Academic Programs

In response to the growing number of Georgia schools with Dual Language Immersion (DLI) programs, the College of Education & Human Development’s Department of Early Childhood and Elementary Education at Georgia State University offers a fully online endorsement in Dual Language Immersion. A valuable asset in a world of global connections, bilingualism is an advantage that parents want for their children regardless of their native tongue.

This online endorsement program is designed to prepare teachers like you to meet this need, to be sensitive and responsive to the needs of dual language immersion learners and to be advocates for DLI in a variety of educational settings. Coursework is designed to address effective learning environments for bilingual students and methods and materials for engaging DLI students in challenging educational experiences.

The program develops highly prepared teachers who understand DLI education and are teacher-leaders in establishing learner-centered classrooms consistent with the standards of the Georgia Professional Standards Commission and the Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium. It is open to students who are enrolled in a foreign language certification program at Georgia State University and to current educators who hold a Level 4 or higher induction or professional foreign language education certificate from the state of Georgia. The endorsement qualifies successful candidates to teach in kindergarten through fifth-grade dual immersion classrooms.

Credits earned in this program can be applied to the online Master of Education in Elementary Education with a concentration in Dual Language Education.

The 15-hour online kindergarten through 5th-grade mathematics endorsement program prepares you to hold the Georgia Professional Standards Commission endorsement and may qualify you for salary incentives in your district when available.  The courses will develop your pedagogical content knowledge, mindset and instructional capabilities as an effective and equitable elementary mathematics teacher.

You will take four courses that focus on elementary mathematics content and pedagogy and one course that serves as a field placement where you will apply in your classroom the concepts covered with supportive feedback. All required courses are completed online. The K-5 mathematics endorsement can be completed as a stand-alone program or embedded in a graduate degree such as an M.Ed., Ed.D. or Ph.D.

You must hold a clear, renewable teaching certificate, level 4 or higher in one of the following areas: early childhood education, middle grades – mathematics or special education general curriculum/early childhood education. One year of teaching experience is required.

The Reading Endorsement qualifies an individual to be considered “in field” in reading at the level of the base certificate. Teachers pursuing the reading endorsement may be enrolled as non-degree students or may be enrolled in specific programs.

We offer graduate courses in literacy, which apply to Georgia’s Reading Endorsement for classroom teachers. These courses focus on three areas (a) understanding readers and the reading process, (b) linking assessment and instruction and (c) using instructional strategies in specific content areas.

Successful completion of the three courses and the portfolio qualifies a person for the bachelor’s, master’s or specialist endorsement, depending on the level of certification.

In our Department of Early Childhood and Elementary Education, courses in Reading Recovery and literacy are also offered.

To learn details about this program, visit the Urban Literacy Clinic.

Georgia State’s Urban Education Endorsement is offered at both the undergraduate and graduate level to provide you with specialized preparation for teaching in urban settings regardless of where you are in your teaching career. You will develop a broad understanding of urban schools and communities, emphasizing the social, economic, political and historical factors that shape urban schooling. You’ll learn culturally responsive teaching strategies that intellectually, socially and emotionally empower students. Teachers pursuing this endorsement may be enrolled as non-degree students or in specific programs.

This multidisciplinary online teaching endorsement is offered through the Department of Early Childhood and Elementary Education, the Department of Middle and Secondary Education and the Department of Educational Policy Studies. You will learn to create connections between theory and practice, moving beyond stories of school failure to identify and cultivate educational assets within urban schools and communities to empower learners.

The undergraduate-level endorsement can be added by undergraduates admitted to a teacher education program with a 2.5 undergraduate GPA and a pre-service teacher certificate. View the tab below or the undergraduate catalog for admissions requirements.

The graduate-level endorsement is offered to certified teachers or those admitted to a Georgia State initial teacher preparation program who hold a pre-service certificate. View the tab below or the graduate catalog for admissions requirements.