Teacher Certification

The elementary teacher education program at the University of Michigan has a strong emphasis on developing teachers’ instructional practices for the purpose of disrupting inequities in schools. Students earn a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science degree in Education and are recommended to the State of Michigan for elementary teacher certification. Prospective teachers (teaching interns) learn teaching practices that adopt a "subject-matter serious" perspective and are rooted in social justice. Students typically begin the four-term program during their junior year.

First-year students interested in elementary teacher education should consider applying for the Teacher Education Preferred Admissions (TEPA) Program.

The secondary teacher education program at the University of Michigan is a three-term program that prepares students to teach grades 6-12. Starting during your junior year, you can work toward an undergraduate degree and secondary teacher certification through the State of Michigan. As a prospective secondary teacher, also called a “teaching intern,” you get the opportunity to teach subjects about which you have a deep understanding.

First-year students interested in secondary teacher education should consider applying for the Teacher Education Preferred Admissions (TEPA) Program.

In the Master of Arts in Educational Studies with Elementary Teacher Certification program, students develop the professional and personal knowledge, dispositions, and skills required to engage diverse groups of children in thoughtful learning. The immersive full-time program begins in mid-June and finishes in mid-June the following year.

In the Master of Arts in Educational Studies with Secondary Teacher Certification program, students participate in university and school-based experiences that enable them to meet the challenges facing today's educators teaching at the junior high and high school levels. The immersive full-time program begins in mid-June and finishes in mid-June the following year. Coursework is completed concurrently with a teaching internship to allow students to explore pedagogies through authentic classroom interactions while being fully supported by field instructors.

Established in 2010 at the University of Michigan Marsal Family School of Education, Michigan Alternate Route to Certification (M-ARC) is Michigan’s longest-running state-approved alternative route to certification program. Our program supports teachers’ growth by merging the Marsal School's over 100 years of experience preparing educators with the accessibility of an alternative pathway.