Teacher Certification (Initial) (Teacher Certification)

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Teacher Certification (Initial),

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Description

At the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, individuals seeking Teacher Certification through the Nebraska State Department of Education may complete coursework requirements for many endorsements, detailed below.

Applying for Admission

Standard requirements for all graduate programs

Application for Admission with $50 non-refundable application fee.
Transcripts (unofficial): Uploaded as part of application form.
If International: Uploads must include all college- or university-level transcripts or mark sheets (records of courses and marks earned), with certiﬁcates, diplomas, and degrees plus certiﬁed English translations.

After admission: Official documents are required from all students who are admitted and enroll. Photocopies of certiﬁed records are not acceptable. International students enrolled in other U.S. institutions may have certiﬁed copies of all foreign records sent directly to the Office of Graduate Studies by their current school’s registrar office.
If applicant’s native language is not English, verification of English proficiency is required.
When sending TOEFL scores, our institution code is 6877 and a department code is not needed.
If applicant is not a US citizen and expects an F or J visa: financial information.
Applicants must also fulfill any additional requirements the department specifies at the time of application.

Additional requirements specific to this program

Renewal of Teaching Certification

Application Requirements: N/A, no program-specific materials needed.

Endorsements associated with Child, Youth, and Family Studies

Endorsements:
- Family and Consumer Sciences Occupational 6-12
Application Requirements:
- Resume/CV
- Personal Statement
- Three letters of recommendation. Ensure that at least one reference letter is academic (e.g., instructor, advisor) and any non-academic letters are professional (e.g., relevant employer).

Endorsements associated with Educational Psychology

Endorsements:
- School Counselor PK-8
- School Counselor 7-12
- School Psychologist PK-12
Application Requirements: Students who wish to complete coursework at UNL for these endorsements must concurrently pursue a UNL Master of Arts in Educational Psychology.

Endorsements associated with Special Education and Communication Disorders

Endorsements:
- Special Education: Early Childhood B-K
- Special Education Generalist K-6
- Special Education Generalist 7-12
- Speech Language Pathologist B-21
Application Requirements:
- Resume/CV
- Personal Statement: Your statement should include the following: 1) Rationale for pursuing this endorsement; 2) Interests and specific experiences with individuals with disabilities; 3) Challenges you anticipate experiencing in graduate school (e.g., balancing work and/or family, time management); 4) Strategies you will use to overcome those challenges (i.e.; how you will monitor learning, at what stage you will determine you need to alter your approach to studying, and what would those changes entail); and 5) How do you plan to use this endorsement? Your answers will also be judged based on the quality of your writing.
- Academic Eligibility: "Special Education: Early Childhood B-K" applicants must have completed at least one Special Education course with a grade of B or better.

Endorsements associated with Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education

Endorsements:
- Biology 7-12
- Chemistry 7-12
- English Language Arts 6-12
- Elementary Education K-6
- Secondary English 6-12
- Earth and Space Science 7-12
- Mathematics 6-12
- Physics 7-12
- Science 7-12
- Social Studies 6-12
- World Language: Arabic 6-12
- World Language: French 6-12
- World Language: German 6-12
- World Language: Japanese 6-12
- World Language: Spanish 6-12
Application Requirements:
- Resume/CV
- Personal Statement
- Other Upload: Completed form for State of Nebraska required coursework for selected endorsement area. Additionally, for endorsements in "World Languages" (French, German, or Spanish), upload your ACTFL OPI certificate.
- Two letters of recommendation
- Concurrent program requirement: Students who wish to complete coursework at UNL for these endorsements must concurrently pursue a UNL Master of Arts in Teaching, Learning and Teacher Education.

Tuition & Fees Contact Us

Note: Students enrolled in academic programs based entirely online are not eligible to apply for F-1 or J‐1 visas, per Department of Homeland Security regulations.

Program Faculty

Dena M. Abbott (bio)

Wayne Babchuk (bio)

Professor of Practice, Quantitative, Qualitative, & Psychometric Methods

Janet F. Carlson (bio)

Teaching Assessment, Personality, Psychopathology, Ethics, Professional Issues, Applied Scholarship, Research in Assessment-related Areas

Theresa Catalano (bio)

Elaine Chan (bio)

Multicultural Education, Curriculum Studies, Ethnic Identity, Educational Equity Policies

Mun Yuk Chin (bio)

Katelyn Coburn (bio)

LGBTQ+ family dynamics, Transgender and nonbinary mental health, Religious communities and LGBTQ+ people, The gender binary

Rochelle Dalla (bio)

Professor & Graduate Chair, Familial Dynamics, Intergenerational Family Processes, Support Systems of Women Trafficked into the Commercial Sex Industry (CSI).

