Certification Programs

Cooperative Education

Patience Lehrman, Ed.D.
Vice Dean of Workforce and Community Development
Temple University College of Education and Human Development
Office of Community Affairs and Strategic Partnerships
Patience@temple.edu

School personnel interested in teaching and supervising students in work-based settings in Pennsylvania must be certified in Cooperative Education. This certification covers a variety of work-based settings for secondary students, including capstone programs, diversified occupations programs, shadowing experiences, work experience programs, internships, and job shadowing. The skill and knowledge included in this certification program also has application to post-secondary and adult settings.

Persons wishing to become teachers of cooperative education must apply to the program and provide information about their education and experiential backgrounds. Based on the information provided, a program of studies, which includes an internship, is prepared. Persons who enter this program holding a valid teaching certificate will work toward earning an "add-on" certificate in Cooperative Education, while others will work toward a "stand-alone" certificate. Persons wishing to enroll in this program should contact an advisor.

Career & Technical Certification Program

This curriculum, which is offered in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Department of Education, is designed to prepare in-service teachers of career and technical education (industrial) subjects at the secondary, post-secondary, and 2-year college levels in public and private schools. Career and Technical Teacher Education courses may be taken on three levels: certification, undergraduate, and graduate. Persons who meet Pennsylvania Statutory requirements and who have at least four years (or 8,000 hours) of work experience beyond the learning period in a trade, technical, or other selected occupation may prepare for certification to teach occupational subjects or related classes in secondary level schools in Pennsylvania.

Certification students must apply and be admitted to the Career and Technical Education Certification Program. All certification students must meet the requirements for admission to the university. In addition, candidates must satisfy the departmental requirements for work experience and must have passed the required Occupational Competency Assessment, OCA. Upon passing the OCA, students are eligible to apply for Intern Level Certification. This program prepares students for Career and Technical Instructional I certification in Pennsylvania and, in general, is acceptable in other states. Work taken toward the certification objective may be applied to the undergraduate degree program. The courses are offered on a part-time basis for those who are employed as secondary level teachers in Pennsylvania. Completing 18 semester hours of approved coursework and passing the PRAXIS Core Academic Skills for Reading and Writing Test will permit the issuance of a Career and Technical Instructional I Certificate, which is valid for eight years.

Upon receipt of the Career and Technical Instructional I Certificate, the student must complete an additional 42 credit hours of college work, earning a minimum of 6 semester hours of credit per year until the requirements for the permanent Career and Technical Instructional II Certificate (60 credit hours and three years of successful teaching) and passing the PRAXIS Core Academic Skills for Mathematics Test are satisfied.

Persons wishing to enroll in this program should contact an advisor at cteadv@temple.edu.