Master of Arts with Secondary Teacher Certification
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.
The 12-month program is designed to allow program faculty to integrate most of the required courses into a series of interconnected topics. Rather than teaching a given education course during a single term, the content is taught across several terms. This allows faculty to transcend traditional term-time constraints and teach topics when they are most beneficial to students.
Teacher Certification
The Secondary Master of Arts with Secondary Teacher Certification program prepares you for certification to teach in grades 6-12. With successful completion of the program, you will earn a Master of Arts in Educational Studies degree and a recommendation for Michigan teacher certification.
Cohort
Students join a 30 to 40-person cohort for the 12-month program, which allows them to learn in the company of other interns who are working in similar contexts. This allows you to develop a network of colleagues who bring multiple perspectives to the field of education.
Program Policy Regarding Transportation
The secondary teacher education program prioritizes learning about issues of diversity, inclusion, justice, and equity in teaching. We aim for all interns to experience teaching and learning in a variety of school contexts and become effective teachers of students from diverse backgrounds. Therefore, interns are placed in a range of clinical experience placements that require travel as much as 45 miles from the Marsal Family School of Education.
Interns are responsible for their own transportation to and from their placement sites and should keep this expense in mind when calculating their educational expenses. It is expected that interns have independent reliable transportation to ensure their ability to adequately access the schools with whom we partner for clinical experiences.
Want to learn more about the program?
See our upcoming information sessions
Additional certificate and endorsement opportunities
Requirements
Core credits
Students complete the following courses:
- EDUC 402 – Reading and Writing in Content Areas (3 credits)
- EDUC 445 – Teaching Students with Exceptionalities in the General Education Middle and High School (1 credits)
- EDUC 4XX – Content Area Methods (3–5 credits)
- EDUC 504 – Teaching with Technology (3 credits)
- EDUC 571 – Professional Development Seminar in Teacher Education (1.5 credit)
- EDUC 593 – Educational Linguistics (3 credits)
- EDUC 606 – Educational Psychology (3 credits)
- EDUC 649 – Foundational Perspectives on Educational Reform (3 credits)
- EDUC 695 – Educational Research (3 credits)
Some students may opt for additional Content Area Methods, depending on their endorsement area(s).
Teaching / practicum credits
Students complete the following courses:
- EDUC 650 – Reflective Teaching Field Experience (3–4 credits)
- EDUC 652 – Directed Teaching in the Secondary School (6 credits)
- EDUC 654 – Problems and Principles of Secondary Education (1.5 credits)
Some students may opt for additional Content Area Methods, depending on their endorsement area(s).
Endorsement area credits
Students generally complete the requirements for the endorsement area of their choice before entering the program.
Course Sequence
- SEMESTER 1: Summer
Mid-June–Early August Course Credit Hours EDUC 445 – Teaching Students with Exceptionalities in the General Education Middle and High School 1 credit hour EDUC 504 – Teaching with Technology 1 credit hour EDUC 606 – Educational Psychology 3 credit hours EDUC 649 – Foundational Perspectives on Educational Reform 3 credit hours EDUC 650 – Reflective Teaching Field Experience 1 credit hour EDUC 695 – Research and Educational Practice 3 credit hours Semester 1 total: 12 credit hours Fieldwork
In addition to coursework, students- spend time in one school;
- observe and teach parts of lessons in small groups;
- and meet for 2–3 hours per week in seminar class to reflect on experiences.
- SEMESTER 2: Fall
Late August–Mid-December Course Credit Hours EDUC 402 – Reading and Writing in the Content Areas 3 credit hours EDUC 4XX – Content Area Methods 3–5 credit hours* EDUC 504 – Teaching with Technology 1 credit hour EDUC 571 – Professional Development Seminar in Teacher Education .5 credit hour EDUC 593 – Educational Linguistics 3 credit hours EDUC 650 – Reflective Teaching Field Experience 2–3 credit hours* Content area courses Varies Semester 2 minimum: 12.5 credit hours Fieldwork
In addition to coursework, students- spend 16–19 hours (2 days) per week in up to two different schools;
- teach parts of lessons and whole lessons by themselves, in pairs, or in small groups;
- and meet for 2 hours per week in seminar class to reflect on experiences.
Note
* A second practicum and methods are required for non-aligned endorsements- SEMESTER 3: Winter
Early January–Mid-March Course Credit Hours EDUC 504 – Teaching with Technology 1 credit hour EDUC 571 – Professional Development Seminar in Teacher Education .5 credit hour EDUC 652 – Directed Teaching in the Secondary School 5 credit hours EDUC 654 – Problems and Principles of Secondary Education 1 credit hour Semester 3 total: 9.5 credit hours Fieldwork
In addition to coursework, students- spend 30–35 hours (4 days) per week in a single school;
- teach sequences (units) of lessons by themselves or in pairs;
- and meet for 2 hours per week in seminar class to reflect on experiences.
