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Initial Certification (non-degree) - Graduate Teacher Certification
Program Description:
The Graduate Teacher Certification Program (non-degree) is based on the premise that people who completed undergraduate majors outside education can make an important contribution to educating today's youth. In fact, current trends in education emphasize the important role of subject matter experts in the teaching field.
Upon completion of the program, students are eligible for a Pennsylvania Instructional I Teaching Certificate. Earlier in the program, most students qualify for a Pennsylvania Intern certificate, a temporary teaching certificate that allows them to teach in Pennsylvania public schools for three years with all the rights and privileges of any professional employee.
The program does not award students the Master of Education degree. However, applicants are initially admitted to our Graduate Teacher Certification Master’s Program. After successfully completing the minimum requirements for Certification, students may choose to leave the program with certification-only or may elect to continue in the program and complete the additional credit hours and requirements to receive certification and a Master’s degree.
Specialties within the Graduate Teacher Certification Program include the following. Click on the link to view the Program Advising Sheet (in PDF format).
- Career and Technical Education
- Business Computer and Information Technology: Gr. K-12
- Industrial Education: Gr. 7-12
- Marketing Education: Gr. K-12
- Middle Grades Education: Gr. 4-8
- Secondary Education: Gr. 7-12
- English
- World Languages (Gr. K-12: Spanish, French, German, Latin, Italian, Hebrew, Portuguese)
- Mathematics
- Science (General Science, Earth & Space, Biology, Chemistry and Physics)
- Social Studies Education
Program Requirements:
Most students complete the program as part timers in about two years. Full time enrollment also is available and requires about one year to complete. Except for the semester of Supervised Teaching and some summer session courses, all classes are available in the evenings. The length of the program is between 21 and 24 semester hours, depending on the student’s teaching specialty. One semester of full-time supervised teaching is required. There is no required comprehensive examination.
Students may earn no more than two grades of B- quality, nor more than one F, beginning with the semester during which they apply to the program. Students must achieve at least a 3.0 grade point average to graduate.Admission Requirements:
Admission is determined according to a Statement of Professional Plans and Goals, undergraduate and/or graduate grade point average, successful completion of the Praxis I examination, and two professional letters of recommendation.
Note: applicants are initially admitted to our Graduate Teacher Certification Master’s Program. After successfully completing the minimum requirements for Certification, students may choose to leave the program with certification-only or may elect to continue in the program and complete the additional credit hours and requirements to receive certification and a Master’s degree.
Prerequisites
All applicants must fulfill required prerequisites before admission. Each specialty area has additional prerequisites. Please refer to Admissions Policies and Guidelines for complete details.
In addition, state and federal criminal background checks, a TB test, and a child abuse clearance are required to be eligible to complete the program.
Credit for Graduate Study Prior to Admission
Students may take up to, but not more than, nine semester hours of graduate study in the program before being admitted. The credits will transfer into the program, if the student is admitted. Students enrolling in certification courses before being admitted to the program are not guaranteed admission.
How to Apply
A completed application will include:
- Graduate School Online Application – NOTE: select application type “Teacher Certification EdM”
Note: applicants are initially admitted to our Graduate Teacher Certification Master’s Program. After successfully completing the minimum requirements for Certification, students may choose to leave the program with certification-only or may elect to continue in the program and complete the additional credit hours and requirements to receive certification and a Master’s degree.
- Submit official transcripts from all colleges and graduate schools attended. Applicants are expected to have a minimum cumulative undergraduate grade point average (UGPA) of at least 3.0 on a scale of 4.0 (see Admissions Exceptions).
- Praxis I scores.
- A minimum score of 180 must be obtained in each of the Pre-Professional Skills Test in Reading , Writing, and Mathematics of the Praxis I exam.
- In addition, Industrial Education students must pass the Occupational Competency Assessment.
- Praxis II scores. All applicants must submit passing Praxis II scores in their respective content areas.
- TOEFL examinations scores for non-native speakers of English. Non-native speakers of English must take the TOEFL examinations. TOFEL scores of at least 575 are necessary for admission to the program (230 on the computer based version). Students who score between 575 and 600 (230-250 on the computer-version) must take an English refresher course.
- Two professional letters of recommendation are required. Letters of recommendation should be obtained from college/university faculty members and others who can provide insight into the applicant's academic competence.
- A Statement of Professional Plans and Goals. In the Statement of Goals, applicants should indicate their goals and objectives for obtaining teacher certification in their speciality area. The statement should be approximately 500-1,000 words in length and should include the following elements: your specific interest in Temple’s program; your future career goals; any job-related experiences that are relevant to the program; and your academic and research achievements and interests.
- A current professional resume.
Submitting Your Materials
The Office of Graduate Academic & Student Affairs in the College of Education at Temple University receives supporting application materials for graduate admissions via the Interfolio service. See the Application Checklist for complete details on how to submit your application materials.
It is the student's responsibility to see that everything is completed by the deadline date.
Application deadlines:
To be considered for admission, your complete application, including all required supplemental materials must be post-marked no later than:
- For Fall admission: April 1
- For Spring admission: October 1
Completed applications received by the deadline are guaranteed a decision for the upcoming term. Applications received after the stated deadlines will be reviewed on a space available basis. Once an application is complete and all required materials have been received, students can expect to receive a decision within 30 days (excluding summer).
We strongly encourage applicants to apply early and to periodically check TUPortal (http://tuportal.temple.edu) as to the status of their materials.
Contact Information:
If you have additional questions about the program or to check the status of your application, contact:
Ms. Marilyn Weber
Email: edcert@temple.edu
Phone: 215-204-6026
Office: 150 Ritter Annex
