Are you interested in exploring a new profession, updating your skills, or gaining more credibility within your organization? Our Graduate Certificate in Education is the program for you! Our graduate certificate program will help you open the door to exhilarating new career opportunities. In less than a year, you can gain the experience necessary to become a full-time educator while expanding your career pathways.
This graduate certificate is designed for students who hold a bachelor’s degree in a qualifying specialty area*, but are looking to gain credentials in the field of education. Completion of the program will prepare qualified students for teaching licensure in Arkansas.
4 STEPS TO YOUR TEACHING CAREER
Degree in Hand
To begin, you’ll need to have earned your bachelor’s degree in a qualifying content area (see the Admission Requirements below for details).
Apply Online
Fill out the online admissions application and submit the required materials to the Graduate School.
Register for Class
Once accepted to UA Little Rock, specialized advisors within the School of Education will help you get registered for classes.
Submit Test Scores
Submit your standardized test scores to the Director of Teacher Licensure and Placement in the School of Education.
TEACH WHILE YOU ATTEND CLASS
You must pass Praxis Subject Assessments in order to receive your provisional teaching licensure. Once you have a provisional license, you can teach while you take classes. We also make it easy for you to take classes while you are teaching. All courses, with the exception of SCED 7601 Internship, are available online. SCED 7601 Internship is available in the evenings.
To be considered for the provisional license, a candidate must meet the following criteria:
- Be fully admitted to the UA Little Rock Graduate School and the UA Little Rock School of Education*
- Be in good standing in an educational program of study
- Continually be taking classes in your program of study
- Pass the Praxis Subject Assessments
- Complete and clear background checks (State Police, FBI, and Child Maltreatment Central Registry)
- Complete the ProEthica training
- Complete the application for the provisional license**
- Secure an offer of employment from a school approved by the Arkansas Department of Education as a provisional licensure site.
Conditional Admission
If you do not complete the Praxis Subject Assessments before admission into the program, you may enroll in up to 3 courses (9 credit hours) while you complete the exams.
** Completion of application does not guarantee approval. All sites must be approved by the College of Education and Health Professions and the Arkansas Department of Education.
WHAT YOU’LL STUDY
Students wishing to receive a Graduate Certificate in Education will complete 21 graduate hours over three semesters. Take an additional 9 graduate credit hours to earn your master’s degree.
Admission Requirements
Graduate School Admission
- Apply for admission to the UA Little Rock Graduate School.
- $40 non-refundable application fee paid via the link in the initial application email or by contacting the Cashier’s Office.
- Official transcripts from ALL previously attended colleges and universities (undergraduate and graduate).
- International students must have their transcripts articulated. Transcripts that have not been articulated can be submitted for the application process; however, if a student is granted admission, WES-articulated transcripts must be submitted to the Graduate School before he or she can register for classes.
- Proof of 2 MMR vaccines. Contact your program coordinator if you think you are eligible for a waiver. Students only in the UA Little Rock Online programs are exempt.
- Proof of a grade point average of at least 2.7 on a 4.00 scale, including post-baccalaureate hours.
- A copy of your government-issued photo ID.
International Student Admission
Required documents for international admission:
- Tuberculosis screening
- All applicants must provide proof of a Tuberculosis screening, which must be performed in the United States of America and can be done at the Health Services Center at UA Little Rock.
- Health and accident insurance
- All international students must purchase the health and accident insurance provided by UA Little Rock and maintain coverage year-round. Students will be billed at the beginning of each fall and spring semester. A student who enters in a summer semester will be billed for that semester as well, making the total number of times billed three instead of two. If you have any questions, please contact Health Services at 501-569-3188.
- Transfer forms
- Applicants transferring from another institution within the United States of America must also provide a Transfer and Visa form completed by the applicant’s International Student Services advisor from his or her current institution.
- Financial statement (students with F and J visas only)
- Before they can be accepted into the Graduate School, students must provide a financial statement showing that they are financially capable of pursuing a graduate education in the United States of America. For more information on this form, please contact the office of International Student Services at 501-916-5815.
- All applicants must submit a copy of their visa.
Program Admission
Regular Admission
- Baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution.
- Successfully accepted into the UA Little Rock Graduate School.
- A cumulative grade point average of at least 2.75 (on a 4.0 scale) or grade point average of at least 3.0 for the last 60 hours of undergraduate courses.
Conditional Admission
- Baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution.*
- A cumulative undergraduate GPA of no lower than 2.5; and a Graduate Record Exam (GRE) score of at least 141 on the Verbal Scale, 150 on the Quantitative Scale, and 4.5 on the Analytical Writing Scale, OR
- Completion of at least 12 semester hours of graduate coursework in another UA Little Rock graduate program or graduate program from another regionally accredited college or university with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 and no grade lower than a B.
**Social Studies candidates must complete a course in Arkansas History.
Licensure and Field Placement Requirements
To be eligible for a provisional teaching license in Arkansas, students enrolled in the program must meet the following criteria:
- Be fully admitted to the UA Little Rock Graduate School and in good standing in an educational program of study.