- SEMESTER 4: Spring
Mid-March–Mid-June Course Credit Hours EDUC 571 – Professional Development Seminar in Teacher Education .5 credit hour EDUC 652 – Directed Teaching in the Secondary School 1 credit hour EDUC 654 – Problems and Principles of Secondary Education .5 credit hour Semester 4 total: 2 credit hours Fieldwork
In addition to coursework, students- spend 40–45 hours (5 days) per week in a single school;
- teach sequences (units) of lessons by themselves or in pairs;
- and meet for 2 hours per week in seminar class to reflect on experiences.
Endorsement Areas
under construction
ENDORSEMENT AREAS
| Requirement | Description |
|---|---|
| ARABIC 401 or ARABIC 402 | Advanced Arabic I or Advanced Arabic II |
| ARABIC 503 | Classical Arabic Grammar |
| ARABIC 506 | Arabic Phonology and Morphophonology |
| ARABIC 507 | Arabic Syntax and Semantics |
| ANTHRCUL 409 | Peoples and Cultures of the Near East and North Africa |
| EDUC 307 or 650* |
Practicum or Reflective Teaching Field Experience |
| EDUC 419 or 420* |
Teaching Methods for World Language Minors or Teaching World Languages in the Secondary School |
| Literature | Students choose two (6 credits) of the following courses: ARABIC 600, 601, 602, 604. |
| Electives | Electives (if needed) to meet 30-credit minimum. Students choose from the following courses: ARABIC 410, 504, 508, 509 (strongly suggested), 510, 513, 612 (strongly suggested), 613 (strongly suggested); NEAREAST 200, 325, 483; LING 351; or any category above. |
|
* Required for endorsement but doesn't count toward minimum credits or GPA |
|
Upcoming Information Sessions
There are no information sessions currently scheduled; please contact us at [email protected] to speak with a recruiter.
Application Deadlines
Apply early to receive a timely decision! Submitting an early application will give you time to engage with your program, visit campus, and have time to make an informed decision.
Application Process
- Please submit a request for a free coursework evaluation prior to preparing application materials.
- In order to ensure you have met the academic prerequisite requirements for the educator preparation program, your previous coursework must be evaluated by an academic advisor.
- Unofficial transcripts are accepted for this initial evaluation, but official transcripts will be required upon admission.
- Evaluations may take 3-4 weeks to complete once all materials are submitted.
- Please direct questions to the advising team at [email protected].
- Review Application Essay Prompts
- Academic Statement of Purpose
- Please review the Educator Preparation Program Mission and Vision Statements and address the following in your essay:
- How does your experience prepare you to engage in a program with these commitments?
- What goals do you have for your own career in light of these commitments?
- 500 words maximum
- Please review the Educator Preparation Program Mission and Vision Statements and address the following in your essay:
- Personal Statement
- How have your background and life experiences, including cultural, geographical, financial, educational or other opportunities or challenges motivated your decision to pursue a graduate degree at the University of Michigan?
- Please do not repeat your Academic Statement of Purpose.
- 500 words maximum
- How have your background and life experiences, including cultural, geographical, financial, educational or other opportunities or challenges motivated your decision to pursue a graduate degree at the University of Michigan?
- Academic Statement of Purpose
- Request Letters of Recommendation
- Academic Letter: one required letter assessing the applicant’s intellectual curiosity, preparedness for university study, receptivity to feedback, and/or perseverance. If you are applying to the secondary program, your letter must be from a professor or post-secondary instructor from the content area in which you are seeking certification.
- Teaching Potential Letter: The teaching potential letter should come from a professional reference familiar with your experiences working with youth. This may include: personal characteristics, work ability, capacity to work with people (specifically youth), etc. Your recommender should be someone who has seen you recently work with children or someone who can speak to your potential to work with students.
- Register your recommenders' names and contact information on the online application—recommenders will receive instructions via email for submitting letters.
- Note: Let your recommenders know that they will need to complete the provided recommender form and will be asked to upload a letter at the end of the document. This is a requirement for each program.
- Your recommenders can email [email protected] with any questions.
- Prepare a Resume
- 1-2 pages
- Include at the top of each document:
- The type of document (Academic Statement of Purpose, Personal Statement, or Curriculum Vitae or Resume)
- Your name
- The name of the graduate program
- Your 8 digit U-M ID (if known)
- Make sure margins are at least one-inch so nothing is cropped when you upload the documents to the application. Please convert your documents to PDF format & preview your files before uploading.
