Students occasionally consider pursuing teacher certification in more than one area as part of their undergraduate program. In fact, in certain areas, such as Environmental Education, the only option available to students is dual certification with Biology as the primary area and Environmental as the second certification area.
Please be advised that if you are hoping to be dually certified, you must apply for permission to do so as part of your application for Admission to the Teacher Education Program, and you must receive permission from the Teacher Education Committee to pursue dual certification. All students who wish to attempt two certification programs are not guaranteed permission to do so. There are some general guidelines for DUAL CERTIFICATION as follows:
Permission to pursue dual certification must be requested by the student as early as the application for admission to the Teacher Education Program. If you wish to add a certification area later, you must apply to the Teacher Education Committee for permission to do so.
A student pursuing dual certification must complete ALL requirements for both majors and/or programs including all necessary field experiences, curriculum and instruction courses, etc.
A successful, complete Professional Semester in the area that is the primary major is essential. This means that a student will need to identify his/her first choice of major and certification area and complete the Professional Semester in that area. (For example, Biology is determined by T.E.C. to be the primary major for dual certification in Biology & Environmental, but if a student wanted to be certified in Elementary and Spanish, the student would need to determine which was the primary major and complete the Pro Sem in that major/area.)
An additional supervised, site-based experience, EDU 436-Dual Certification Internship, is required of any student who pursues dual certification. This experience is separate and distinct from the Professional Semester and will likely be done during the opposite semester of the Professional Semester during the senior year. In other words, this internship may be completed in the semester prior to the Professional Semester or in the semester following the Professional Semester, but may not be done concurrently with the Professional Semester.
Except for Special Education internships, all EDU 436 internship experiences for dual certification will be arranged by the Director of Teacher Education. Students pursuing dual certification should view the DTE as a second academic advisor and should work out course sequence and scheduling issues with his/her assigned advisor and the DTE.
There is no guarantee that dual certification requirements can be completed in eight semesters. It is possible that an additional semester and/or summer course work will be needed in order to fulfill requirements.
If you have questions or need assistance with dual certification decisions, contact the Director of Teacher Education and/or the Chair of the Teacher Education Committee.
