Graduate Intern Teaching Certificate

23.0 quarter credits

The part-time Graduate Intern Teaching Certificate program offers pedagogy coursework necessary for teacher certification in the evening so that students may teach or work during the day. An exception is EDUC 540 (Field Experience), which requires the student to spend a minimum of six hours per day for 12 weeks with a cooperating teacher in an appropriate elementary or secondary school classroom.

Admission Requirements
Applicants for the Graduate Intern Teaching Certificate program must complete an interview with a teacher education advisor before completing a graduate application. During this interview the applicant’s transcripts are evaluated in relation to Pennsylvania state standards for the specific certification area. If coursework is dated, a content exam or additional coursework may be required. Life experience that demonstrates knowledge of the content area will be considered. Additional coursework in the content area may be required to meet certification standards. In addition, applicants must meet the general admission requirements for graduate studies at Drexel University.

Program Requirements
Graduate Intern Teaching Certificate applicants for elementary certification may come from a variety of undergraduate backgrounds. Applicants for secondary certification must have a bachelor’s degree in an area related to that in which they intend to become certified. Minimum coursework requirements include 23 credits of pedagogy, which may be incorporated into the graduate Science of Instruction program or into the electives portion of another approved Drexel master’s degree program in the subject area of certification.

Intern teachers may obtain a full-time teaching position after they have been recommended for the Pennsylvania Department of Education Intern Teaching Certificate. To be recommended, students must be admitted into the Drexel graduate program, obtain at least a B in EDUC 520 (Professional Studies in Instruction) or EDUC 523 (Diagnostic Teaching), obtain at least a B in EDUC 540 (Field Experience), and obtain the necessary scores on the appropriate sections of the Praxis Series assessment through Educational Testing Service (ETS).

Completion of all required pedagogy coursework with at least a B in each and a B average in required content courses and passing Praxis Series scores will satisfy requirements for Pennsylvania Instructional I Certification.