Secondary school teachers must be proficient in the design and delivery of instruction, classroom organization and management, and other research-based best practices that support quality teaching and learning. Fairleigh Dickinson University’s School of Education (SOE) offers a preparation program leading to New Jersey certification in Secondary Education (K-12) that requires 24 credits for certification and another twelve (12) credits to complete the M. A. T. degree.

Candidates pursuing certification to teach at the secondary level must have a bachelor’s degree with at least 30 credits in a coherent sequence of courses in the subject area to be taught (e.g., mathematics, social studies, chemistry, biology, etc.) or in the discipline taught;

  • Pass the Praxis I Core Academic Skills for Educators exams (5713, 5723, 5733);
  • Pass the Praxis II Test(s) required for certification;
  • Complete the required courses and credits in an approved teacher certification program with a cumulative G.P.A. of 3.0 or higher;

NOTE: Certification requirements often change. For the most up-to-date information about requirements, please visit the New Jersey Department of Education website to obtain the latest information about the minimum passing scores on these exams. For suggestions and other information for preparing for the Praxis tests, please click here.

Candidates for New Jersey Certification and/or the Master of Arts in Teaching are responsible for working collaboratively with their SOE faculty advisers, following the approved plan of courses, meeting all program requirements, and maintaining good academic standing per New Jersey Department of Education, School of Education, and Fairleigh Dickinson University policies.

Degree Plan

Required courses for Certification (24 credits)

  • EDUC6651     Effective Reading Instruction
  • EDUC6824     Teaching Laboratory and Field Experience I
  • EDUC6828     Teaching Laboratory and Field Experience II
  • EDUC6835     Effective Teaching and Effective Schools
  • EDUC6893     Evaluation and Measurement in Education
  • EDUC6583    Advanced Clinical Practice                            
  • EDUC6575     Apprenticeship Teaching                                         
  • EDUC6825     Apprenticeship Teaching Seminar

Teaching Methods courses for Certification (3 credits)

Candidates must complete the appropriate 3-credit graduate teaching methods course in the discipline most closely related to the secondary certification sought, including:

  • EDUC6562     Standards-based Curriculum and Methodology: Secondary English (or)                     
  • EDUC6566     Standards-based Curriculum and Methodology: Secondary Science (or)                    
  • EDUC6568     Standards-based Curriculum and Methodology: Secondary Social Studies (or)           
  • EDUC6570     Standards-based Curriculum and Methodology: Secondary Mathematics (or)             
  • EDUC6569     Standards-based Curriculum and Methodology: Art

Additional courses to complete MAT degree (9 credits)

  • EDUC6740     Introduction to Students with Disabilities and Autistic Spectrum Disorders
  • EDUC6584     Computers as a Teacher’s Aid                                                  
  • EDUC7812     Final Project: Applied Research (or)
  • EDUC7718     Final Project: Second Language Acquisition

Education Elective (3 credits)

  • EDUC6661     Behavioral Science for Teachers: The Multicultural Classroom

Career Outcomes

The most highly sought after certifications are those in mathematics and the sciences.

Any secondary level teacher with a second (additional) certification in special education becomes a valuable asset to the school and district. 

We encourage our candidates to add second certifications in special education, or in bilingual education.

Course Descriptions

  • EDUC6562 This course integates research into effective teaching of English language and literature. Students learn different instructional strategies to enhance the teaching of English/ Language Arts. State and national standards such as the New Jersey Student Learning Standards will be addressed through curriculum development and assessment.

  • EDUC6566 This course integrates research into effective teaching of science. Students learn different instructional strategies to enhance the teaching of science. State and national standards such as the New Jersey Student Learning Standards and the Next Generation Science Standards will be will be addressed through curriculum development and assessment.

  • EDUC6568 This course integrates research into effective teaching of social studies. Students learn different instructional strategies to enhance the teaching of social studies. State and national standards such as the New Jersey Student Learning Standards will be addressed through development and assessment.

