Overview: Certification programs exist in the following teaching areas (K-12): agriculture, biological science, English, foreign language (French, German, Italian, Latin, Russian, and Spanish), mathematics, music, physical science, social studies, and special education. A certification program in elementary education (K-5) with subject matter specialization for the middle grades (5-8) is also available. Most of these programs are offered directly by the Graduate School of Education (GSE), but some are offered by other units of the university in cooperation with the GSE.
The certification program in music education is a four-year program and is offered by the Mason Gross School of the Arts. All of the other teacher preparation programs are sponsored by the GSE and are five-year programs. In these programs, the baccalaureate degree is awarded after four years by the School of Arts and Sciences or by the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, and the master's degree in education is awarded by GSE after one more year of study. A recommendation is made to the state of New Jersey after the successful completion of the fifth year of the program.
Admission: Students apply to and are admitted to these programs during the second semester of the junior year; the study of professional education begins during the junior or senior year and continues with an internship and advanced professional studies in the fifth year. Admission into the education programs is competitive.
To be admitted, students must demonstrate proficiency in written and oral communication and have successfully completed a college-level mathematics course. Additionally, applicants must have successfully completed 05:300:200 Exploring Teaching as a Profession, its allied field experience, and 05:300:306 Principles of Classroom Learning. Admission is based upon the cumulative grade-point average, Graduate Record Examination scores, performance in the introductory education course and related fieldwork, letters of recommendation, and a written personal statement.
Program Requirements: Individuals preparing for subject area certification must major in the field in which they are planning to teach. Elementary education students and special education students must major in any appropriate liberal arts field.
In addition to the major, education programs include coursework in educational psychology, social and philosophical foundations of education, and methods of teaching, as well as fieldwork and student teaching. All programs also have a required distribution of liberal arts courses. Coursework is required in the following general education areas: arts, humanities, mathematics, science, technology, and psychology. Additionally, demonstration of competence in a foreign language at least equal to that of the second college semester is required.