- Continually be taking classes in their program of study.
- Pass the Praxis Subject Assessments required for their licensure area.
- Complete and clear background checks (State Police, FBI, and Child Maltreatment Central Registry).
- Complete the ProEthica training
- Complete the application for the provisional license.*
- Receive a viable job offer to teach in their licensure area and grade level at a site approved by the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE)
- Meet any other licensure requirements for their chosen licensure area as required by the ADE
Students who do not meet the above criteria must complete traditional field placements and an internship in a cooperating teacher’s classroom during normal school hours, Monday through Friday 7:30am-4:30pm, during the K-12 school year (normally August to May).
Retention Requirements
Once admitted, students are required to meet the following criteria:
- Maintain a 3.0 grade point average with at least a grade of B in all education courses (TCED and/or SCED) including all courses associated with the licensure/degree plan.
- Demonstrate professional behavior, content knowledge, and classroom performance which will be evaluated throughout the program.
Successful completion of the licensure program is not based solely on the number of course credits but requires demonstration of specified professional knowledge, skills, behaviors, and dispositions. Once the student has begun the program, periodic evaluations will assess progress. Failure to progress satisfactorily might result in a student being removed from the program. While a student may require additional time to meet some performance expectations, the faculty may limit that time and reserves the right to drop a student from the licensure program should appropriate progress not be demonstrated.
Graduation Requirements
- Minimum of 21 graduate credit hours
- Minimum 3.0 GPA with no grade below B
- Passing scores on all Praxis Subject Assessment examinations required by the Arkansas Department of Education
Curriculum
Fast track your teaching career by completing our graduate certificate program in just three semesters.
Summer Term — 3 hours
- TCED 5383 Instructional Skills
Fall Term — 9 hours
- SPED 7301 Foundations of Special Education
- TCED 5321 Teaching Diverse Adolescents
- TCED 7103 Supervised Clinical Teaching
- TCED 7202 Specialized Instructional Methods
Spring Term — 9 hours
- SCED 7601 Internship*
- TCED 5330 Classroom Management
Course Descriptions
SPED 7301 Foundations in Special Education
This course surveys the foundations of educational programs for students with disabilities, emphasizing the historical, philosophical, and legal aspects of special education. Course work includes surveys of the characteristics and needs of students with various disabilities.
TCED 5321 Teaching Diverse Learners
Teacher candidates use basic concepts of learner development and cultural diversity to design lessons and to select and use teaching materials and techniques to meet the needs of students at different developmental stages and of different cultures.
TCED 5330 Classroom Management
Emphasizes creation of and fostering of classroom management techniques and strategies for the design of environments that are conducive to a safe place for teaching and learning. Includes connecting the school-home-community connections. Incorporates technology for learning and teaching. Candidates will have taken or passed Praxis Core prior to course.
TCED 5383 Instructional Skills
Students develop pedagogical techniques, activities, and assessments that encourage and promote learning. This course also includes the study, analysis, and development of teaching, human relations and management models, skills, and techniques, which are tested in the practicum.
TCED 7103 Supervised Clinical Teaching
Co-requisite: TCED 7202. Application of teaching skills and methods in area schools with special attention to adapting state curricula, teaching plans, and methods to multicultural and inclusive classes. Requires at least 30 clock hours in schools.
TCED 7202 Specialized Instructional Methods
Co-requisite: TCED 7103. Objectives, philosophy of the subject field as applied to secondary education; consideration of issues, research in the content areas; application of adaptive and unique instructional strategies, methods to specific areas.
SCED 7601 Internship
Students spend a full semester in a secondary school, under supervision of a secondary cooperating teacher or mentor and a University supervisor, observing, teaching, participating in activities involving the school, community.
MEET OUR FACULTY
Andrew Hunt, Ph.D.
Graduate Advisor, Associate Professor
Contact Information
- Office: DKSN 306
- Phone: 501.569.8689
- Email: alhunt@ualr.edu
FINANCING YOUR EDUCATION
With such a high demand for state teaching jobs—most with salaries starting at $39,000—there has never been a better time to become a teacher. For less than $6,800*, you can earn a graduate certificate from an accredited university with over 90 years of experience educating teachers.
Financial Aid
Financial aid helps fill the gap between the cost of attending UALR and the amount that a student is able to contribute. To be considered for financial aid, students must meet the following eligibility requirements:
- Be enrolled in a degree or aid-eligible certificate program**
- Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident
- Make satisfactory academic progress toward completion of the academic program
- Registered for Selective Service (if applicable)
- May not be in default on a loan previously received for college expenses nor owe a refund on a scholarship, grant, or loan from a previous enrollment period.
Whenever possible, aid will be offered to meet the full amount of the student’s eligibility.
** While students pursuing a degree are eligible for Title IV federal financial aid, certificate programs must be carefully reviewed and individually approved by the U.S. Department of Education.
HAVE QUESTIONS? ASK AN ADVISOR.
We’re always happy to answer any questions you might have about our available programs. Use the form below to submit your inquiries to the College of Education and Health Professions Advising & Support Center advisors.