Thirty students have already declared themselves as minors in education, an option just introduced last quarter. More than 100 have turned to counselors to disuss the new program.

The minor will have its first two graduates, Israel Martinez and Amara Siemens, this spring.

“It’s a good response,” said Jenee Myers, adviser for the education minor. “We’re extremely satisfied.”

Undergraduate students interested in becoming teachers originally had to wait until graduate school to pursue a master’s degree in education. A new education, learning and society minor gives many undergraduates the opportunity to pursue the dream of teaching, while concurrently majoring in other areas.

“Our goal is for these students to become teachers and give back to our community,” said Ana Mari Cauce, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

“The minor came out of a partnership with Seattle Central Community College called Teachers for a New Era and out of the recommendations of an advisory committee, which still exists and guides the direction of the minor,” Myers said.

The College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Education have been working on Teachers for a New Era for three years, Cauce said.

“The idea [behind the minor] was to have students major in an area of their choice and then take some education courses,” Cauce said. “The benefit would be that they gain a deeper understanding of the University.”

The education, learning and society minor is offered jointly by the College of Education and College of Arts and Sciences, and is intended to provide a strong background in how human beings learn, and how society, environment and culture shapes that learning.

Earlier this month, the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Education held an informative session for students to learn about the new education minor. Myers said about 60 faculty members and 70 students attended the event.

The college also offers a bachelor’s degree in early childhood and family studies, which was designed and implemented in 2007 to enable students to work specifically with pre-K students. According to Myers, a couple of students are doing both the major and the minor.