Graduate Certificate in Middle Grades Education

The Graduate Certificate in Middle Grades Education in the College of Education and Human Development at Temple University provides a non-degree pathway to initial teacher certification for individuals who want to teach students in grades four through eight. This 22-credit certificate program is specifically tailored for professionals who wish to change their career or those teaching on emergency permits. It prepares future educators to teach upper elementary and middle grades students across one or more academic content areas.

The Middle Grades Education Certificate combines coursework in adolescent development, inclusive practices and instructional design with field-based experiences in Pennsylvania classrooms. Students graduate ready to support the diverse cognitive, social and academic needs of pre-adolescent learners and to foster equitable, engaging classroom environments.

This graduate certificate program allows students to select one or two certification areas—language arts, mathematics, science or social studies—in consultation with their faculty academic advisor. The selected certification area(s) are formally tracked in the student’s record for Pennsylvania Department of Education compliance.

This flexible, cost-competitive program can be completed part time and is structured to support working professionals, including those currently serving as classroom assistants or temporary/emergency-certified teachers.

Why study Middle Grades Education in the College of Education and Human Development?

The Middle Grades Education Graduate Certificate leads to recommendation to the Pennsylvania Department of Education for level I certification. You will be equipped to teach in upper elementary and middle grades classrooms and to foster inclusive, developmentally responsive learning environments that promote student growth and achievement. In this program, you will

• develop instructional strategies tailored to the academic, cognitive and social needs of students in grades four through eight; 
• build inclusive, student-centered learning environments that support collaboration, engagement and equity;
• learn to differentiate instruction across content areas for multilingual learners and students with disabilities; and
• apply principles of adolescent development, classroom management and assessment to support diverse learners.

Program Outcomes

Graduates of the program will be able to

• design and deliver developmentally appropriate instruction for learners in grades four–eight; 
• demonstrate content-specific pedagogy in one or more academic subjects (language arts, mathematics, science or social studies);
• implement inclusive, culturally responsive teaching strategies that support diverse learners; 
• manage classroom environments that foster active learning, reflection and collaboration; and
• demonstrate readiness for Pennsylvania teacher certification in selected middle grades content area(s).

Program Format & Curriculum

The Middle Grades Education Graduate Certificate program comprises 22 credits. Courses are held on Temple’s Main Campus in Philadelphia, though some online and hybrid options are available. Most classes are scheduled in the evenings to accommodate working professionals. You can attend full time or part time, and you have up to four years to complete the program.

You will complete the following required courses.

• Reading and Writing in the Middle Grades (3 credits)
• Citizenship, Cultures, and Social Studies Education (3 credits)
• Teaching Mathematics in the Middle Grades (3 credits)
• Teaching Science in the Middle Grades (3 credits)
• Literacy Instruction for Students with Disabilities (3 credits)
• Foundations of Language Teaching for English Language Learners (3 credits)
• Field experiences (required, non-credit) (Note: field experience is integrated into the courses above.)
• Supervised Teaching (4 credits)

Fieldwork 

In addition to state certification exams and student teaching, you must complete field experiences as part of your coursework. Field placements are designed to give you teaching experience working with children in educational and noneducational settings. Students must complete required clearances and prerequisite coursework before beginning fieldwork. The majority of field experiences require students to spend seven full days over the course of a semester in the classroom. The Supervised Teaching course involves a full-time teaching placement in a middle grades classroom under the guidance of a mentor teacher and university supervisor. During the student teaching semester, students are required to spend every day in the classroom for 14 weeks.