Secondary Education

Shimada Resource Center

College of Education

150 Ritter Annex

1301 Cecil B. Moore Ave.

Philadelphia, PA 19122

215-204-8011 (phone)

215-204-4383 (fax)

The Secondary Education program offers specializations that prepare students to earn an Instructional I Certificate that will authorize them to teach in one of the following content areas:

Specializations offering grades 7-12 certification:

• English
• Mathematics
• Science*
• Chemistry
• Earth and Space Science
• Physics
• Social Studies

*It is recommended students interested in pursuing certification in Biology and General Science should consider TUteach, a partnership of the College of Education and College of Science and Technology.

Specialization offering K-12 certification:

• World Languages
• French
• German
• Hebrew
• Italian
• Latin
• Portuguese
• Spanish

Students in Secondary Education must complete course work in both education and in their content areas. All Secondary Education specializations require 8 credits in the specialty area, with the exception of math which requires an additional 3 credit hour course, in addition to the following courses:

• Education 2103: Socio-cultural Foundations of Education in the United States (3 credits)*
• Education 2109: Adolescent Development for Educators (3 credits)*
• Special Education 2231: Introduction to Inclusive Education (3 credits)*
• Education 1255: Inclusive Education for a Diverse Society (3 credits)
• Education 2205: Curriculum, Instruction and Technology in Education (3 credits)
• Education 2255: Effective Use of Instructional Technology in Classrooms (3 credits)
• Education 2306: Assessment and Evaluation (3 credits)
• Education 4111: Classroom and Conflict Management in Grades 4 through 12 (3 credits)
• English Education (Secondary) 3338: Foundations of Language Teaching: Teaching English Language Learners in Grades 4 to 12 (3 credits)
• Secondary Education 3796: Differentiated Literacy Instruction in the Disciplines, 7-12 (3 credits)
• Education 4801: Senior Seminar and Performance Assessment (3 credits)
• Education 4688: Student Teaching in Secondary Education (9 credits)

*course required for candidacy

For specific details on each Secondary Education specialization, including suggested four-year academic plans, click on one the following links: English, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, World Languages.

Please note: Students are encouraged to speak with their College of Education advisor to ensure that all requirements for Pennsylvania teacher certification are being fulfilled. In order to maintain good standing in Secondary Education, students must maintain a 2.0 grade point average in the course work in their content areas in addition to maintaining a 3.0 cumulative grade point average.

Secondary Education / English Education

Academic Content Area - English

Students seeking certification in Secondary Education: English must complete the requirements for both the major in Secondary Education: English AND for the English major as specified by the English Department.  (For more information on the English department's major requirements, click here.) In order to assure that students gain the content knowledge specified by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, we strongly recommend students to choose English electives that include the following areas: Linguistics, Shakespeare, and African American literature. Without coursework in these areas, students risk failing the state-mandated Praxis II examination.

Summary of Requirements

University and College requirements are located under Academic Policies and Regulations in the Bulletin.

Program Requirements for Secondary Education / English Education

Suggested Semester-by-Semester Plan for Secondary Education / English Education

+ Indicates courses and experiences enhanced with special education competencies.

* These 3 courses constitute the waiver for the GenEd Human Behavior category when the GPA requirement is met.

** In order to assure that students gain the content knowledge specified by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, we strongly urge students to choose English electives that include the following areas: Linguistics, Shakespeare, and African American literature. Without coursework in these areas, students risk failing the state-mandated Praxis II examination

Secondary Education / World Languages Education

In the state of Pennsylvania, certification in a world language is a K-12 certificate. World Language certification is offered in French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Latin, Portuguese, and Spanish. Students seeking certification in Secondary Education: World Languages must complete the requirements for both the major in Secondary Education: World Languages AND for the language major as specified by the College of Liberal Arts.

Summary of Requirements

University and College requirements are located under Academic Policies and Regulations in the Bulletin.

