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Summary of Program Requirements
Students pursuing secondary certification (grades 6-12) earn degrees in the departments/colleges of their teaching majors and must complete all of the requirements below. Endorsements on a Michigan secondary certificate indicate that the certificate holder is "highly qualified" to teach those subjects in the State of Michigan as specified by the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Requirements of the secondary certification program include:1. University Integrative Studies and Writing Requirements
- Integrative Studies
- Integrative Studies in the Social Sciences (ISS)
- Integrative Studies in the Sciences: Biological and Physical (ISB and ISP)
- Integrative Studies in the Arts and Humanities (IAH)
- University Writing Requirements
- Writing, Rhetoric and American Cultures (WRA) Tier I (formerly called ATL)
- Tier II writing course required within the major
- Math Requirement
- All students must demonstrate proficiency beyond the level of College Algebra; specific requirements vary by College and degree major
2. Professional Education Studies
TE 150 and TE 250 can be taken during the freshman and sophomore years and serve as prerequisites for TE 302. Students must be formally admitted to the teacher preparation program before they can take TE 302 (see Applications & Admissions for more information). Once admitted to the teacher preparation program, students typically take TE 302 during the junior year, TE 407 during Fall Semester of the senior year and TE 408 during Spring Semester of the senior year. Students must have a minimum GPA of 2.5 in these five education courses, with no individual grade below 2.0, to progress to the internship year.
3. Teaching Majors and Minors
All secondary education students must complete a secondary teaching major; all majors except Art, Music and Physical Science must be accompanied by a secondary teaching minor. A variety of secondary majors and minors are offered at MSU. Secondary education students must meet all requirements for an undergraduate degree in their major area. Students must have a minimum overall GPA of 2.5 and a minimum GPA of 2.5 their teaching major and teaching minor to progress to the internship year.
4. Technology Requirements
The Michigan Department of Education requires that students demonstrate awareness, proficiency and expertise in personal productivity and pedagogical technology before they receive a teaching certificate. MSU requires demonstration of specific skills prior to the internship.5. Competency Examinations
The Michigan Test for Teacher Certification (MTTC) Basic Skills test must be passed prior to admission to the teacher preparation program. At a minimum, the MTTC subject test corresponding to the teaching major must be passed prior to the internship year. Secondary education candidates who request internship placements in the area of their teaching minor must also pass the MTTC corresponding to the minor prior to the internship year. Other students can enter the internship without passing the minor test; however, they cannot be recommended for certification in the teaching minor unless the corresponding MTTC has been passed.
6. Bachelor's Degree
All baccalaureate requirements must be fulfilled and the bachelor degree must be conferred prior to beginning the internship year.7. Criteria for Progression to the Internship
All standards (academic requirements, testing requirements and professional standards) must be satisfied before a student can progress to the internship year.8. Internship Year
The internship includes a full year of study and experience in a selected school. During the internship, most interns complete graduate-level coursework. With faculty approval, some of the credits earned in the 800-level courses may later be applied to selected master's degree programs.9. Certification
After successful completion of all College, University, and State of Michigan requirements (including the internship and courses taken concurrent with the internship), the teacher candidate is eligible to apply for provisional teacher certification. After the application has been reviewed by the Certification Office in 134 Erickson, the qualified candidate is recommended to the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) for certification.
