Alma College elementary teacher candidates are well-prepared and knowledgeable as they graduate Alma College. Those completing their programs and becoming eligible for certification in 2017-18 had overall GPAs averaging 3.54, and 100% are now certified to teach.

Field experiences are a key part of students development as a professional educator. As an elementary teacher candidate, students will have at least three extended classroom experiences prior to student teaching. These build sequentially, based on program levels, allowing students to develop and refine their professional knowledge, skills, and dispositions as they progress through the program and prepare for student teaching. They will usually have an introductory field experience in the first year.

The student teaching term is 14 weeks long. They can choose to student teach up to 90 minutes from campus in urban, rural, or suburban settings.

Graduates are teaching across Michigan, the U.S. and internationally. For example, recent graduates found teaching jobs in Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, North and South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and overseas in Rwanda and South Korea.