Westminster Education Department Achieves 100% Job Placement for 2017 Grads Seeking Teaching Positions

Westminster College Education majors who certified during the 2016-17 academic year have a 100% job placement rate.

“All the graduates that we recommended for Missouri teaching certification this past year are currently employed,” says Dr. Jim Concannon, Education Department Chair.

The College’s teacher placement rate in past years has ranged between 90-100%, with Westminster graduates highly sought after by school districts. “I often receive calls from principals and other teachers asking if we have a graduate in one area or another,” Concannon says. “Westminster has long held a solid reputation for growing teachers who are ready to hit the ground running their first year on the job.”

The Education program at Westminster puts a strong emphasis on real-world experience, with majors spending time in K-12 classrooms starting their freshman year. The department’s small class sizes mean that aspiring teachers work closely with expert faculty and collaborate with their peers daily. Westminster’s focus on developing leaders in the classroom prepares graduates not only to lead their students, but to take on administrative roles as their careers progress.

Concannon believes the 100% placement rate stems from several factors. “I would attribute our job placement success to the current demands of the market, the fact our graduates are willing to work in a variety of environments, and employers recognizing that our graduates are ready for the classroom, yet willing to continue to grow as educators.”

In a recent profile in the Fulton Sun, North Callaway High School teacher and Westminster alumna Erikka Brown ’13 said, “I wouldn’t have gone any place else. [Westminster] was the place for me.” She has since completed her master’s degree and is seeking certification as a principal and superintendent.

Recent Westminster Education program graduates teach in Missouri, Illinois, Oklahoma, Iowa, Florida, Massachusetts, California, Virginia, Kansas, Arkansas, Arizona, Texas, Colorado, and South Carolina as well as Spain, Hong Kong, Japan and Great Britain.

To learn more about majoring in Education at Westminster College, visit the department’s webpage.