	3
EDUC 1300	Technology in Education and	View-EDUC 1300	n/a	3
EDUC 1350	Foundations in Teaching Literacy and	View-EDUC 1350	n/a	3
EDUC 1400	Introduction to Special Education	View-EDUC 1400	n/a	3

General Education Courses
Course Code	Title	Course Outlines	Goal Areas	Credits
COMM 1010	Fundamentals of Public Speaking or	View-COMM 1010	n/a	3
COMM 1110	Principles of Interpersonal Communication or	View-COMM 1110	n/a	3
ENGL 1200	Gateway College Writing or	View-ENGL 1200	n/a	4
ENGL 1201	College Writing I and	View-ENGL 1201	n/a	4
BIOL 1000	Life Science or	View-BIOL 1000	n/a	4
BIOL 1001	Biology I and	View-BIOL 1001	n/a	4
Physical Science ( 3 credits)
PHYS 1000(4), PHYS1030(4), PHYS1050(4), PHYS1060(3), PHYS1070(3), PHYS1120(4), PHYS1140(3), PHYS1231(4), PHYS1232(3), PHYS1400(3), PHYS1410(1), PHYS1450(3), PHYS1460(1), PHYS1601(5), PHYS1602(5) and
PSYC 1210	Child Development and	View-PSYC 1210	n/a	3
GCST 1040	American Indian Culture - Indigenous Peoples of Minnesota and	View-GCST 1040	n/a	3
HLTH 1060	Drugs and Health and	View-HLTH 1060	n/a	3
HIST 1200	History of United States Through 1877 and	View-HIST 1200	n/a	3
MATH 1031	Math for Elementary Education I and	View-MATH 1031	n/a	3
MATH 1032	Math for Elementary Education II and	View-MATH 1032	n/a	3
Mathematical/Logical Reasoning ( 3 credits)
MATH 1010(3), MATH1080(3), MATH1090(4), MATH1130(3), MATH1140(3), MATH1120(3), MATH1150(3), MATH1160(4), MATH1170(4), MATH1180(5), MATH1190(5), MATH1200(3), MATH1221(5), MATH1222(5), MATH2010(3), MATH2220(5), MATH2300(4), MATH2400(4), PHIL1050(3) and
MUSC 1200	Fundamentals of Music and	View-MUSC 1200	n/a	3

Program Electives
Course Code	Title	Course Outlines	Goal Areas	Credits
The Humanities Fine Arts (Goal Area 6 - 1 credit)
ARBC 1030(3), ART1010(1), ART1020(1), ART1040(3), ART1050(3), ART1101(3), ART1102(3), ART1160(3), ART1170(3), ART1270(3), ART1301(3), ART1302(3), ART1310(3), ART1320(3), ART1340(3), ART1341(3), ART1361(3), ART1362(3), ART1401(3), ART1402(3), ART1550(3), ART1601(3), ART1602(3), ART1650(3), ART1770(3), ART1810(1), ART1820(2), ART2180(3), ART2190(3), ART2300(2), ART2611(3), ART2612(3), ART2640(3), ART2740(1), ART2750(1), ART2780(1), ART2781(1), ART2782(1), ART2800(1), ART2820(1), ART2860(1), ART2900(1), ART2970(1), COMM1550(3), ENGL1150(3), ENGL1250(2), ENGL1400(3), ENGL1450(3), ENGL1900(3), ENGL1950(3), ENGL2010(3), ENGL2020(3), ENGL2030(3), ENGL2150(3), ENGL2250(3), ENGL2270(3), ENGL2300(3), ENGL2310(3), ENGL2320(3), ENGL2330(3), ENGL2340(3), ENGL2350(3), ENGL2360(3), ENGL2370(3), ENGL2380(3), ENGL2390(3), ENGL2400(3), ENGL2410(3), ENGL2450(3), ENGL2460(3), ENGL2500(3), ENGL2540(3), ENGL2550(3), ENGL2560(3), ENGL2570(3), ENGL2580(3), ENGL2590(3), ENGL2900(3), ENGL2950(3), GCST1030(3), GCST1978(3), GCST225(3), GCST2410(3), GERM1030(3), INTD1030(3), MUSC1130(1), MUSC1160(1), MUSC1170(1), MUSC1180(1), MUSC1190(2), MUSC1200(3), MUSC1220(3), MUSC1241(3), MUSC1242(3), MUSC1300(3), MUSC1320(1), MUSC1350(3), MUSC1370(3), MUSC1500(2), MUSC1501(2), MUSC1502(2), MUSC1510(1), MUSC1560(1), MUSC1600(2), MUSC1610(1), MUSC1800(2), MUSC1801(2), MUSC1802(2), MUSC1810(1), MUSC1830(1), MUSC1850(1), MUSC1860(1), MUSC1870(1), MUSC2010(2), MUSC2170(3), MUSC2180(3), MUSC2241(3), MUSC2242(3), MUSC2970(1), PHIL1010(3), PHIL1020(3), PHIL1030(3), PHIL1040(3), PHIL1060(3), PHIL1070(3), PHIL1080(3), PHIL1120(3), PHIL1220(3), PHIL1230(3), SPAN1030(3), SPAN2201(5), SPAN2202(5), TFT1200(3), TFT1210(3), TFT1250(3), TFT1260(3), TFT1270(3), TFT1280(3), TFT1310(3), TFT1320(3), TFT1350(3), TFT1500(3), TFT1510(3), TFT1520(3), TFT1531(3), TFT1532(3), TFT1540(3), TFT1600(1), TFT1610(1), TFT2010(3), TFT2500(3), TFT2950(1) and
Diverse Literature (Choose 1 course)
ENGL 2250	Japanese Literature or	View-ENGL 2250	n/a	3
ENGL 2330	Hmong American Literature or	View-ENGL 2330	n/a	3
ENGL 2350	Women and Literature or	View-ENGL 2350	n/a	3
ENGL 2360	Global Literary Perspectives or	View-ENGL 2360	n/a	3
ENGL 2370	African American Literature or	View-ENGL 2370	n/a	3
ENGL 2380	American Indian Literature or	View-ENGL 2380	n/a	3
ENGL 2390	Work in American Literature or	View-ENGL 2390	n/a	3
ENGL 2410	US Latinx and Latin American Literature	View-ENGL 2410	n/a	3