  • EDUC6569 This course integrates recent research into effective teaching practices in the visual arts. Students learn different instructional strategies to enhance the teaching of art for grade levels k-12. National and state standards such as the New Jersey Student Learning Standards will be addressed through curriculum development and assessment. Students will develop visual art learning units with relevant teaching support materials organized around specific art concepts and modes of inquiry, produce assessment instructions for the evaluation of art programs and student art products, and engage in the review and analysis of art education literature for research

  • EDUC6570 This course integrates research into effective teaching of mathematics. Students learn different instructional strategies to enhance the teaching of mathematics. State and national standards such as the New Jersey Learning Standards will be addressed through curriculum development and assessment.

  • EDUC6575 This full-semester teaching experience is offered in the spring or fall following completion of field experiences and prescribed courses. This experience exposes the preservice teacher to the functions of teaching under the mentorship of a cooperating teacher and clinical supervision of a School of Education faculty member. The responsibilities of the student teacher increase during the apprenticeship until she/he is conducting the class with full teaching responsibilities.

  • EDUC6583 Guided observation and clinical experience of 125 hours in an educational setting. Program assessment and design. Supervised practical experiences in classroom, increasing in intensity and duration. Orientation to the certification-required portfolio to be submitted at the completion of student teaching and required videotaping of classroom experiences. Intense preparation and analysis of acceptable lesson planning, instruction and engagement of students and assessment of student learning.

  • EDUC6584 This course will focus on how technology can be used in the classroom to address the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards. Students will learn how to use applications such as Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel to support classroom instruction. The Internet will be explored as a tool. Students will explore how instructional technology can be integrated into classroom curriculum to support state and national standards.

  • EDUC6651 An introduction to current theory, strategies and practices designed to meet the reading and language arts needs of students of varying abilities and cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Students will acquire a knowledge of techniques and materials used in the development of reading and language arts skills.

  • EDUC6661 This course focuses on understand how biases at the institutional, individual and societal levels impact the educational context and academic achievement of all students, and covers different teaching strategies on topics related to cultural difference with respect to race, ethnic class, gender, sexual orientation, religion and English language learners in schools. Current topics such as the Achievement Gap and Bullying are addressed.

  • EDUC6740 Introduction to the student with disabilities and autistic spectrum disorders. Overview of normal growth and development as a basis to identify developmental delays and learning differences. Characteristics of different disabilities and their effects on how children learn. Review of federal, state and local regulations and their effects on local policies, procedures and placement. Transition planning, resources and assistive technology to enhance the performance of students with disabilities and autistic spectrum disorders.

  • EDUC6824 Guided observation and clinical analysis in an education setting. Program assessment and design. Supervised practical experiences in the classroom, increasing in intensity and duration.

  • EDUC6825 Seminar will provide an opportunity to review current theories and practices in education as they directly relate to the students' teaching experiences. This course is taken as a corequisite with EDUC 6575 Apprentice Teaching.

  • EDUC6828 Guided observation and clinical analysis in an educational setting. Program assessment and design. Supervised practical experiences in the classroom, increasing in intensity and duration.

  • EDUC6835 Students will acquire and demonstrate skills in effective teaching for students with varying abilities and cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Essential skills are identified by the New Jersey State Department of Education for beginning teachers will be emphasized. Presentations of research findings, demonstrations of essential teaching skills by faculty, microteaching, peer coaching and audiovisual instructional materials will be used to impart skills. Students also will acquire a thorough knowledge of effective school management and operations that relate to successful classroom instruction.

  • EDUC6893 This course emphasizes the use of multiple methods to assess student learning in K-12 classrooms, development and assessment of portfolios and performance-based tasks, and objective and standardized tests. Analysis of assessment information and self-/ peer assessments to enhance teaching and address individual student learning needs is integral to the course. Strategies for evaluation and grading and the use of rubrics are addressed. Emphasis is placed on standards-based instruction and assessment using the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards and statewide assessments as reference points.

  • EDUC7718 Students will research and report on effective curriculum and instructional approaches in ESL/EFL, and will develop a curriculum unit with lesson plans that reflect their review of current research.

  • EDUC7812 The fundamentals of educational research and the link between theory and practice are explored. Students develop a research proposal that is specific to their needs and interests as practitioners. This course explores the fundamentals of educational research, its value and the links between educational research and practice. Students will conduct a survey of the literature on a selected topic and use higher order thinking skills to develop a research question or series of questions and research proposal.