The MA in Education with a California Preliminary Teaching Credential puts theory into practice through an internship that provides mentor-guided clinical experience and prepares teachers who make a difference in the world.

Work in schools should be informed by academic research and, likewise, discussions at the university need to be enriched by real-life classroom experience. We believe the best way to prepare great teachers is through real-world experience. Our program’s internship component provides a mentor-guided teaching experience in a K–12 setting, where every assignment and class is designed to develop the skills, strategies, and attitudes you’ll need to interrupt cycles of academic failure. You will grapple with the academic and the theoretical as well as the practical and the clinical. You’ll be mentored by seasoned K–12 veterans, many of whom have taken time out of the K–12 arena to pursue doctoral work in our School of Educational Studies or to participate in research projects.

Our candidates simultaneously earn their Master of Arts degree and one of the following credentials:

  • Preliminary Multiple-Subject Credential: For those who want to teach in elementary schools.
  • Preliminary Single-Subject Credential: For those who want to work in middle and high schools teaching a specific subject.
Program Highlights
  • Complete your credential and MA in Education in either 12, 18, or 24 months.
  • Enjoy the choice between a fully online or 80/20 hybrid program.
  • Choose one of 3 completion pathways depending on your career goals.
  • Benefit from accessible and affordable program pricing to address the urgent need for teachers in California.
  • CGU’S Teacher Education Program has built strong relationships with more than 150 school districts that recognize CGU’s reputation for producing high-quality teachers; the result is ample internship opportunities for our student-teachers.
  • Within five years of earning a Preliminary Credential in California, a teacher must earn a Clear Credential from an approved Induction Program. CGU has both a Preliminary Credential Program and an Induction Program.

Program at a Glance

UNITS
36 units

ESTIMATED COMPLETION TIME*
12–24 months

*Actual completion times will vary and may be higher, depending on full- or part-time course registration, units transferred, and time to complete other degree requirements.

COURSES BEGIN
Fall | Spring | Summer

DEPARTMENT
Teacher Education

DEGREE AND CREDENTIAL AWARDED
MA in Education; California Preliminary Teaching Credential (Single or Multiple Subject)

Featured Courses

EDUC 301
TLP 1: Teaching/Learning Process for Social Justice & Equity

Develops a foundation of shared understanding and language regarding prevalent harmful practices and hidden curriculum in schools, and supports candidates in adopting humanizing and empowering habits of mind and practice to disrupt them.

EDUC 303
TLP 2: Cultivating Differentiated Classroom Ecologies

Complements candidates’ first months in their classroom placement by introducing robust research and scholarship to support them in differentiating not only their instructional practices for students, but also their care, relationship building, and communication with students and households.

EDUC 305
TLP 3: Instructional Intensity & Support for All Learners

Deepens candidates’ understanding of students’ & households’ funds of knowledge and their school/community culture, so they can design challenging curricula predicated not only on strong content and pedagogical knowledge but also on the cultural and linguistic assets of their students.

EDUC 307
TLP 4: Ethnographic Narrative Capstone

Guides candidates through critical, compassionate, rigorous, and purpose-driven sensemaking of the ethnographic data and artifacts they have collected throughout the course of their first year teaching; results in an ethnographic narrative project that reflects’ candidates’ growth and propels their ongoing development as critical social justice educators.

Literacy & Methods Series (I-III)

Provides candidates with the subject-specific pedagogical content knowledge needed to design and deliver inclusive, rigorous, and language-rich learning experiences that promote academic success and serve to empower students who have historically been marginalized and under-considered in the curriculum.

Clinical Experience (Residency/Internship)

Allows teacher candidates to work alongside a CGU Mentor Teacher (Residency) or as the teacher of record (Internship) in a discipline-specific, year-long clinical setting to develop the knowledge, skills, and practices of critical social justice educators.

Pathways to Certification

To accommodate a variety of backgrounds and learning styles, our program can be completed exclusively online, or it can be combined with select face-to-face courses and/or weekend seminars to make it a high-touch hybrid experience. We provide three pathways to certification:

Program Length: 12-18 Months
Residency Pathway
  • Provides you personalized training to build strong foundational skills.
  • Observe and teach under a mentor teacher, gradually taking on more ownership throughout the school year.
  • Unpaid
Program Length: 18-24 months
Internship Pathway
  • Provides personalized training and an accelerated pathway into the classroom.
  • Complete a year-long internship as the teacher of record in your classroom.
  • Work in a local school district, directly impacting students and communities.
  • Receive a salary during your internship year (average:$45K/year).
Program Length: 12-18 months
Claremont Fellows Program
  • Personalized training during a full-time, year-long residency.
  • $18K to $45K living stipend*.
  • 3-year teaching commitment at a high-needs school.
  • Ongoing support available after graduation.

*Separate fellowship application required. See admission rep.

Sample 12-Month Residency Pathway

Semester Courses Units
Summer (August) Teaching/Learning Process I 4 units
Fall Teaching/Learning Process II; Literacy & Methods I- A & B; Clinical: Residency; CalTPA 1; Elective 12 units
Spring Teaching/Learning Process III; Literacy & Methods II; Clinical: Residency; CalTPA 2; Elective 12 units
Summer (July) Teaching/Learning Process IV; Elective 8 units

 

Sample 18-Month Internship Pathway

Semester Courses Units
Spring Teaching/Learning Process I; Clinical: Pre-teaching 6 units
Summer Literacy & Methods 1-A; Elective (4); Elective(2) 9 units
Fall Teaching/Learning Process II; Literacy & Methods I-B; Clinical: Internship; CalTPA 1; TLP IV A 10 units
Spring Teaching/Learning Process III; Literacy & Methods II; Clinical: Internship; CalTPA 2; TLP IV B 11 units

Faculty & Research

  • DeLacy Ganley profile image

    DeLacy Ganley

    Dean, School of Educational Studies
    Professor of Education

    Research Interests

    Culturally relevant education; resiliency and achievement of marginalized populations; intersection of families, community, and school; language acquisition; social capital theory; systems theory

  • Eddie Partida profile image

    Eddie Partida

    Assistant Clinical Professor & Director, Department of Teacher Education

    Research Interests

    Teacher education, STEM education

  • Rebecca Hatkoff profile image

    Rebecca Hatkoff

    Clinical Assistant Professor

    Research Interests

    Critical Social Justice Teaching Competencies; Classroom and School Ecology; Effective and Empowering Pedagogy for all Students, Teacher Candidates, and Teachers; Strength-Based Views of Schools, Teachers, Students, Households, and Communities

  • Samara Suafo’a profile image

    Samara Suafo’a

    Clinical Assistant Professor
    Assistant Director of Department of Teacher Education.

  • Claudia Bermúdez profile image

    Claudia Bermúdez

    Clinical Assistant Professor
    Preliminary Program Coordinator
    Department of Teacher Education

  • Laureen Adams profile image

    Laureen Adams

    Adjunct Faculty, Allies of Dreamers Certificate program

    Research Interests

    Teacher education, urban teacher preparation and resilience, schooling experiences of Black students, teacher and student relationships, teacher care, culturally sustaining pedagogy, critical race theory, liberatory education, healing, qualitative methodologies, Africana studies

Where You Can Find Our Alumni

Request information about the California Preliminary Teaching Credential–Single or Multiple Subject program

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Gabriela Krupa

Associate Director of Admissions
T: 909-607-9101
E: gabriela.krupa@cgu.edu

Carina Navarro

Assistant Director of Admissions
T: 909-607-0201
E: carina.navarro@cgu.edu