University of St. Thomas

Description: 

St. Thomas’s School of Education offers  preparation for Minnesota’s teachers and leaders. By exposing their students to real-world problems and solutions, students gain the opportunity to develop skills across disciplines. Their students learn from educators who impart a balance of practical, professional knowledge grounded in theory, with ideas they can apply to their own career goals.

The overall program is serving anyone who is interested in becoming a teacher and gaining a licence to do so. However, the program does have a focus on supporting future TOCAI. 

Through programs such as the Saint Paul Public Schools Urban residency program, non-licensed education professionals are provided with an affordable, accelerated program to earn their Minnesota teaching license and master’s degree in 15 months from the University of St. Thomas.

The programming occurs on the St. Thomas Campus with students being placed in public schools throughout the Twin Cities area. 

The programming is year-round with a 15 month residency at any of the placement schools.

The current teaching force in Minnesota is 96% white, even though students of color and Native American students make up 30% of the K-12 population in Minnesota and are the majority of students in many urban, suburban and rural schools. Therefore the goal of such programming is to increase the number of teachers of color who are not just present, but thriving in Minnesota classrooms.


Contact: Ea Porter, Shelley Nielsen Gatti

Email: emporter@stthomas.edu , slneilsengat@stthomas.edu