EDUCATION certificate
Turn your passion for teaching into a career. This 15 month program is a first step to teacher licensure, even if you don’t have teaching experience. The program combines academic theory and coursework with a clinical component made up of student teaching and field experiences. Credits from this certificate can apply toward a Master of Arts in Elementary Education.
Ignite Your Passion
Start when you're ready
Courses
Education should hold practical value. That’s why our courses meet rigorous academic standards and provide you with skills and knowledge immediately applicable to your career.
Look for this icon to see which skills you’ll learn in a course.
You’ll need 27 credits to complete the Graduate Initial Teacher Certificate/Elementary Education.
Attend class whenever it fits your life, day or night because our online classroom is available 24/7/365. Your academic counselor will help schedule your courses for a Graduate Initial Teacher Certificate/Elementary Education.
Plus, you’ll find support from our dedicated education program specialists who work with you 1:1 during your 100 required hours of clinical experience (or more if required by your state) and a minimum of 12 weeks of clinical practice (or more if required by your state). Our education program specialists also help you navigate your state licensure requirements for teacher certification, and can help with questions along the way.
College of Education students will find many helpful resources on COE Central. Program handbooks provide a wealth of information on topics such as professional expectations, clinical experiences, clinical practice, internships, edTPA and much more. Milestone roadmaps, technology and multimedia resources, and various toolkits are also available.
The Graduate Initial Teacher Certificate - Elementary Education prepares candidates for initial teacher licensure as an elementary school teacher. Program requirements may change based upon state agency licensure requirements and they can be found on our teacher licensure page. Please check this list regularly prior to contacting your state agency for state-specific requirements.
The Graduate Initial Teacher Certificate-Elementary Education Certificate is a graduate level certificate program intended to prepare students with no prior teaching experience for initial teacher licensure. The certificate program is designed for students who want to become elementary education teachers. Candidates for this certificate program have already earned a bachelor's degree. The certificate program includes a clinical component requiring field experiences and student teaching above and beyond program coursework.
Learning shouldn’t take years to put into practice. That’s why we’re empowering you to build career-relevant skills with every five- to six-week course.
We’ve worked with the labor market researcher Lightcast to identify in-demand skills for occupations and mapped those to our related associate, bachelor’s and master’s degree programs.
Tuition
Tuition is based on number of credit hours per course. Courses are typically 3 credits, but can range from 1-6 credits. Costs do not include savings opportunities like transfer credits and scholarships.
What affects the overall cost of my program?
Your full program cost can vary by:
With our Tuition Guarantee, you pay one flat, affordable rate from the moment you enroll to the day you graduate from your program.
Earn your master’s degree faster and for less with eligible savings opportunities:
Careers & Outcomes
Discover where your degree might take you and make informed choices about your future.
A Graduate Initial Teacher Certificate-Elementary Education Certificate prepares you for:
Top skills learned in this program:
Classroom Management
Lesson Planning
Learning Strategies
Growth Mindset
Teaching
Professionalism
Innovation
Start your application for free or request additional information.
When you earn your online Graduate Initial Teacher Certificate/Elementary Education you’ll be equipped with a concrete set of skills you can apply on the job. You’ll learn how to:
1% Growth
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there is little to no job growth projected for elementary teachers between 2022 and 2032.
The BLS Projected Growth for 2022-2032 is published by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. This data reflects the BLS’ projections of national (not local) conditions. These data points are not specific to University of Phoenix students or graduates.
Admissions
Starting your degree is a big decision — and we want you to feel great about it. That’s why we remove obstacles from your application.
How to enroll at University of Phoenix
You have a support team of real people you can lean on. And our academic counselors, who are with you every step of the way, have earned a 5-star rating from 90% of our surveyed students.[1] Start a conversation with an enrollment representative today.
[1] Transactional Survey, August 2021-22 (18,645 respondents)
Call or chat with us 7 days a week.
Gabriel G., Enrollment Rep
You have a support team of real people you can lean on. And our academic counselors, who are with you every step of the way, have earned a 5-star rating from 85% of our surveyed students.[1]
[1] Transactional Survey, September 2022-August 2023 (23,739 respondents)
Start a conversation with an enrollment representative today.
Call us at 844-937-8679 or chat with us 7 days a week.
Student Experience
Work toward your degree without giving up what matters most. Start your degree year-round and take one class at a time.
Enroll in online classes and attend class whenever it fits your life, day or night.
You have a support team available up to 14 hours a day, 5 days a week.
Many course assignments will require you to use a computer to complete and submit your assignment.
Faculty Spotlight
Your success is a top priority for our deans and faculty members. They bring an average of 29+ years of experience and hands-on perspective to the classroom, and help bridge the gap between academics and industry knowledge.
Accreditation
Since 1978, University of Phoenix has maintained institutional accreditation by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), hlcommission.org. Learn more about the value of University of Phoenix accreditation and how it benefits our students.
March 11, 2023 • 6 minutes
The following program educationally prepares students to apply for initial teacher certification in select states::
Graduate Certificate/Elementary Education (CERT/G-ELM)
Educator/Principal licensure requirements vary by state. Candidates located in a state that does not provide a direct path to licensure will be required to obtain Arizona certification first, prior to seeking licensure in their home state as an out-of-state prepared teacher/principal candidate. Arizona certification requires candidates to pass all Arizona-specific licensure requirements, including any Arizona-specific exams (or home state equivalents if recognized by Arizona Department of Education.) After obtaining an Arizona teacher/principal certificate, candidates can then apply for licensure in their home state and may be required to complete additional testing and/or requirements at additional cost. Program requirements may change based upon your home state’s agency licensure requirements. Please visit the teacher licensure page or the principal licensure page for state specific requirements prior to reaching out to your state agency.
While widely available, not all programs are available to residents of all states. Please check with a University Enrollment Representative.