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Minor in Education and Teaching Option Requirements

Note: University regulations apply to all students at Laurier. If there is any discrepancy between the program or progression requirements outlined on this page and those in the university's academic calendars, the academic calendars are the official sources of information. The information below is from the latest calendar, and you may be following progression requirements from an earlier calendar. Students are responsible for checking the appropriate calendar. Contact your program coordinator should you notice any discrepancies.

The Minor in Education is designed to provide students with a supplemental course of study focusing on schooling and education.

Students may be wondering about teaching as or within a career. Or students may simply be looking for elective courses to round out their programs. Skills endemic to teaching are transferable to a huge number and variety of settings.

The ability to critically analyze practices and issues in education will greatly enhance the ability to:

  • Decide if teaching is an option students wish to pursue; and
  • Enter a BEd program with a sound foundation.

The Teaching Option is designed to provide you with a variety of courses and hands-on learning opportunities to prepare you for K-12 teaching. You will have the chance to explore foundational teaching-skill courses to get a glimpse of your future teaching career and prepare yourself for further studies – especially if you want to pursue a Bachelor of Education.

Minor in Education Requirements

Note: The courses in the minor do not count toward the Bachelor of Education (BEd) nor does taking these courses guarantee preferential treatment in applying toward a BEd at any other Faculty of Education. 

A Minor in Education consists of 3.0 credits: four core half-credit courses offered through the Faculty of Education, plus two elective half-credit courses from an approved list. Students can only count a maximum of two electives from the same field of study outside of Education towards the minor.

Students have the opportunity to bundle elective courses within their current programs of study into a Minor in Education. Students should check with their individual programs to confirm eligibility. Students are responsible for ensuring that they have met prerequisites for elective courses taken in other faculties.

The three core courses provide an intriguing and broad-based introduction to the field of education, while the electives provide an opportunity to examine educational issues from a wide variety of perspectives.

Note: Register for UW courses using the UW cross-registration form.

Teaching Option Requirements

Note: The courses in the option do not count toward the Bachelor of Education (BEd) nor does taking these courses guarantee preferential treatment in applying toward a BEd at any other Faculty of Education. The Teaching Option program does provide authentic experiential opportunities to work directly in school or educational setting.  It is important to note that any student wishing to take the Teaching Option will be required to have a Vulnerable Sector Check (VSC) prior to the first day of experiential learning courses and the VSC must be issued within the 6 months prior to the start of the placement. 

A Teaching Option consists of 4.0 credits: five core half-credit courses offered through the Faculty of Education, plus three elective half-credit courses from an approved list. The option is designed to provide students with a foundational course of study focusing on teaching.

The Teaching Option direct entry pathway is competitive. Only students applying for an honours degree with Teaching Option will be considered for admission directly into the B.Ed. program. To qualify for this stream, students in the Teaching Option pathway must meet all of the requirements of the associated undergraduate program, have a 10.5 GPA on the 10 full credits completed at Wilfrid Laurier University, satisfactorily complete all other requirements of the Teaching Option, and complete all other required elements of admission to the B.Ed. If interested in pursuing the Bachelor of Education Teaching Option Pathway, an application to Laurier's Bachelor of Education program is required in the year of completion of undergraduate program studies.