Education Graduate Certificate Programs

The School of Education offers 15-credit graduate certificates in Special Education; English as a Second Language; and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) for those students who are not currently enrolled in a degree program. Each certificate is comprised of five (5) courses at three (3) credits each, for a total of 15 credits.* A student may complete one of these three specific course sequences in order to earn a certificate. These 15-credit education certificates are for students who have an undergraduate degree and meet university-wide requirements for graduate certificate admissions.  Students who choose to apply these certificate courses to earn the 36-credit M.Ed. in Curriculum & Instruction must meet all the current graduate admissions requirements set by Marymount and the state of Virginia. All coursework must be completed at Marymount within three (3) years of matriculation and only 3 credits or one course can count toward both your degree program and graduate certificate. Please see an education advisor for specific requirements.

THIS IS NOT A LICENSURE PROGRAM. If you are interested in a licensure program, please see an education advisor or contact the Office of Graduate Admissions.

Upon completion of the non-licensure education programs, the students will be able to

  • research and write critically about issues in education;
  • apply specialized knowledge and skills in selected concentration area;
  • analyze data for educational decision making and problem solving; and
  • demonstrate leadership and collaboration by modeling ethical behavior and responsibility to help advance the profession.

Title IV federal financial aid is not available for these certificate programs but private and institutional aid may be available.

Program Requirements

All Marymount University teacher education programs are approved by the Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) and the Virginia Department of Education. Program requirements are subject to revision based upon changes set forth by the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Minimum Grade Requirements:  Students in these certificate programs must meet the university’s academic standards for graduate students and achieve a minimum grade of B- for each course required for the certificate. All graduate students in the School of Education must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0. A student whose cumulative GPA falls below 3.0 will be placed on academic probation. The student must bring his or her cumulative GPA to 3.0 or higher within nine (9) graduate credits or be dismissed. A student whose cumulative GPA falls below 3.0 a second time will be dismissed.

Prerequisite:  Prospective students need to have an introductory curriculum/instruction course or one year of validated teaching experience. Students may also take ED 551 Instruction and Assessment as a co-requisite to meet this entrance requirement.

Certificate Requirements — English as a Second Language
15 credits

  • ED 509   Special Education:  Foundation and Characteristics of Exceptional Learners
  • ED 511    Psycho-educational Assessment and Instructional Programming
  • ED 523   Diagnostic and Corrective Literacy Instruction
  • ED 526   Cross-cultural/International Curricula
  • ED 553   Teaching English as a Second Language

Certificate Requirements — Special Education
15 credits

  • ED 509   Special Education:  Foundation and Characteristics of Exceptional Learners
  • ED 511    Psycho-educational Assessment and Instructional Programming
  • ED 523   Diagnostic and Corrective Literacy Instruction
  • ED 529   Collaboration and Consultation in Special Education Settings
  • ED 539   Instructional Implementation of the Individualized Education Program

Certificate Requirements — Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM)
15 credits
Elementary Education Focus:

  • ED 555   Literacy for Diverse Learners:  Grades PK-2
  • ED 554   Educational Technology
  • ED 558   Elementary Math Methods
  • ED 559   Elementary Science Methods
  • ED 580   Capstone: Curriculum and Instruction Program

15 credits
Secondary Education Focus:

  • ED 537   Literacy Across the Curriculum
  • ED 538   Secondary Teaching Methods
  • ED 554   Educational Technology
  • ED 566   Teaching Science in Secondary Schools or ED 569 Teaching Math in Secondary Schools
  • ED 580   Capstone: Curriculum and Instruction Program

*Students who have not completed an introductory curriculum/instruction course or one year of validated teaching experience will take a 3-credit prerequisite or co-requisite course.