Designed for students who hold bachelor's degrees in fields other than education, the Graduate Teacher Certification program at Temple University allows students to complete both a graduate degree in education and a teacher certification in the state of Pennsylvania. Students in the program have four specializations to choose from: elementary education, secondary education, special education, and career and technical education. Unlike some schools, Temple requires prospective students to earn at least a 3.0 grade point average to be considered for admittance. One of the program's four semesters involves supervised teaching, during which students either are placed in a teaching site by the university or obtain a position on their own.
Temple University
Curriculum, Instruction, and Technology in Education
College of Education
1301 Cecil B. Moore Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19122
215-204-6147
temple.edu
The University of Maryland campus in Baltimore County offers a teacher certification program through which students earn a master of arts degree in teaching as well as their Maryland teacher certification upon graduation. The program suits students who hold bachelor's degrees in other areas but have decided upon a career change. Students receive training in a variety of teaching skills including pedagogy, instructional design, human development, assessment and curriculum planning. The degree requires students to complete 36 credits, which usually occurs in four semesters of study. The program incorporates field work into students' course schedules. Students interested in elementary education are required to complete 72 hours of such work per semester. Secondary education students fit three hours of field work into their schedules per week.
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
1000 Hilltop Circle
Baltimore, MD 21250
410-455-2465
umbc.edu
The University of Michigan's School of Education offers an accelerated 12-month teacher certification program for graduate students. The program is designed to begin and end in the month of June. Students choose from one of two certification levels: elementary, which includes kindergarten up through grade 8, and secondary, which focuses on teaching grades 9 through 12. The school also boasts that its graduate program in elementary education ranked 10th in the country and the secondary education program ranked 7th, according to US News & World Report in 2009. Upon graduation students earn a Michigan teaching certificate that lasts for six years.
University of Michigan
School of Education
610 E. University Avenue
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
734-764-9470
umich.edu