Total Credits Required

Program Overview

2025-2026

The Elementary Education Foundations Transfer Pathway Associate of Science (AS) degree program offers students a powerful option: the opportunity to complete the Associate of Science degree with course credits that directly transfer to designated Elementary Education degree bachelor’s degree programs at Minnesota State Universities. The curriculum has been specifically designed so that students completing this pathway degree and transferring to one of the seven Minnesota State universities enter the university with junior-year status. All courses in the Transfer Pathway associate degree will directly transfer and apply to the designated bachelor’s degree programs in a related field.

Program Outcomes

North Hennepin Community College’s future educators will:

1. Engage in activities and actions that develop teacher identity and criticality.

2. Understand systemic racism by examining structural policies historically practiced in our housing, economic, employment, and education institutions.

3. Critically examine teacher beliefs and instructional practices to provide equitable curricula.

4. Critically examine teacher beliefs and instructional practices regarding student achievement.

5. Critically examine teacher beliefs and instructional practices regarding assessment practices.

6. Access resources to aid instructional design in equitable curriculum and pedagogy.

7. Engage in a variety of cultural and professional experiences to challenge current teacher beliefs and instructional practices.

8. Present an ongoing professional development plan to address white supremacy characteristics and challenge teacher beliefs and instructional practices.

Program Maps

Program roadmaps provide students with a guide to understand the recommended course sequence to complete their degree.

Career Opportunities

Information on careers, including career descriptions, salary data, and employment outlook is available on the Bureau of Labor Statistics website and O*Net Online website.

Transfer Information

If you are planning on transferring to another institution, follow the guidelines available on our transfer resources web page to help you plan the process: Transfer Information

Degree Information

The Associate of Science (A.S.) degree is intended for students whose primary goal is to complete the credentials for a specific career and/or prepare for transfer to complete a bachelors degree at a college or university with whom North Hennepin Community College has an articulation agreement. The A.S. degree provides a balance of general education courses and the required scientific, professional or technical courses in the degree program.

A student shall:

Earn a minimum of 60 semester credits as required in the program, with a grade point average of 2.00 (C) or above in courses taken at North Hennepin Community College. Specific programs may have additional requirements or a higher minimum grade point average.
Earn a minimum of 15 semester credits at North Hennepin Community College. A student must complete at least 50% of career specific courses at North Hennepin Community College.
Earn 30 credits in at least 6 Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MnTC) goal areas.
Earn 30 professional/technical credits.
Have four years to complete the graduation requirements as published in the catalog in effect at the time of their initial enrollment. Students taking more than four years to complete their graduation requirements may follow any catalog published during the fouryear period preceding their graduation.

Completion of an A.S. degree fulfills the Goal Area 2 requirement of the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MnTC).

Developmental Courses Some students may need preparatory course(s) in Math and/or English. Courses numbered below 1000 will not apply toward a degree.

Equal Opportunity Employer and Disability Access Information North Hennepin Community College is a member of Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system and an equal opportunity employer and educator. This document is available in alternative formats to individuals with disabilities by calling 7634930555 or through the Minnesota Relay Service at 18006273529.

Accreditation

North Hennepin Community College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (hlcommission.org), an institutional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
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