Advance your existing career in education or enter the education field through a post-baccalaureate certification program at Widener.
Want to advance your existing career in education or consider a career change to education? Are you looking to become a leader within your field?
Widener’s Center for Education offers numerous post-baccalaureate certification and endorsement programs to meet your individual professional development goals. You can pursue your first certification or add on to previous ones, with the option to enroll in a full graduate degree by matriculating certification program credits when possible.
Expand your professional education career prospects through our Pennsylvania Department of Education certification programs. The following affordable programs are priced per credit, significantly under the cost of the master's and doctorate degrees, and most courses will matriculate into the corresponding master's and/or doctoral programs, if pursued.
The Endorsement programs document knowledge in new and emerging areas where formal certifications do not exist. The Endorsement programs are intended to improve your skills in dealing with complex classroom settings. These endorsements would be added to existing Level I or Level II certifications but are not required to perform service in these areas.
Most endorsement courses will matriculate into the corresponding master's and/or doctoral programs.
Widener’s Teacher Intern Program is an alternate route to certification for those seeking a career change.
Become eligible for Level I PA Instructional Certification in the following subject areas:
To receive an intern certificate from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, you will complete certain prescribed courses, receive passing scores on the Praxis tests, and receive a Letter of Intern Candidacy. Additionally, you must secure a teaching position before you can apply for an intern teaching certificate.
Once you have secured a full-time, paid teaching position, you will be supervised by Widener faculty over a minimum one-year period. In addition, you can take required coursework in the evenings at Widener’s Main Campus or online. Upon completion of the coursework and the supervised teaching experience (which takes about two years to complete), you will be eligible for Pennsylvania Instructional I certification in your content area.
View the academic catalog for coursework and requirements for Loading...
View the academic catalog for coursework and requirements for Loading...
Each state/jurisdiction has requirements that candidates must meet in order to obtain licensure and/or certification to teach. It is the student’s responsibility to seek appropriate guidance before beginning any academic program. If you intend to seek certification outside of Pennsylvania, the University recommends that you contact the appropriate state licensing agency to obtain specific licensure/certification requirements per state and the most up-to-date information.
To view Widener’s licensure eligibility by state/jurisdiction, please visit the Center for Education: Program Licensure page.
Complete the application form.
Official transcripts from all previous undergraduate and graduate coursework are needed for admission into certificate programs.
We have rolling admissions, so you may enter the program in any semester.
Two letters of recommendations are needed for admission into certificate programs.
Some programs may require an admissions interview with a faculty advisor.
Gain the skills and preparation to become a teacher or advance your teaching career, while becoming a leader within the field of education.
Take courses as part of a professional learning community, where your knowledge and work experience are integrated with others. You'll take the fast-track to developing leadership, consultative, and collaborative skills.
At Widener, you will build on your professional reputation and gain the skills to become a teacher or expand your teaching capabilities through integrated experiential and field-based learning opportunities.
Choosing to enroll in one of Widener’s post-baccalaureate education certificate programs is an investment in you—your education, your career, and your future. You'll benefit from mentoring relationships with your professors and advisors. Collaborating together, you'll develop individualized academic plans tailored to you.
Education majors have the opportunity to join various clubs and organizations across and outside of campus to expand their network, including Kappa Delta Pi, and many more.
Get to know the faculty who teach in our many certification programs.
"Learning to be a teacher requires discipline and hard work. Learning to be great teacher requires passion and a deep dedication to the many and diverse children that we serve."
The essential question is: "What will you do today to make a difference in others' lives?"
"I have authored or co-authored 15 publications in top-tier education journals and am honored to be a highly rated online professor of Widener students."
"My interests include brain development, literacy development, and applications of technology in research and instruction. My greatest excitement in teaching comes from the way that working with graduate students spills over to my teaching of undergraduates and vice versa."
"My philosophy for teaching graduate courses in educational leadership revolves around the importance of integrating theory and practice. I believe my courses need to be grounded in research and theory related to students' particular areas of study, and also provide opportunities for students to apply that research and theory to practice."
"My teaching focuses upon cognitive processing and application. In this regard, critical literacy complements the cognitive learning process. Critical literacy is the ability to actively read a text that promotes an understanding of social concepts and human relationships."
"My philosophy for teaching graduate courses in educational leadership revolves around the importance of integrating theory and practice. I believe my courses need to be grounded in research and theory related to students' particular areas of study, and also provide opportunities for students to apply that research and theory to practice."
Zora Wolfe, an associate professor in Widener’s Center for Education, shares ways for parents, students, and educators to smoothly transition to online learning.
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