Certification-Only Elementary Program (COE)

Those who already hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution are able to earn a Michigan Elementary Provisional Teaching Certificate in the Certification-Only Elementary (COE) Program.

Applicants interested in pursuing elementary teacher certification are required to complete a comprehensive Elementary Program, which prepares them to teach all subjects in grades K-8 within self-contained classrooms, and one of four elementary teaching majors (Mathematics, Integrated Science, Language Arts or Social Studies), which prepares them to teach a subject area in grades 6-8.

A major in Learning Disabilities (LD) is another elementary certification option. Applicants are trained to work with students who have intellectual, social or behavioral challenges and are certified with the Learning Disabilities K-12 endorsement.  This major requires two semesters of student teaching.

An additional major option for elementary certification is Early Childhood Education, which prepares students to be a classroom teacher for children ages 0-8, with an emphasis on social constructivism and a Reggio Emilia based curricular philosophy.

With successful completion of the program, participants earn the faculty recommendation necessary to receive a Michigan Elementary Standard Certificate. The possible teaching majors are listed below.

The Michigan Department of Education (MDE) has revised Michigan’s teacher certification structure into 6 grade bands.  CEHHS has submitted program proposals for our Birth through Kindergarten (B–K), Prekindergarten through Grade 3 (Pre-K–3), and Grades 3–6 grade band programs to the MDE. In addition, these same programs are working through the internal university curriculum approval process. Once approved, students will be able to apply for admission to these grade band programs starting in the Fall of 2022. Current elementary-certification students, and those admitted prior to Fall 2022, will have the opportunity to meet with an academic advisor to determine if they should remain in the current certification program or switch to a new grade band program.

Grade Point Average

Completion of this program requires that a student successfully complete all requirements as stated on their plan of study and maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.75, as well as a minimum 2.75 in the chosen subject area(s) and in the professional sequence.

Time to Completion

Program completion time will vary depending on transfer credit and whether a student is enrolling on a full-time or part-time basis.

Candidates with Bachelor’s Degrees in Non-Content Area Subjects

Individuals with undergraduate degrees in non-content subjects can also pursue initial teacher certification as post-bachelor’s students, but considerably more disciplinary coursework will be required. In this case, the timeframe needed to complete all teacher certification requirements, including student teaching, will likely be two years or longer. These applicants may consider earning a second bachelor’s degree in the process of meeting certification requirements.

Progression towards Student Teaching

After completing all required coursework and passing the appropriate Michigan Test for Teacher Certification (MTTC) subject test, candidates complete a full-time directed teaching experience that lasts one semester (two for LD).  To be eligible for student teaching, students must meet the criteria as outlined on the Student Teaching Eligibility page.

CEHHS Office for Student Success
262 Fairlane Center South (FCS)
cehhs-oss@umich.edu
313-593-5090