Want to explore working with kids and helping create good humans of the world? Colorado State has academic options that can help you get experience with kids, research children and behavior, teach, and much more. Here are five majors to consider if you want a career that will keep you working with and for kids.
#1. Early Childhood Education
The Early Childhood Education major is housed within the College of Health and Human Sciences, and offers you a direct path to working with kids in their early years. You’ll get a strong foundation in educational practices, work directly with students and current teachers, and, often, lead some of your own lessons (with supervision) as a student teacher. You’ll graduate eligible to apply for jobs in infant/toddler care, preschool through 2nd/3rd grade teaching, and have an option to add an Elementary Education endorsement.
#2. Music, B.M.
If you marveled at your music teacher’s job as a kid, we’re not surprised. Getting to incorporate your passion for music while helping others discover and develop their own passion sounds like the dream. The Bachelor of Music major, housed in the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance, is just one of our specialty majors that allows you to immerse yourself in the medium while working toward your teaching licensure and refining your own musical skills.
#3. Family and Consumer Sciences
If you want a kid-focused career that doesn’t fall in the realm of teaching, there are lots of opportunities at Colorado State to explore other avenues. The Family and Consumer Sciences major is designed so you will be able to help people and their families lead healthier lives overall. Your direction in this major can go a variety of ways, including healthcare, financial advising, family advocacy, and even scientific research that supports these fields. You’ll take courses within the entire College of Health and Human Sciences, allowing you to explore areas like nutrition and health, design and merchandising, human development, and beyond.
#4. Agricultural Education
If you know and value where our food comes from, and how agriculture works in the U.S., you may have looked into the robust ag-focused programs we offer through the College of Agricultural Sciences. If you also are considering a career path that involves kids, the Agricultural Education major might be the perfect fit. Along with specific training and education in agriculture, you’ll be given the tools and in-person experience to teach students in a variety of settings, as well as educate beyond the K-12 system. You may work as a 4-H Association youth specialist, ag curriculum developer, ag studies/science teacher, and beyond.
#5. Social Work
The Social Work major, housed in the College of Health and Human Sciences, takes kid-focused work to a whole different area, with career paths that may or may not work directly with youth and their families. The way you can impact children through this major can vary, but you can expect a meaningful career where you assist kids who may be in at-risk situations, or parents of children who require extra support. Fields you can work in include child protection, medical or social advocacy, adolescent group home counseling, child therapy, and many more.
Bonus: 10+ CSU majors allow teacher licensure
Did you know that CSU’s School of Education has a unique, beneficial design that allows you to major in a field you love while you gain teaching experience and work toward a teaching license? Rather than majoring in teaching, like many other institutions offer, we allow you to join the major that interests you personally, and allows you concurrently take teaching courses at the same time. This way, you’ll graduate ready to teach your subject area.
With over 10 majors to choose from — including some of the ones we listed above — you can graduate with licensure and a degree in your specific field.
