Opening for classes in Casper, Wyoming, in August 2025, Luther Classical College offers a robust core curriculum in Lutheran theology and the classical liberal arts for all students. In partnership with the Consortium for Classical Lutheran Education (CCLE), an LCMS RSO, the college also is launching a specific pathway for future teachers to pursue classical Lutheran teacher certification. To date, thirty-two prospective students have indicated a preference for LCC’s B.A. Teacher Certification Track, making this the most popular track among people aspiring to attend Luther Classical College.
CCLE’s Educator Marks for Excellence are embedded throughout LCC’s core curriculum. This means that students enrolled in any track will be well-prepared to serve as teachers: pastors teach Bible study and catechism classes, laypeople teach Sunday school, parents serve as homeschool teachers, etc. The Teacher Certification Track adds to the core curriculum two courses focused upon classical and Lutheran pedagogy and also includes field experiences in classroom observation and practice teaching. “Classical Lutheran schools are experiencing a shortage of both teacher and headmaster candidates,” notes Dr. MacPherson, academic dean at LCC. “We are pleased to work with CCLE and a broad network of classical school in filling that need.”
Fifteen classical Lutheran schools and homeschools have agreed to serve as field experience sites for LCC students in the B.A. Teacher Certification Track. “We are extraordinarily blessed to have so many headmasters and teachers eager to assist our students,” says MacPherson. Some of these partner schools are in Casper, and others are within a two- to two-and-half-hour commute, providing ample opportunities for students to spend an afternoon observing or teaching in a variety of educational settings. Additional partner schools are located in Utah, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, and New Mexico. As LCC’s academic catalog explains, these out-of-state schools “necessitate longer travel time and therefore [are] suitable for a longer period of field experience while the student lodges with a host family.”
While programs for government-certified teachers have strict requirements, such as student-teaching under a government-licensed teacher with a particular specialty, LCC takes a broader view of education. In addition to working with CCLE-certified schools, the college promotes other learning experiences for its teachers-in-training, such as coordinating a music camp, serving as a Latin tutor, or teaching Shakespeare at the Lutheran Institute of Regenerative Agriculture, another LCC partner organization which combines organic farm work with a classical education residency program.
As LCC students complete their degrees, they will assemble a portfolio of coursework in preparation to submit an application to CCLE for certification as a classical Lutheran teacher. Typically graduates will apply to CCLE upon gaining additional experience as full-time teachers. CCLE will independently evaluate those applications for satisfactory demonstration of its Educator Marks for Excellence.