Pre-Secondary Education

To teach middle/high school, students must get licensed to teach at least one specific subject area (below). Though not required, because of the amount of coursework, students typically major in the subject they want to teach. 

Students will then earn a 12-month master's degree in GTEP for their  teaching license. Students should plan to attend a GTEP Info Session to learn about admissions, program structure, and teacher licensing.  Any questions related to teaching should go to askcoe@pdx.edu. 

GTEP applicants must have subject area coursework done prior to applying to the GTEP program.  A recommendation form signed by a COE-selected faculty member will be required at the time of GTEP admissions; faculty will provide the form. Students should typically not contact these faculty members for advising. 

GTEP Secondary Master's Program

Secondary track of the Graduate Teacher Education Program-Earn a Master's in Education

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

• 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 content area courses (see above)

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

  • All applicants should have 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

• 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.