<p>I'm about to finish my junior year in college, and I really want to go to grad school for a masters degree and a teaching credential. I really want to become a high school teacher, but I thought getting a MA will also help. I don't really have anything planned though, do I have to go for an education degree? I heard Chapman has this program where students can get a teaching credential and a masters degree in 2 years. I was wondering if other grad schools have similar programs? </p>
<p>I'm also not sure if I'm even qualified to apply for grad schools... my GPA is not so great, and I'm an international student. I haven't really come up with a plan B in terms of my future career, and I don't know if there is any other way of becoming a teacher without going to a grad school.</p>
<p>Do I stand a chance?</p>
<p>If you want to become a teacher in the US then you need to understand that certification and hiring of teachers is by and large handled at the state level, and can therefore vary considerably between states. Most states will require either a bachelors or masters degree in education, and without that you will certainly have trouble moving around the country in pursuit of jobs.</p>
<p>If you are serious about this, then yes, get a masters and a teaching certificate, preferably one that is valid in those states where you WANT to teach - Pennsylvania teaching certificates, for example, are accepted as valid in quite a few states. Most schools that have education programs have grad programs that will get you where you need to go.</p>
<p>There is a question about your competitiveness, as education students have a high average GPA, but as you stated you have no plan B so you might as well push hard on plan A at least until you come up with some alternatives.</p>
<p>^however Pennsylvania is one State where one has to be a citizen or permanent resident in order to be allowed to teach in public schools.
Many training programs (such as Denver’s or NYc’s) will require you to be a citizen or permanent resident, too.</p>
<p>Thanks for the response! I forgot to mention that I am open to teaching anywhere around the world, preferably at an international school. That’s the kind of school I’ve attended since elementary, and I am pretty familiar with the atmosphere. </p>
<p>Do you guys know anything about education programs/teaching credentials in Europe? Does it work the same way as it does here in U.S?</p>