Pre-Secondary Education

Secondary education (middle/high school) teachers in Oregon must hold a K-12 teaching license with a subject-specific teaching endorsement. This means that you will want to earn a bachelor's degree in the subject you want to teach, and then earn your teaching license in the Graduate Teacher Education Program (GTEP) for Secondary Ed master's program. Students will earn their teaching license after completing their master's degree in PSU's College of Education (COE).

Recommended Majors: 

Pre-Secondary Ed students are generally advised to major in the subject you wish to teach. This allows for maximum overlap between your graduation requirements and the pre-requisite courses for your subject-specific endorsement. The majors listed below are your best options to choose from, once you know which subject you want to teach.

If you are interested in teaching in secondary education but are not sure what subject you would like to teach, you are strongly encouraged to attend a COE Information Session and/or schedule an appointment with COE admissions advising by emailing askcoe@pdx.edu.

Click here for a complete list of secondary ed subjects, the lists of classes required to teach them, and the Pre-Secondary Ed Faculty Advisors

Click here for a complete list of PSU majors and their respective advising locations.

GTEP Secondary Master's Program

Secondary track of the Graduate Teacher Education Program 

• 1 year full-time or 2 years part-time to complete

• Earn a Master's in Education

• K-12 teaching license with subject-specific endorsement.

  • License authorization is for grades K-12, but subject-specific teaching endorsements are typical of middle school (6-8) and high school (9-12) teaching.

• Program follows a cohort model starting every summer term.

• Admission Requirements (must be completed by the end of spring term prior to program starting summer term):

  • Bachelor's degree awarded

  • GPA of 3.0 or higher (undergraduate cumulative or graduate-level)

  • Grades of B- or better in all pre-requisite courses

    • Click here for a list of all subject-specific endorsements and their respective pre-requisite courses 

  • Passing scores on required National Evaluation Series (NES) test. 

  • All applicants should have ample experience working with children, preferably in public school settings.

  • Letters of recommendation, preferably from professional educators who have direct experience with you in their own classrooms (see previous bullet point)

  • A personal statement reflecting on your prior experiences and future ambitions in the field of education