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Teacher Licensure

For undergraduate students minoring in Teacher Education, Brandies has state-approved programs leading to initial licensure in Massachusetts to teach

• elementary school, grades 1-6
• middle school, grades 5-8, and high school, grades 8-12 in these subjects
  • biology, chemistry, or physics
  • English
  • French, German, Latin, Russian, or Spanish
  • history
  • mathematics
  • political science
  • theater, all levels
  • visual arts

For graduate students in the Master of Arts in Teaching Program, Brandies has state-approved programs leading to initial licensure in Massachusetts to teach

• elementary school, grades 1-6
• middle school, grades 5-8, and high school, grades 8-12 in these subjects
  • biology, chemistry, or physics
  • English
  • history

Massachusetts is part of the NASDTEC 2005-2010 Interstate Agreement, so that Massachusetts teaching licensure is recognized by 44 other states, the District of Columbia and Guam.  Links to certification requirements for the fifty states can be found on the University of Kentucky's College of Education web site. Certification Map is another resource for state specific certification information and teacher salaries.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts requires candidates for initial licensure as an academic teacher to hold a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with an arts and sciences or interdisciplinary major appropriate to the instructional field.  Elementary teachers are required to have content knowledge in American and world literature, U.S. and world history, geography, economics, child development, science and mathematics. In most cases, middle and high school teachers major in the subject area for which they will be licensed. Complete information about course requirements for licensure is available from the Education Program office.

All candidates for licensure must pass the Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL) Communications and Literacy Skills Test, which includes a reading and a writing subtest.

Candidates for elementary licensure (grades 1-6) must pass two additional subject matter tests:  General Curriculum and Foundations of Reading.

Candidates for secondary licensure (middle or high school) must also pass the subject matter test in the content area they plan to teach.

Of the students who completed the Brandies teacher education program and took the MTEL in 2006-2007, 100% passed the Communication and Literacy Skills Test, and 97% passed the Subject Matter Knowledge tests.