Intern Certification for M.A.T. programs Early Childhood and Elementary Education (PK- 4) Secondary Education and PK-12 Music and Spanish Special Education
The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) provides an intern teaching certification for candidates who hold a bachelor’s degree and desire to work as a classroom teacher while simultaneously enrolled in a graduate-level teacher preparation program.
Marywood University is one of a select number of institutions approved to participate in the commonwealth’s alternate Teacher Intern Certification Program.
PDE specifies several eligibility requirements for the Intern certificate:
1. Bachelor’s Degree in a Related Area: To enroll in a Teacher Intern Program, a candidate must possess a minimum of a baccalaureate degree related to the area of certification requested. For example, an individual with a B.S. degree in biology may seek biology certification. (Most degrees permit a candidate to pursue Intern Certification in Prekindergarten to Grade 4, PK-4.)
2. Minimum 3.0 Undergraduate GPA: Candidates entering must have a minimum of a 3.0 GPA in their baccalaureate degree. Candidates must exit the Intern Program with at least the same GPA required for entrance.
3. Acceptance into University Program: The candidate must apply to and complete an approved institution of higher education's (IHE) pre-admission screening and be accepted into the teacher-preparation program.
4. Passing Scores on all required tests: The candidate must achieve satisfactory scores on the appropriate test(s) required by the Pennsylvania Teacher Certification Testing Program before applying for a Teacher Intern certificate.
5. Continuous Enrollment: The candidate must be continuously enrolled in a Teacher Intern Program.
Marywood requires candidates to complete a minimum of three courses covering educational psychology or foundations, special education, and teaching methods to receive university recommendation for the Intern cert.
After meeting the eligibility requirements and when a candidate obtains a teaching position or a potential offer, the Intern candidate applies to the Pennsylvania Department of Education for an Intern Certificate
Intern Cert holders can teach in Pennsylvania for up to three years while completing their M.A. in Teaching with Pk-4 Certification, M.A. in Teaching with Secondary/K-12 Education Certification or Post Bac Teacher Certification Program. The Intern certificate cannot be renewed if all coursework is not completed in 3 years.
The only difference in course requirements is a modified field experience requirement and use of a minimum 12-week internship in place of student teaching. Scheduling of the teaching internship may occur any time after the first semester when the intern student demonstrates readiness to teach in their own classrooms.