I look back at the curriculum design training I received in the Program in Teacher Preparation; I use it everyday day. I feel like I can really help teachers teach.

Lindsay Clark Bartolone, Class of 1999. Director of Education, Adler Planetarium

Do you aspire to teach? Do you want to add your talents to the enormously important responsibility of educating future generations? Or, are you interested in education policy or want to bring your professional teaching experience and expertise to a career in medicine, law, business, or higher education? The Program in Teacher Preparation (TPP)--known informally on campus as Teacher Prep--offers Princeton University undergraduates, graduate students, and alumni the opportunity to earn the University certificate and, with the completion of additional requirements, the New Jersey Certificate of Eligibility with Advanced Standing, the state’s initial teaching license. Teacher Prep also offers an Urban Specialization for students interested in urban teaching. You can join the program at any time during your time at Princeton-- even as late as the last semester of your senior year. Princeton alumni are also welcomed to complete the program. Some alumni have returned to Princeton to earn their teaching certificate and enter the profession 15-25 years after graduation.

Current students are encouraged to apply early, during the freshman or sophomore year. Juniors and seniors may also apply to the program, but they should consult with a member of the program staff before submitting an application to ensure that all requirements can be met. Upon acceptance to the program, students are assigned a Teacher Prep advisor to guide the student in choosing their courses and completing the requirements for a teaching license. The program also offers a post-baccalaureate option for current graduate students and both undergraduate and graduate alumni. Undergraduates may earn the University certificate by taking the first four program courses (PSY 307, TPP 301, TPP 403, and TPP 404). Students who wish to earn the NJ Certificate of Eligibility with Advanced Standing (CEAS), the state’s initial teaching license, must return after graduation and complete the full-time student teaching courses (TPP 405 and TPP 406), complete the program’s Professional Portfolio, and pass the New Jersey State required assessments (the Praxis Core, the Praxis Subject Area Test(s), the edTPA, and an oral proficiency test for licensure in specified World Languages).TPP is small, flexible, and personalized, so that you can fulfill program requirements along with those of your department. In a given year, approximately 50 students are enrolled in the program. Its staff, all career educators, work with you to individualize coursework to fit your academic interests and schedule. They want you to leave Princeton ready for responsibility and success in or out of a classroom--and if it is to be in a classroom, they want you to be fully prepared.

Explore how Teacher Prep can help prepare you for a future in teaching and/or other education-related fields!