Secondary Education Program Overview :

MCERT(Master's Certification Program) for Secondary Education (grades 7 through 12) is a teacher education program for individuals who have completed a baccalaureate degree in various academic fields, and which leads to certification in the following: Art, English, Foreign Language (Chinese, French, German, Italian, Latin, Russian and Spanish), Mathematics, Science (Agricultural Education, Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, Physics), Social Studies, Physical Education, Middle School Math, Middle School Science and TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). The MCERT program is a 13-month, full time program that leads to a Master’s of Education (M.Ed) degree as well as eligibility for Maryland State certification to teach in secondary schools.  Click here for Middle School Math Science Program

 

MCERT students start the program in early June and finish in the following July. Students participate in a year long internship in a Professional Development School (PDS) located in Montgomery County, Prince Georges, Howard County or Anne Arundel County. In the fall and spring semesters, students take courses two nights a week and a year long research seminar on Saturdays (scheduled ten times throughout the year), and are immersed in their internships five days a week. During the winter interim, a workshop series on the hiring process will be offered in the evenings. The final capstone course (Teaching as a Profession) will be scheduled two evenings a week from mid May to early July. Courses will be held at Universities at Shady Groves, Laruel College Center, or at one of our school partner sites (MC, PGC, or HC). All graduate interns are assigned a school-based mentor and receive regular support from their university-based supervisor.

 

Course Schedule

Summer (June-August)
Content Area Methods I (3 credits)
Adolescent Learning and Development (3 credits)
Content Area Reading I (3 credits)
Embracing Diversity in Classroom Communities (3 credits)

 

Fall (September-December)
Content Area Methods II (3 credits)
Studying Student in Diverse Contexts OR Content Area Reading II (3 credits)

Conducting Research on Teaching (1 credit)

Teaching Internship (5 credits)

 

Spring (January-May)
Content Area Methods III (3 credits)
Content Area Reading II OR Studying Student in Diverse Contexts(3 credits)
Conducting Research on Teaching (2 credits)

Teaching Internship (4 credits)

 

Summer (May/June)
Teaching as a Profession (3 credits)
Teaching Internship (3 credits)

 

Field Placements/ Internships
All graduate interns are assigned independent and/or apprentice teaching duties that are nested within a full-day, full-year internship. Secondary school internship sites are in Montgomery (MCPS), Prince George’s (PGCPS) Anne Arundel (AAPS) or Howard County (HCPS). 

 

Exit Requirements

• Portfolio
• Seminar paper
• Praxis I and II (based on content area)
• Performance Based Assessment (PBA)