Wellesley Teacher Scholars Program

The Wellesley Teacher Scholars Program enables students to earn their Massachusetts teacher certification in secondary education while completing their undergraduate degree. The program includes content areas for grades five through 12. Licensure is transferable to most other states.

Teacher scholars take classes at Wellesley and spend significant time in nearby schools working as student-teachers. Our small cohorts mean students benefit from close support and customized placements. We offer individualized guidance on applying for jobs as well as graduate school, summer teaching, teaching abroad, and alternative certification paths.

Wellesley graduates who did not earn teacher certification can return for a fifth year to do so.

Students can also gain internship experience and a possible certificate in early childhood education. Issued by the Department of Early Education and Care, the early childhood education Lead Teacher certificate qualifies students to teach in private preschools and child care centers but not public kindergartens, and is not transferable to other states. Students take required courses and complete their student teaching at the Wellesley College Child Study Center or Wellesley Community Children’s Center.

View requirements in the course catalog.

Title II

As required by Title II of the Higher Education Act of the United States, we provide the following information. The number of students enrolled in our state-approved teacher education programs during the academic year 2021–2022 was eight. The number of these students who continued into student teaching was eight. The number who completed all requirements of the program was eight. The student/faculty ratio for supervised student teaching was 4:1. The average number of required hours of student teaching is 360 (12 weeks of at least 30 hours per week). The minimum required is 300.

The pass rates for our students on the Massachusetts Tests for Education Licensure are as follows: 1. Communication and Literacy Skills: a. Reading 100%; b. Writing 100%; Basic skills aggregate (a and b combined) 100%; 2. Academic content areas: Aggregate 100%. Summary (1 and 2 combined) pass rate 100%.