- Gather Academic Transcripts
- Submit Test Scores
- GRE optional - scores are not utilized for admission
- Non-native speakers of English are required to submit TOEFL, MELAB or IELTS scores (U-M code is 1839)
- Test scores are valid 2 years from the test date
- Test scores are valid 2 years from the test date
- Create an Account with the Rackham Graduate School
- All Marsal Family School of Education's graduate programs are administered through the University of Michigan's Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies.
- Complete Pages 1-6 of the Application
- After completing page 6 of the application, you will receive an email with your U-M ID within 5 business days. Your U-M ID number should be included on all your application materials to ensure accurate and timely processing, so we encourage you to complete this step early in the process.
- If you need to submit your application before you receive your U-M ID number, you may still complete the application. Include your date of birth and the program’s name on your application materials.
- Current and former U-M Ann Arbor students, alumni, and employees do not need to obtain a new U-M ID number. Use your previously obtained U-M ID number.
- If your personal information has changed (for example, legal name, gender), make sure the personal information you submit with your application matches your previous Ann Arbor campus record. If your previous Ann Arbor campus record does not display your current personal information, contact the Registrar’s Office or the Shared Services Center to change your personal information before you apply.
- Upload Academic Statement of Purpose, Personal Statement, and Resume
- Include at the top of each document:
- The type of document (Academic Statement of Purpose, Personal Statement, or Curriculum Vitae or Resume)
- Your name
- The name of the graduate program
- Your 8 digit U-M ID (if known)
- Make sure margins are at least one-inch so nothing is cropped when you upload the documents to the application. Please convert your documents to PDF format & preview your files before uploading.
- Include at the top of each document:
- Submit Test Scores
- Test scores must be sent directly from the testing center to the Rackham Graduate School. We recommend starting this process early as it can take up to two weeks for the scores to be received.
- Submit Transcripts
- Upload an electronic copy of your official transcript(s) for each Bachelor’s, Master’s, Professional, or Doctoral degree earned or in progress through your ApplyWeb application account
- Do not upload academic records printed from your school’s website or student portal.
- Students who have studied in a country outside of the U.S. should review the required credentials from non-U.S. institutions. For all degrees obtained at non-U.S. institutions—Request that degree-granting institutions submit official transcripts/records to the Rackham Graduate School at the time of application.
- Check the status of your letters of recommendation, change a recommender, or resend the notification email to your recommender using the ApplyWeb Activity Page
- Please reach out to [email protected] if there are any questions regarding the submission of the letters of recommendation.
- Monitor your inbox for an email from Marsal Education containing your admissions decision
- You may accept or decline the offer of admission in your U-M Friend Account.
- For international students that accept an offer of admission, Rackham prepares immigration documents for visas.
Scholarships & Quick Facts
Application fee waiver
The $75 application fee is waived for all U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents
GRE general exam scores
Financial aid
Part-time status
Careers
91%
82%
95%
Hiring organizations and job titles
In-state
| Organization | Job Title | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Bark River-Harris High School | Social Studies/Psychology Teacher | Bark River, MI |
| Forest Hills Central High School | 9th, 10th & AP English Teacher | Grand Rapids, MI |
| Freeland High School | High School History Teacher | Freeland, MI |
| Greenhills School | 10th Grade Science Teacher | Ann Arbor, MI |
| Lumen Christi Catholic School | 9th-12th Grade Teacher | Jackson, MI |
| Owosso High School | Science Teacher | Owosso, MI |
| Pathways to Success | High School Teacher | Ann Arbor, MI |
| South Lyon High School | English Teacher | South Lyon, MI |
| West Middle School | 6th and 7th Grade Teacher | Rochester, MI |
Out-of-state
| Organization | Job title | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Annandale High School | Mathematics Teacher | Annandale, VA |
| Franklin High School | Social Studies Teacher | Franklin, NJ |
| Glenn Westlake Middle School | ELL/ Bilingual 8th Grade Teacher | Lombard, IL |
| New Providence High School | Mathematics Teacher | New Providence, NJ |
Field Experience
Program-long involvement and experience in schools is central to the Master of Arts with Secondary Teacher Certification program. This allows students to delve deeply into issues related to public school education and to work closely with experienced school colleagues.
You will begin working with cooperating teachers in late August. You will help with planning for the year and assisting in classroom set-up for the fall. You will work with the same students and cooperating teacher throughout the school year. Students also work with the same field instructor who works regularly with students, observes classroom teaching, conducts seminar sessions with the cohort, and assists students to become skilled professionals.