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Office of Academic Assistance and Graduate Admissions

How to Become a Teacher

Georgia State University offers a wide range of educator preparation programs for students who wish to become school teachers. Some of these programs are administered within the College of Education, and some are administered within the College of Arts and Sciences. All undergraduate educator preparation programs are overseen by the Professional Education Faculty, which has membership from both colleges and is advised by Atlanta-area schools. 

The undergraduate programs and college of enrollment are listed below:

  • Art: preschool through 12th grade (Arts & Sciences)
  • Birth Through Five: Infants through Kindergarten (Education)
  • Early Childhood Education: preschool through 5th grade (Education)
  • French: preschool through 12th grade (Arts & Sciences)
  • German: preschool through 12th grade (Arts & Sciences)
  • Heath and Physical Education: preschool through 12th grade (Education)
  • Latin (Classical Studies): preschool through 12th grade (Arts & Sciences)
  • Middle Level Education: 4th through 8th grade (Education)
  • Music Education: preschool through 12th grade (Arts & Sciences)
  • Spanish: preschool through 12th grade (Arts & Sciences)
  • Trade and Industrial Education: 7th through 12th grade; nondegree (Education)

Initial certification programs offered at the graduate level in the College of Education:
Behavior/Learning Disabilities, Communication Disorders (Speech-Language Pathology), Early Childhood Education, Educational Leadership, English Education, Mathematics Education, Middle Level Education, Multipe and Severe Disabilities, Reading Specialist, School Counseling, School Psychology, Science Education, Social Studies Education, Special Education, and Teaching English as a Second Language                          

  • Undergraduate Entry to Teacher Education Georgia State University students with a declared major in Art Education, Birth Through Five, Early Childhood Education, Foreign Language Education, Health and Physical Education, Middle Level Education, or Music Education must complete a department application process in order to take most junior and senior level classes (those designated as TEA or TE in the catalog course descriptions).
  • Graduate Entry to Teacher Education  In order to obtain renewable teacher certification in the state of Georgia, one must complete an approved teacher education program. In most cases, this usually means becoming enrolled as a degree-seeking student at an accredited educational institution.
  • Alternative Pathways to Teaching The College of Education offers courses of study that lead to initial certification for graduate students wishing to become teachers in their content areas. The Master of Arts in Teaching programs are both varied and accessible.