Beth Doll (bio)

Professor, Training Director for the Nebraska Internship Consortium in Professional Psychology (NICPP)

Emily Fisher (bio)

Emergent Literacy, K-8 Literacy, Writing Curriculum, Pedagogy, Instruction, and Identity, Teacher Preparation, Intersections Between Policy and Teacher Practice

Lauren Gatti (bio)

Secondary English Education, Urban Education, Teacher Conceptions

Tricia Gray (bio)

Social Studies Teaching, Multilingual Education, Culturally Sustaining and Revitalizing Pedagogies, Citizenship Education

Edmund 'Ted' Hamann (bio)

Transnational Movement, School Reform, Policy Implementation, Anthropology of Education, Anthropology of Policy, Migration, Mexico, New Latino Diaspora, South Africa

Jillian Harpster (bio)

Care in Education, Holistic Student-teacher Preparation, Partnerships Between Teacher Preparation Programs and K–12 Learning Spaces

Heather Hruskoci (bio)

Michelle Hughes (bio)

Cochlear Implants, Auditory Electrophysiology, Psychophysics, Speech Perception

Nicholas Husbye (bio)

Jessica Jonson (bio)

Application of Measurement Fundamentals (validity, reliability, fairness), Assessment Literacy for Educational and Psychological Professionals, Professional Standards and Guidelines in Testing, Fairness in Testing, Assessment of Social-Emotional Learning, Assessment of student learning in higher education

Sungeun Kang (bio)

Autism Spectrum Disorder/Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Caregiver Training, School-Based Intervention, Community-Engaged Research, Improving Access to Mental Health Services for Marginalized Families, Family-School Partnership

Lydiah Kiramba (bio)

Linguistics, Multilinguilism, Literacy

Patty Kuo (bio)

Parent-child relationships, Early childhood development, Family dynamics, Salivary hormones, and fathers

Elizabeth Lewis (bio)

Science Education, Science Teacher Professional Development

Susan Loveall (bio)

Intellectual and Development Disabilities, Early Childhood Special Education, Downs Syndrome

Lorraine Males (bio)

Teacher Learning (particularly at the early stages of teacher development), Mathematics Teacher Education and Induction, Curriculum Design, Development and Enactment

Deepika Menon (bio)

K-6 Integrated STEM Education, K-16 Science Education (Physical science/Physics Education), Elementary Preservice and In-service Science Teacher Education, Integrated STEM Teaching Self-efficacy and Identity

Michael Merten (bio)

Adolescent and young adult psychosocial and behavioral outcomes in the context of family and community

Amanda Morales (bio)

Diversity & Multicultural Education, Educational Foundations, Recruitment and Retention of Undergraduate Students from Underrepresented Groups, Management & Team Building, Professional Development, Public & School Programming, Informal Science Learning

Amy Napoli (bio)

Early math, Home learning environment, Parent-child math interactions, Early literacy

Ursula Nguyen (bio)

Equity in STEM Education, STEM Teaching and Learning, STEM Identity, Mathematics Education

Maria Elena Oliveri

Justin Olmanson (bio)

Instructional Technology and Design

Gilbert Parra (bio)

Poverty, Father Involvement, Parenting Stress, Child Development, Neighborhood Disadvantage

Kevin Pitt (bio)

Augmentative and Alterative Communication, Brain-Computer Interface

Jenelle Reeves (bio)

Teacher Reasoning in Multilingual Classrooms

Loukia Sarroub (bio)

Literacy Studies and Adolescent Literacies, Ethnography, Qualitative Research Methods, Educational Policy and Social Analysis, Language and Culture and Sociolinguistic Analyses, Cross-Cultural Studies, Immigrant Communities in the US and Europe, Youth Cultures, Middle Eastern Populations in the US, Including Fieldwork and Research in Yemeni and Iraqi Communities, Ethnography and Qualitative Research Methods, Discourse Analysis, Language and Gender in Education, Education Policy and Social Analysis

Mackenzie Savaiano (bio)

Visual Impairments & Blindness

Rachel Schachter (bio)

Early Childhood Teachers' Experiences, Professional learning, Instructional Supports, Multiple Research Methods

Michael Scheel (bio)

Marriage and Family Therapy, Parenting, Career Development

Mardi Schmeichel (bio)

Duane Shell (bio)

Self-regulation and Motivational Influences on Behavior and Cognition as these are Manifest in Educational and Public Health Settings

Susan Sheridan (bio)

Behavioral Assessment and Interventions, Home-School Partnerships, Parent-Teacher Consultation, Social Skills Interventions

Susan Swearer (bio)

Bullying and Peer Victimization, Psychological Disorders in Children and Adolescents, Cognitive-Behavioral Interventions

Amanda Thomas (bio)

Math Education, Technology Integration

Anne Thomas (bio)

Deaf Education

Julie Tippens (bio)

Refugees, Forced Migration, Humanitarian Aid, Older Adults and Aging, Sexual and Reproductive Health, East Africa, Ethnographic, Visual, and Participatory Research

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