Program Requirements for Secondary Education /World Languages Education

Academic Content Area For certification in one foreign language

Ten courses above the first two elementary courses must be taken (that is, beyond courses which, at Temple, are generally numbered 1001 and 1002)

All courses must be taught in the target language. (Native speakers who received most of their pre-university education in their native land may be eligible to certify by taking eight appropriate foreign language courses in their native language.)

These ten courses must include:

• Composition and Conversation: at least two (and preferably three) courses are required, except for Italian, in which only one course is available.
• Culture and Civilization: one course is required.
• Linguistics: one course is required. If no course is available in the target language, one will have to be taken in another department, but it will not count as a foreign language course if taken in the English or Strategic Communication departments.
• Literature: two courses are required, one of which must be contemporary literature. Students should check with an advisor to select the specific courses that meet the above requirements. Additional courses should also be selected in consultation with an advisor. It is strongly recommended that, in Spanish, courses be taken in both Peninsular and Latin American Spanish. Similarly, in French, coursework should include both continental and overseas French.

Total Semester Hours for Certification in One Foreign Language: 122-124

It is strongly recommended that certification in English as a Second Language (ESL or ESOL) or in an additional foreign language be pursued in order to enhance career opportunities. Courses may be taken during summer sessions to avoid heavy course loads during the academic year.

Total Semester Hours for Certification in One Foreign Language and ESL: 131-133

Academic Content Area For Certification in Two Foreign Languages

Ten courses in the first foreign language must be taken. If the language is begun at the college level, the first two elementary courses do not count toward the ten courses. At Temple, these courses are generally numbered 1001 and 1002.

For the second foreign language, at least eight courses must be taken. The first two beginning courses do count toward certification in the second foreign language. The same courses required for the first foreign language apply also to the second foreign language, (i.e., two courses in composition and conversation, one culture and civilization course, one linguistics course, and two literature courses, including contemporary literature).

Total Semester Hours for Certification in Two Foreign Languages: 146-148

Native Speakers

Native speakers who were educated to speak, read, and write their native language need only eight courses in the formal study of their native language as a subject at the university level. Courses should be at an appropriate level for their background. These courses must include two composition and conversation courses, one culture and civilization course, one linguistics course, and two literature courses (including a contemporary literature course). There is no credit-by-examination given at Temple in a foreign language.

Foreign Study and/or Travel

Study and travel experiences in relevant foreign language speaking areas are highly recommended. Temple provides such experiences at Temple's Rome Campus, the Temple-Sorbonne program, the Temple University of Puerto Rico exchange program, or Temple's exchange programs with the Universities of Hamburg and Tübingen in Germany. The Latin American Studies Semester program is an immersion experience available at Temple's Main Campus to all Spanish majors during spring semesters.

Suggested Semester-by-Semester Plan for Secondary Education / World Languages Education

+ Indicates courses and experiences enhanced with special education competencies.

* These 3 courses constitute the waiver for the GenEd Human Behavior category when the GPA requirement is met

** Must be a writing-intensive course at the 3000-level.

% Contemporary literature course must be at the 4000-level for all majors.

^ Spanish majors must take Spanish linguistics at the 4000-level.

Secondary Education / Mathematics Education

Students seeking certification in Secondary Education: Mathematics must complete the requirements for both the major in Secondary Education: Mathematics AND for the Mathematics (B.A.) major as specified by the College of Science and Technology.

The eight semester plan delineated below is inclusive of all requirements for both the Secondary Education: Mathematics major housed in the College of Education AND for the Mathematics major housed in the College of Science and Technology (CST). Students entering this major must declare the second major of Mathematics through CST.

Summary of Requirements

University and College requirements are located under Academic Policies and Regulations in the Bulletin.

Program Requirements for Secondary Education / Mathematics Education

Academic Content Area for Mathematics

Suggested Semester-by-Semester Plan for Secondary Education / Mathematics Education

+ Indicates courses and experiences enhanced with special education competencies.

* These 3 courses constitute the waiver for the GenEd Human Behavior category when the GPA requirement is met.

Secondary Education / Social Studies Education

Students seeking certification in Secondary Education: Social Studies must complete the requirements for both the major in Secondary Education: Social Studies AND for the content major* as specified by the College of Liberal Arts.

