Teacher Certification Program

Admission Requirements:

• A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
• A major or a minimum of 30 undergraduate credits in the content area in which you are seeking teacher certification (Biology, Chemistry, English, Mathematics, Physics, and Social Studies/History)
• A minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0.
• Students with a grade point average below 3.0 but above 2.75 may be eligible for conditional admission.
• Students accepted conditionally must earn a 3.0 grade point average in their first three courses of study in the program and follow any additional guidelines outlined by the department.
• Two letters of recommendation attesting to the applicant’s potential for a career in teaching.
• Essays
• Application fee: Pay the $65 application fee in the online application.

Tips for the application process:

• If you’re starting your application for the first time, you will need to create your application portal login credentials.
• If you have already started an application, use your existing credentials to log back into the portal and continue working on your application.
• You may start your application and return to it later, it does not need to be completed in one sitting.

Instructional courses are offered in the late afternoons or evenings and may be completed through a combination of on-campus and online settings. Availability of online courses will vary semester to semester. Note: This program requires 80 hours of field experience in school settings prior to the culmination of a student teaching experience. Students will work with our Placement Director to arrange these clinical experiences around their work schedules.

EDU 201: Educational Psychology (3 credits)
Study of those facts and principles of psychology that will assist the students in formulating and clarifying objectives as classroom teachers. Deals with such matters as cognitive development, motivation, retention, problem solving, and the social and emotional problems involved in personality integration.

EDU 207: Principles of Secondary Education (3 credits)
This initial secondary education course introduces the concepts and practices of teaching. Students will learn to develop lesson and unit plans, practice teaching techniques and explore the roles of classroom management.

EDU 304: The Child with Special Needs in the Regular Classroom (3 credits)
Designed to provide prospective teachers with the skills, knowledge, and attitudes required to identify students with special needs and to work with support staff in meeting the students’ needs within the general curriculum. Focuses on understanding the characteristics of these students and on developing sensitivity to their needs within a least restrictive environment.

EDU 402: Educational Measurement (3 credits)
Designed to introduce students to the theory and practice of measurement including the construction, application, and interpretation of standardized and teacher-made tests used to inform teaching and curriculum decision making. Students will also examine alternative assessments including authentic and portfolio assessments.

EDU 404: Reading in the Content Area (3 credits)
Course investigates the use of specific strategies to incorporate into the teaching of content subjects. Research relating to reading skills taught in content areas is reviewed. Texts and research material address content in grades 5 through 12. Cooperative learning model is utilized in course. Model and exemplary programs in use in local school districts are examined.

EDU 410: General Methods (3 credits)
Course provides the student with the opportunity to develop skills in the teaching process. Emphasis is on the practical aspects of the teaching methodology. Attention is given to individual needs in the content area. Students will register for the English/Social Studies or Math/Science section.

EDU 455: Student Teaching in the Secondary School (9 credits)
Student teaching is a full-time, 12-week experience in classroom in grades 7-12, which is often completed in one of our partner schools. It is the final requirement in the Teacher Certification Program. The Clinical Educator (host teacher) and a Providence College faculty member provide supervision and feedback throughout the experience. Weekly seminars are conducted by the faculty member, as well.

Related programs that may be of interest:

• Teacher Certification combined with a Master of Education in Urban Teaching
• Teacher Certification combined with a Master of Education in Mathematics
• Teacher Certification combined with a Bachelor’s degree – If you haven’t yet earned a bachelor’s degree, you may be eligible to earn the degree and then apply into the TCP. Our advisers can help you determine which degree program would best suit your needs and goals. Students are permitted to take the first two education courses while working on their bachelor’s degree.