Secondary Education Plus Certification (M.A.)

Admissions Information  

This program enables individuals with a baccalaureate degree in a content area equivalent to an approved University of South Dakota teaching major to become certified at the secondary-school level in South Dakota and earn a Master of Arts degree. Students with degrees in art, music and physical education will also have to satisfy the necessary requirements for K-12 certification. This program is unique in that students are required to complete specific undergraduate course work that is required for certification and one semester of student teaching in addition to graduate course requirements. Specific requirements are determined through a careful transcript review process.

Praxis Information for Initial Teacher Certification

A series of Praxis tests are required for successful completion of the program and to earn initial teaching certification. Students pursuing initial teacher certification will need to pass the Praxis II subject-specific Content Knowledge test in their teaching major, and the Praxis II, Principles of Learning (PLT) for successful completion of program and teacher licensure. Students in the Master’s Plus Certification program must also pass the Praxis I, Pre-Professional Skills Test or the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators Tests for admission to the Teacher Education Program.