*Currently students may obtain certification in either; History, Political Science, Economics, or Geography and Urban Studies.  However, the Political Science, Economics, and Geography and Urban Studies double major with Secondary Education: Social Studies is under revision.  Students are encouraged to double major in History until the revisions are finalized.

Summary of Requirements

University and College requirements are located under Academic Policies and Regulations in the Bulletin.

Program Requirements for Secondary Education / Social Studies Education

Academic Content Area - History

History courses should be chosen in accordance with major requirements outlined by the College of Liberal Arts' History Department. 

Suggested Semester-by-Semester Plan for Secondary Education / Social Studies Education (History Major)

* These 3 courses constitute the waiver for the GenEd Human Behavior category when the GPA requirement is met.

** History courses should be chosen in accordance with major requirements outlined by the College of Liberal Arts' History Department. 

+ Indicates courses and experiences enhanced with special education competencies.

Secondary Education / Science Education

Students seeking certification in Secondary Education: Science must complete the requirements for both the major in Secondary Education: Science AND for the content major* as specified by the College of Science and Technology.

The eight semester plans delineated below are inclusive of all requirements for both the Secondary Education: Science Education majors housed in the College of Education AND for the science majors housed in the College of Science and Technology (CST). Students entering these second majors must declare the second major of Mathematics through CST.

*Currently students may obtain certification in either Chemistry, Physics, or Earth and Space Science from the College of Education. Students seeking certification in Biology or General Science are encouraged to participate in the TUteach program, a collaboration between the College of Education and the College of Science and Technology.

Summary of Requirements

University and College requirements are located under Academic Policies and Regulations in the Bulletin.

Program Requirements for Secondary Education / Science Education (for all Science certification areas)

Academic Content Area - Chemistry

Suggested Semester-by-Semester Plan for Secondary Education / Science Education - Chemistry

* These 3 courses constitute the waiver for the GenEd Human Behavior category when the GPA requirement is met.

+ Courses and experiences enhanced with special education competencies.

**Advanced Chemistry Courses for B.A. students consist of all courses in Chemistry having a number of 4001 or higher.  If the student has successfully completed the appropriate prerequisite course, a graduate course in Chemistry may be included in this category.

Advanced Science Courses for B.A. students consist of Chemistry 3881, 3891 or 4891, and all other Chemistry courses numbered 4001 and above; Biology 2296, 3096, 3265, 3334 and above; Earth & Environmental Science 2002 and above; Mathematics 2101, 3031, 3041, 3098, 3141, and above; Physics 2101, 2502, 2796, 3101, 3301, 3302, 4101, 4301, and above.

Academic Content Area - Earth & Space Science

* PA Department of Education mandates students complete a minimum of 6 credit hours of College Math credit; therefore, College of Education Earth Science students are required to take MATH 1042 or MATH 2031 as one of their Science Foundation Electives

Suggested Semester-by-Semester Plan for Secondary Education / Science Education - Earth & Space Science

* These 3 courses constitute the waiver for the GenEd Human Behavior category when the GPA requirement is met.

** Science Foundation Electives (SFE): Biology 1111, Biology 2112, Chemistry 1032 & 1034, Chemistry 2201 & 2203, Mathematics 2031, Mathematics 1042, Physics 1062.

+ Courses and experiences enhanced with special education competencies.

% The Earth & Environmental Science electives must be numbered 2002 or higher, and at least one of the Earth & Environmental Science courses must be writing intensive.

Academic Content Area - Physics

Suggested Semester-by-Semester Plan for Secondary Education / Science Education - Physics

* These 3 courses constitute the waiver for the GenEd Human Behavior category when the GPA requirement is met.

** Physics Electives: Students are required to take three advanced physics electives from the following list: Physics 0846, 2501, 3101, 3302, 3701, 4101, 4301, 4302, 4701, 4702.

**** Science Sequences: Biology 1011 & Biology 1012, Biology 1111 & Biology 2112, Chemistry 1031/33 & 1032/34, Geology 2001 and 2xxx.

+ Courses and experiences enhanced with special education competencies.