Selectivity
The Program in Teacher Preparation is open to Princeton undergraduate students, graduate students, or alumni. Princeton University enjoys the honor of working with some of the world’s finest students, and Teacher Prep students reflect the academic excellence of the Princeton student body as measured by overall Grade Point Average (GPA).
Areas of Certification and Subject Area Course Requirements
The program offers students the opportunity to earn New Jersey state subject area licensure, which enables students to teach at the middle school (grades 6-8) and/or secondary school levels (grades 9-12) in the following academic areas: art, English, English as a second language, mathematics, music, psychology, the sciences (biology, chemistry, earth science, physics and physical sciences), social studies, and world languages. In addition to completing program course requirements, students must major in their area of certification or complete 30 credits or more (eight Princeton courses) of a coherent sequence of courses in the subject area as described below and pass the Praxis test in that subject area. Princeton undergraduates and alumni may transfer up to two subject area courses (with a minimum of three credits per course) from another four-year accredited institution provided they earn a grade of 3.0 (B) or higher in each course (this restriction does not apply to graduate students). AP course credits may be used for course requirements if the credits are recognized by the University.
General Education Courses
In the liberal arts tradition, the program prepares well rounded teachers who must complete courses that fulfill the program’s “General Education” requirements. All students pursuing the University certificate in Teacher Preparation or those pursuing a NJ CEAS license must complete the General Education Courses.
The General Education course requirements are all satisfied by the Princeton University distribution requirements.
Students may use the pass/D/fail option for courses satisfying the General Education courses that are not used for subject area certification.
The General Education areas are:
. Humanities: includes courses in literature, philosophy, religion, comparative literature, foreign languages, the Classics, and any course in the Department of English (this requirement is fulfilled by meeting the University General Education Requirements);
. Mathematics: can be satisfied by the University’s distribution requirement for Quantitative Reasoning (QR);
. Science: includes courses in the sciences, engineering, and psychology (this requirement is fulfilled by meeting the University General Education Requirements);
. Social Sciences: including history, economics, politics, sociology, anthropology, and related courses (this requirement is fulfilled by meeting the University General Education Requirements).
Program Requirements for the Certificate Level
Professional education course requirements are subject to change, pending regulations approved by the New Jersey State Department of Education.
Students may earn the University program certificate by completing the program’s Introductory Practicum and the four courses listed below.
Students are required to complete 50 hours of clinical work in schools prior to beginning the TPP 403 and TPP 404 student teaching courses. The required 50 clinical hours are completed by fulfilling the requirements for the Introductory Practicum, PSY 307 Educational Psychology, and TPP 301 Seminar on Student Learning and Methods for Teaching. The TPP 403 and TPP 404 courses should be taken in the spring of senior year, but students may elect to return after graduation for additional semesters if they cannot schedule TPP 403 and TPP 404 during their senior year.