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secondary education certificate

Graduate Initial Teacher Certificate/Secondary Education

Graduate Initial Teacher Certificate/
Secondary Education

Start your online secondary teacher certificate

Bring your knowledge to the next generation. This 13 month program is a pathway to secondary teacher licensure, even if you don’t have teaching experience. It 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 Secondary Education.

Ignite Your Passion

Start when you're ready

Courses

Browse courses for your online secondary teacher certificate

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.

Skills-aligned program icon

Look for this icon to see which skills you’ll learn in a course.

Requirements: 24 credits

You’ll need 24 credits to complete the Graduate Initial Teacher Certificate/Secondary Education.

8 Core Courses

Here’s where you’ll pick up the bulk of your program-specific knowledge. By the time you finish these courses, you should have the confidence and skills needed in this field.

1 Clinical Practice/Student Teaching Course

During your clinical practice experience — one of the final steps to complete your degree — you’ll complete a student teaching experience where you will apply your instruction and classroom management skills full time. Working under the supervision of a teacher and a University of Phoenix faculty supervisor, you’ll develop lesson plans, teach, work with diverse student populations and incorporate technology into the classroom.

Schedule

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/Secondary 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.

COE Central

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.

Licensure Requirements

The Graduate Initial Teacher Certificate – Secondary Education prepares candidates for initial teacher licensure as a secondary 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.

Program Purpose Statement

The Graduate Initial Teacher Certificate-Secondary 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 secondary 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.

Skills-aligned program icon

Earn career-relevant skills in weeks – not years.

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 labor market researchers like Lightcast to find in-demand skills for careers and mapped those to our related associate, bachelor’s and master’s degree programs.

Tuition

Fixed, affordable tuition

Lock in the peace of mind that comes with fixed, affordable tuition. You’ll enjoy one flat rate from the moment you enroll until the day you graduate from your program. That’s your Tuition Guarantee.

Tuition Guarantee

Affordable, Fixed Tuition

$540

Cost per credit

COA Components Grad Cert Education⁴ Licensure/Certification
Tuition and Fees¹
Tuition and Fees¹
Tuition and Fees¹
$12,960
Books, course materials, supplies and equipment
Books, course materials, supplies and equipment
Books, course materials, supplies and equipment
$1,632
Transportation
Transportation
Transportation
$1,632
Miscellaneous personal expenses
Miscellaneous personal expenses
Miscellaneous personal expenses
$660
Living Expenses²
Living Expenses²
Living Expenses²
     Food
     Food
     Food
$3,180
     Housing³
     Housing³
     Housing³
$6,144
Federal student loan fees
Federal student loan fees
Federal student loan fees
$96
Professional Licensure/certification⁵
Professional Licensure/certification⁵
Professional Licensure/certification⁵
$510
Dependent care expenses
Dependent care expenses
Dependent care expenses
$0
Disability related expenses
Disability related expenses
Disability related expenses
$0
Total COA
Total COA
Total COA
$26,814

1The tuition component is based on a per credit weighted average for the credential level across the entire University.

2The University allows the same living expense amounts for students in all living arrangements and dependency statuses.

3The living expense component for students receiving Military Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) only includes an allowance for food.

4The figures provided are illustrative and based on 24 graduate credits; the actual COA will be based on the specific length of the program in which the student is enrolled.

5The licensure/certification component included in the final academic year of the program is an average of fees charged by all states the program is offered in by credential level and college.

Financial aid

You have options when it comes to paying for college tuition and expenses, such as federal grants and loans. Our finance advisors can answer your questions about financial aid and can help guide you through the process.

Federal Student Loan Basics

Careers & Outcomes

What can you do with a Graduate Initial Teacher Certificate-Secondary Education Certificate?

Discover where your degree might take you and make informed choices about your future.

A Graduate Initial Teacher Certificate-Secondary Education Certificate prepares you for:

  • High School Teacher
  • High School English Teacher
  • High School Mathematics Teacher
  • Science Teacher
  • High School Social Studies Teacher

Top skills learned in this program:

  • Classroom Management

  • Instructional Strategies

  • Lesson Planning

  • Differentiated Instruction

  • Teaching

  • Professionalism

  • Innovation

Ready to get started?

Start your application for free or request additional information.

What you’ll learn

When you earn your online Graduate Initial Teacher Certificate/Secondary Education you’ll be equipped with a concrete set of skills you can apply on the job. You’ll learn how to:

  • Design and implement effective instruction and behavioral plans in the secondary classroom to positively impact student learning.
  • Demonstrate professional dispositions and ethical conduct in secondary education.
  • Create innovative strategies and incorporate technology in a secondary classroom setting.

5% Growth

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, job growth for high school teachers is projected to be as fast as average between 2021 and 2031.

The BLS Projected Growth for 2021-2031 is published by the U.S. 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

Apply for free – no application fee, no obligation.

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.

  • No cost to request transcripts 
  • No SAT/ACT required 
  • No essay required 
  • No cost, risk-free trial for eligible students

Receive highly rated 1-on-1 support

You’ll have a support team of real people you can lean on to encourage your success as a student. Start a conversation about your future with one of our enrollment representatives today.

Gabriel G., Enrollment Representative

Call or chat with us 7 days a week.

G. Galindo - Enrollment Representative

Gabriel G., Enrollment Rep

Receive highly rated 1-on-1 support

You’ll have a support team of real people you can lean on to encourage your success as a student. Start a conversation about your future with one of our enrollment representatives today.

Call us at 844-937-8679 or chat with us 7 days a week.

Student Experience

An education that fits your busy life

Balancing family, work and school

Work toward your degree without giving up what matters most. Start your degree year-round and take one class at a time.

Online learning

Enroll in online classes and attend class whenever it fits your life, day or night.

Around-the-clock support and resources

You have a support team available up to 20 hours a day, 5 days a week. 

Phoenix provides support and resources for busy students

Faculty Spotlight

Professionals dedicated to you

Your success is a top priority for our deans and faculty members. They bring an average of 26 years of experience and hands-on perspective to the classroom, and help bridge the gap between academics and industry knowledge.

Doris Savron

As a faculty member, I'm on your team. I'm your coach and your cheerleader.

Doris Savron
Vice Provost of Colleges, University of Phoenix

Accreditation

Count on the quality of your education

University of Phoenix has been continually accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), hlcommission.org, since 1978.

The following program educationally prepares students to apply for initial teacher certification in select states:

        Graduate Certificate/Secondary Education (CERT/G-SEC)

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.