Elementary Education Alternative Licensure - Graduate Certificate
The NMSU Elementary Alternative Licensure Certificate aims to recruit highly qualified individuals who have earned at least a bachelor's degree in a related field and are eligible for a temporary two-year alternative license in the State of New Mexico. We seek individuals who will have positive impact on the social, cultural, emotional, and intellectual growth of youth with whom they will work throughout their career.
Eligible Participants must:
- Meet minimum state requirements of at least a bachelor's degree and course requirements of 30 undergraduate credit hours (6.60.3.7 NMAC) in the teaching field with a minimum 2.75 cumulative undergraduate GPA
- Be hired and submit a copy of a current teaching contract from a school district in New Mexico that indicates the candidate is the teacher of record in grades K to 8th
- Be admitted to the NMSU Graduate School
- Be admitted to the School of Teacher Preparation, Administration and Leadership
| Prefix | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| EDUC 5120 | Multicultural Education | 3 |
| EDUC 5310 | Methods of Teaching Elementary School Science | 3 |
| EDUC 5320 | Methods of Teaching Elementary School Mathematics | 3 |
| EDUC 5330 | Methods of Teaching Elementary School Social Studies | 3 |
| READ 5310 | Elementary School Literacy I | 3 |
| READ 5320 | Elementary School Literacy II | 3 |
| SPED 5105 | Introduction to Special Education in a Diverse Society | 3 |
| Total Credits | 21 | |
All licensure courses are eligible for transfer into a regular TPAL master's program.
Other Program Requirements to be completed by the end of the two-year program:
- Complete and maintain a 3.0 minimum GPA in all courses throughout the program
- Participate in two full semesters of observation (8 total observations) by a University Supervisor with a fee for each semester
- Teach with a provisional/intern license throughout the program and provide annual verification of continued elementary education employment at a New Mexico school district.
- Upon completion of the program students can apply for Level I Teaching License with NM PED by submitting their Elementary Alternative Licensure Certificate and passing the following Praxis exams: Principles of Learning and Teaching: K to 8th, and Elementary Education: Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment 5017, and Teaching Reading: Elementary 5205.