Hi! I’m researching college’s and I’m a bit confused about programs that offer “certifications” ex: “Art Education certification” I plan on majoring in Art Education and I noticed while some colleges offer Art Education as an undergraduate major others offer it as a certification. What is the difference between a major and a certification, and which one is considered better? Also if I was to do a certification what would I be majoring in?
Certification implies that the specific coursework and practice teaching experiences required for initial state licensing are covered in the program… However you do need to carefully read through the details to verify that.
Sometimes a subject area certification program is offered as an add-on, e.g. When the person already has a teaching license but wants to be able to also teach another subject.
I am a public school administrator. In order to teach in a public school in a state, you need to be certified by that state in the subject area you intend to teach. Usually certification requires certain courses and an exam; see each state’s website for specific details.
Your choice of major won’t matter in the slightest. Major in whatever interests you intellectually, as long as you meet the requirements for certification.
You may enjoy college as a time to get a broad liberal arts education which will make you a more knowledgeable and interesting teacher.
I plan on being an English Education major. Most of the colleges that I’m looking at offer a B.A. in English with a teaching certification, but some offer a B.S. in English Education. There doesn’t seem to be much of a difference as far as legitimacy goes, but you don’t need to major in a certain subject to get a teaching certification. Required courses vary from school to school, so I recommend checking your top colleges’ websites for a more in-depth look at their programs.
Just realize that at the end of the day, you have to satisfy the requirements of the state where you teach. So if you pick a college in a different state from where you eventually want to teach, be sure and do your due diligence to be sure you have the necessary qualifications.
Take a look at the curriculum at the respective schools.
It looks like the BA in English with teaching certification makes you an English Major.
The BS in English Education makes you an Education major.
Either will be OK in getting you certified. But I’m fairly confident that most administrators, at least on the secondary level, would prefer that English major. Education classes aren’t generally famous for teaching real practical info that’s useful in teaching, or controlling, a class.
All other things being equal, I would take the BA in English with certification. I think it will make you more marketable as a job applicant.
And, while we’re on the subject: consider what else you can do to make yourself more marketable in a very competitive field. Can you work with a local elementary/middle/high school or parish on the play? Help coach Speech and Debate? Work with any local school on their yearbook? Any of these things might set your application apart from the 400 others you’ll be competing with. (And that “400” is absolutely a low number on Long Island!!!) I’m fairly confident that I got my first job teaching math not because they knew I was a superior candidate-- I was fresh out of college and a total unknown quantity. But I had competed in Speech and Debate in high school and was willing to coach it.
My D is getting a degree in meteorology and will continue on to get her masters is high school education with a STEM emphasis she hopes to be certified to teach in math, physics and comp sci.
It varies by state - in NJ you are basically a double major. My son will be majoring in Elem. Ed. and history. You no longer major in “History Education” in NJ. As mentioned earlier, look at your state requirements if you are planning on going out of state for college. Many have reciprocity agreements, but that’s better to know ahead of time. In NJ, certification programs are usually for someone who already has a 4 year degree and they are just looking to add on the certificate to teach.