Persons who hold a valid State of Michigan teaching certificate may earn additional certificate endorsements. Certificate endorsements signify that the certificate holder is highly qualified to teach in the endorsement area at the appropriate grade levels.
The holder of standard, permanent, continuing or professional education certificate may qualify for an additional endorsement by meeting the course work requirements for any Michigan State University disciplinary teaching major or minor. The planned program for meeting course work requirements must include a minimum of 20 semester hours and be approved by a College of Education advisor. In addition to completing required course work in the endorsement area, the candidate must pass the corresponding MTTC subject test, take additional teacher education course work, and complete a supervised clinical experience of at least 30 hours.
A K-12 reading specialist (BR) endorsement or an elementary or secondary reading (BT) endorsement can be obtained by completing the requirements for Michigan State University's Master of Arts degree program in Teaching and Curriculum and a Graduate Specialization in Literacy and Language Instruction. A K-12 special education endorsement can be obtained in learning disabilities or autism spectrum disorders by completing the requirements for Michigan State University's Master of Arts degree program in Special Education. A K-12 special education endorsement may be placed on either an elementary or secondary teaching certificate. An English as a Second Language endorsement can be added to either an elementary or a secondary certificate by completing the requirements for Michigan State University's Master of Arts degree program in Teaching and Curriculum or by completing a prescribed 23 credit program in English as a Second Language. A vocational endorsement in agricultural education can be obtained by meeting specified requirements.
To be recommended for certification, students completing course work required for endorsement areas must pass the appropriate Michigan Test for Teacher Certification Subject Test. Individuals who are interested in seeking additional endorsements must contact an academic advisor in the Office of Student Affairs, College of Education.