Masters Certification Program (MCERT)
for Elementary & Secondary Education

 

Elementary Education Program Application Information:

 

For complete information on the MCERT admission process, please download a copy of the MCERT Admission Handbook.

 

Admission Deadlines:

 

Priority deadline is December 1st and candidates will be interviewed in mid-to-late January. Final deadline is March 1st and candidates will be interviewed in early April. Supporting documents should be submitted no later than March 1st in order to be considered for the 2009-2010 program.

 

Program Prerequisites:


Transcript review- It is strongly recommended that all applicants have their transcripts reviewed. 

Please contact the EDCI Advising Office at (edci-adv@umd.edu).


Students applying to the Master's Certification Program in elementary education will need to have met three math requirements. These requirements are to be fulfilled prior to enrollment in the mathematics methods course offered in the fall semester.


If a student has credit for a college level calculus course (with a C or better grade), or who score a l77 on the math portion of the Praxis I exam, then he/she will be waived from Math 212.


If a student has credit for a college level geometry course (with a C or better grade hen he/she will be waived from Math 213. 

Please Note: Analytic Geometry or Calculus with Analytic Geometry courses do not meet this requirement.


If a student has a college level statistics course (with a C - or better grade), then he/she will be waived from Math 214.
Students are encouraged to take courses equivalent to MATH 212, 213 and 214 at other institutions prior to the beginning of their program.   These courses are generally those whose description indicates that they are for elementary education majors.   Official transcripts will need to be forwarded to UMCP.   A C or better must be earned in the coursework.


Check out www.tce.umd.edu to see what would transfer into UMCP as these classes. You can also look into distance learning options: www.onlinemathcourses.org.

 

Application Procedures:


The University of Maryland strongly encourages all eligible applicants to apply on-line at http://www.gradschool.umd.edu/gss/admission.htm. However, if for some reason you cannot complete the Online Application, you may also download an Adobe PDF document version of the application booklet.


The College of Education requires applicants to submit an additional application called the Application Supplemental Form (ASF). Applicants will be contacted via email after submitting the University's Online Application. A system-assigned login and password will be provided at that time. In most cases, students will be contacted within 2-4 business days of submitting their Online Application.

 

Application Requirements:


1. GPA:

While a diverse range of applicants is accepted annually into the program,  the UMD graduate school requires that candidates have a minimum of a 3.0 undergraduate GPA.  Applicants who do not meet this requirement are still encouraged to apply as individuals are evaluated based on a combination of grades, professional experiences, and outlook about teaching.

 

2. Test Scores:

Applicants must submit passing Praxis I and the Praxis II (content knowledge) PRIOR to beginning the program:

 

Praxis I
Applicants must have passed 2 out of 3 of the Praxis I sections before their file will be reviewed for admission.  An applicant must pass all three sections (Reading 177, Writing 173, Math 177) to be offered admission to MCERT.  We will not have conditional or provisional admissions based on Praxis I.

 

Praxis II
Praxis II content area must be passed prior to the beginning of the program in June.  Any student who has not passed Praxis II prior to the start of the program must ask for an exception to policy.

 

**Please note, the GRE is NOT required for admission to the Masters Certification Programl; instead, the Praxis I is required. It is required that applicants pass these tests Prior to application. To meet the Praxis requirement prior to the start of the program go to www.ets.org/praxis.

 

3. Letters of Recommendation:

Applicants need to submit 3 letters of recommendation which can be submitted by professors or others who can assess the quality of the applicant's prior academic performance and/or their experience working with children.  The Application Supplemental Form (ASF), contains an Online Letters of Recommendation feature, through which applicants can request electronic letters from their recommenders. If applicants prefer not to use Online Letters, they can download University of Maryland Recommendation Letter Forms here.  Be certain that the applicant's full name is included on each recommendation.

 

**Please note, the on-line recommendation is strongly encouraged and the use of the downloaded recommendation form will delay the application.

 

4. Personal Statement:

Please submit an essay describing your interest in becoming a public school teacher and your academic, professional, and extracurricular experiences that led you to your decision to apply. This statement of goals, experiences and education interests can be submitted using the Application Supplemental Form (ASF).

 

5. Transcripts:

You must submit an official transcript for each and every institution you attended at which you earned 9 or more credits unless the coursework is applicable to your content area. If transfer credits are listed on another institution’s transcript, you must submit an individual official transcript from the institution at which the transfer credits were earned. You need not submit a transcript for credits earned at the College Park campus of the University of Maryland as this will be provided for you through the Graduate School system. Official transcripts should be sent to:

 

University of Maryland College Park
Enrollment Services Operations
Application for Graduate Admission
Rm 0130 Mitchell Building
College Park, MD 20742

 

6. Interview:

All candidates, in order to be considered, must interview by phone or in person.  The interview will be scheduled in the weeks following the two application deadlines.

 

Important Tips to Support Your Application Process: