Graduate Intern Certification

The Graduate Intern Certification program offers an accelerated route to the classroom.  Students needing an Intern Certificate in order to fill an emergency, long-term substitute, or vacant position can apply to the Graduate Intern Certification program and be teaching in as little as 6-9 months. 

In order to be eligible, students must possess a baccalaureate degree related to their area of certification and a minimum 3.0 GPA.  Students generally must have already completed the State required content courses - at minimum having completed 6 credits of college level mathematics, 3 credits of English Composition, and 3 credits of Literature. 

In the first term, students take EDUC 520 Professional Studies in Instruction (and a second core pedagogy course either EDUC 523 or 526) and can apply to do their Field Experience, EDUC 540, in the following term.  Two consecutive terms spans 6 months.  If a student begins the program in the Spring term, the earliest they can do their Field Experience is the Fall thus stretching the duration of the program to 9 months.

The Field Experience (EDUC 540) requires a minimum of 6 hours a day, 5 days a week for 12 weeks.  Once a student has successfully completed 520, 523 or 526, and 540, and all Praxis exams necessary for their specific area of teacher certification, they are eligible for the PA Intern Certificate.

Once a PA Intern Certificate has been obtained, students are required to take a minimum of one course per term towards the remaining requirements for full certification or the Instructional I.

Please see the Pennsylvania Department of Education's web site for the web version of their Intern Handbook regarding the PA Intern Certification Program.