Curriculum and Teaching Professional Certification

With full-time and part-time degree options, program graduates receive a Master of Arts degree in either elementary or secondary education with New York State professional certification.

The Curriculum and Teaching Professional Certification program develops educators who exert leadership in their school settings and with their colleagues. Our program operates on three main philosophical tenets: teaching as inquiry, teaching as curriculum making, and teaching for social justice. Students in our program graduate with a master of arts degree in either secondary or elementary education with New York State Professional Certification in grades 1-6 or 7-12 in English, Social Studies, Science, Technology, or Mathematics. With careful planning and advisement, the program can be completed in one year starting in the fall semester or the summer, or in 17 months if starting in January. The program may also be taken part-time. Initial Certification is a pre-requisite for admission.

Our Master of Arts in Elementary Education are 32-credit programs which can lead to professional certification as a grades 1-6 teacher in New York State.

Our Master of Arts in Secondary Education are 32-credit programs, which can lead to professional certification as a grades 7-12 teacher in New York State in the areas of English, Social Studies, Science or Mathematics.

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Teaching Certification

All students seeking teaching certification must be formally admitted to the Pre-certification, Initial Preparation Program (Pre-CIP). Admission to the program can occur after the student has completed 12 Bucknell University courses or their equivalents, including two courses in mathematics, one course in British or American literature, and one in composition; and achieved for the three preceding semesters an overall grade point average of at least 3.0. Appeals to this requirement may be made to the chair of the Department of Education.

* Candidates must also pass the Pre-service Academic Performance Assessment tests in reading, writing and math. Students should apply to Pre-CIP as soon as they begin considering a career in education, and no later than the start of the first semester of their junior year. Students are notified of their acceptance or rejection at the end of their sophomore year.

The commonwealth of Pennsylvania generally requires an overall grade point average of 3.0 upon completion of the program prior to recommendation for certification to teach.

All students seeking certification must take two mathematics intensive courses, one English/American literature course and one W1 writing course (in addition to the literature course).

The following are considered to be "add-on" certifications that require students to concurrently pursue certification in one of the areas above:

In addition to completing an approved program and successfully demonstrating the prescribed role competencies, the prospective teacher must be a "person of good moral character" who "possesses those personal qualities and professional knowledge and skills which warrant issuance of the requested certificate."

It is the student's responsibility to satisfy these criteria. Students should note that prior to placement in student teaching or any other field experience, they will be required to submit results of a child abuse clearance, criminal background check and fingerprinting pursuant to requirements of the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Results must indicate that there are no criminal or child abuse records.

Students in Education classes with field experiences can get help navigating the clearance process by contacting the departments Director of Professional Education.

Act 151: PA Child Abuse History Clearance

Act 34: PA Criminal History Record Check

FBI Criminal History (Fingerprint)

In addition to coursework, students must complete and submit scores from required Praxis or Pennsylvania Education Certification Test examinations to the Department of Education. Specific examinations required for each area of certification vary. Although members of the department will advise students concerning examinations, the student is responsible for taking those examinations that meet certification program requirements.

Learn more about certification testing

After completing the approved program of courses, the student submits an application for a Pennsylvania teaching certificate through the online Teacher Information Management System website not earlier than the first day of the month of graduation.

Following a review of the student's program, the student may be recommended for certification by the designated officer at Bucknell. As noted above, the student must pass all the competency tests required by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for the desired certificate.

Bucknell's certification officer is able to recommend for certification students who successfully completed one of Bucknell's teacher certification programs, passed the appropriate tests and met all other certification requirements within five years of the student's date of graduation. Because state requirements and/or curricula may change, it may not be possible to make recommendations for certification outside of this five-year window.

Students who desire certification in states other than Pennsylvania must understand that teacher certification is governed by state law and that each state has different requirements. Obtaining a Pennsylvania teaching certificate, by completing an approved program and meeting all other requirements, does not ensure that students will be certified in another state.

Although members of the Bucknell education department will assist students in obtaining information concerning certification in other states, as well as Pennsylvania, it is the student's responsibility to obtain current information and to meet all the certification requirements of any state.

* These requirements may be modified by the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) due to COVID-19.

Certification Requirements

*State of Michigan requirements for teacher certification are subject to periodic change. Students must meet all requirements in effect at the time of application.

In order to meet Michigan Test for Teacher Certification (MTTC) requirements mandated by the State of Michigan for teacher education candidates,

Don’t attempt these exams until you’ve completed 90% of coursework in each subject area. Most students take the test immediately preceding or during student teaching. Registration, test objectives and study guides are available on the MTTC website.  Additional study resources can be found on this list of  MTTC Study Guides.

For information on MTTC Waivers, including the department policy on granting waivers, view the Hope College Education Department MTTC Voucher Application .

For information on reciprocity and out-of-state licensure, postgraduate teaching certification, additional endorsements or state testing requirements, please contact: 

Dr. Sara Hoevehoeve@hope.edu616.395.7740

The Hope College certification officer will offer licensure advice based on their knowledge and prior experiences. However, it is the responsibility of the Hope College teacher candidate to double check specific state websites for current testing information and certification requirements given ongoing changes in individual state policies.