US and AZ Constitution Requirements

Per the Arizona Department of Education requirement, teachers must fulfill the U.S. and Arizona Constitution requirements within three years* of being issued their first Teaching Certificate (including Alternative Cert).

*Note: Teachers with History-related contents have just one year after their initial certificate to fulfill these requirements.

It is possible you satisfied one or both of these requirements during your undergraduate career – if you feel you have, please contact GradEdPrep@asu.edu and we can evaluate the course if you provide us with your transcripts and course syllabi. You MUST alert us to check your file and let us know when and where the requirement(s) were completed. Otherwise, you will NOT receive credit for completing this requirement on your Institutional Recommendation (IR), which is used when applying for certification within a year of completing your program.

If you haven’t previously satisfied the requirement(s), you may choose to either take the class(es) at various institutions OR the exam(s) through AEPA.  Most students find that taking the class(es), rather than the exam(s), is the most cost-effective and simplest option.  This is something you can complete concurrently with your program, or during your first three* years of teaching. Here are a few options for completing the requirement(s):

    Arizona State University

• • • GCU 113 United States and Arizona Social Studies

      • Reminder: Graduate students are subject to credit load limits

      • If you experience an enrollment restriction after attempting to enroll, please complete a course request form.

    Northland Pioneer College (www.npc.edu) 

• • • POS 221 Arizona Constitution plus

    • POS 222 U.S. Constitution

    Maricopa Community College (www.maricopa.edu)

• • • POS 221 Arizona Constitution plus

    • POS 222 U.S. Constitution or

    • POS 220 U.S. and AZ Constitution

    AEPA Exams (http://www.aepa.nesinc.com)

• • • Constitutions of the United States and Arizona (AZ033)

PLEASE NOTE: If you are taking a course through another institution (ie.a community college), please check with the institution to confirm their course meets the ADE requirement for the Arizona and/or U.S. Constitution requirement(s).

It is highly recommended to complete the requirements before completing your ASU program to avoid a "Deficiency" on your teaching certificate from ADE.  This is important if you want to teach in a state other than Arizona because some states may not consider your certificate if there is a deficiency on it.  

Alternative Pathway students with an Arizona Alternative Certificate: Check your ADE Alternative certificate on the far right side to see if you have "AZ Con" or "US Con" listed under the Deficiencies column.  If so, you will need to take the course/test in the area listed as a Deficiency within your one- to three-year time limit.  You may have taken a course during undergrad that ADE counted for US Constitution (if this is the case, "US Con" will NOT be listed as a Deficiency).