Program Overview Questions
What is the Urban Teacher Education Program?
- The Urban Teacher Education Program is a 36 credit course sequence that prepares and certifies students for licensure in the state of New Jersey. The UTEP is open to matriculating Rutgers and NJIT students. In order to apply to the UTEP, students must first meet the entry requirements outlined on the Program Requirements & Guidelines. These requirements are usually met within the first two years of undergraduate study.
- We want to assist and support you on every step of your journey to becoming an exemplary urban educator. If you have any questions about the Urban Teacher Education Program please contact the student advisor.
What licenses can I receive through the Urban Teacher Education Program at Rutgers-Newark?
The Urban Teacher Education Program prepares candidates for teaching licenses in Elementary Education (K-5), Middle School Specialization (5-8), and Secondary Education (9-12). For middle and secondary school teaching, subject matter licenses are required. We do not prepare candidates for P-3, bilingual, ESL, or special education licenses. See our Areas of Certification Chart for more information.
Questions about the UTEP Guidelines
What courses do I take first?
Take the “foundations” courses first: Social Foundations of Urban Education is the pre-requisite to all of the other courses in the program. After you apply and are admitted to the program, you can take the next two foundational courses: Teaching in Urban Schools, and Cognition, Teaching, & Learning. See our Program Requirements & Guidelines page for more information about our curriculum.
Do courses have to be taken in any specific order?
The foundations courses come first and then the methods courses. During the final steps of the program, you will take clinical courses - Practicum and Student Teaching - which require intense field work in Newark Public Schools. Student teaching is the final step of your program. In order to register for Student Teaching you need to have successfully passed the Praxis exam. You may not take any other courses while you are enrolled in student teaching. We recommend that you plan your program out early and in order to do that you will need to meet with the student advisor.
To see the Elementary and Middle School Course Outline Click Here
To see the Secondary Course Outline Click Here
To see the MAT Outline Click Here
Are all 36 credits in the teacher education program required?
Yes. In order to be recommended for certification from the Rutgers-Newark Department of Urban Education all 36 credits in the Urban Teacher Education Program must be completed with a B or better.
When do you begin your work in the schools and community?
Your initial foundation coursework will require some work in schools and community organizations, and many of your methods courses will require you to go out into the field and observe different classrooms. The bulk of your field experience, however, will take place during the final steps of the program in junior practicum and student teaching.
Where will I be placed for junior practicum and student teaching?
All of the program’s clinical placements are done in the Newark Public Schools.
Policies & Procedures
How do I obtain a special permission number to register for a course?
To obtain a special permission number for the clinical courses (Junior Practicum & Student Teaching), you will need to see Jessica Vassallo, the student advisor.
When is the best time to take the Praxis, and which one do I take?
We recommend that you begin preparing for the Praxis during your Methods courses and that you take the test the summer before Practicum. YOU WILL NOT BE PERMITTED TO STUDENT TEACH UNTIL YOU HAVE SUCCESSFULLY PASSED THE PRAXIS. See the ETS web site for a listing of which Praxis II exam is/are required for which licenses in New Jersey. Please contact the UTEP student advisor for all questions or concerns regarding the Praxis exam.
Do you have questions about a grade or a grading policy?
- If your question is pertinent to a specific course, see the instructor.
- If the question is about grading policy in the teacher education program, see the Chair of the Department of Urban Education, Dr. Carolyne White.
Do you have a problem in a particular course?
- See the professor
- See the student advisor
- See the Chair of the Department of Urban Education, Dr. Carolyne White
- If appropriate, file a student grievance report (available here for download) in the teacher education office, and follow the procedures outlined there.
After Graduation
Am I licensed to teach only in urban districts or is my license valid throughout New Jersey?
Your license is valid in any district throughout New Jersey.
Does the Urban Teacher Education Program help me find a job?
The teacher education program offers assistance in obtaining a teaching job, upon completing the program. We are able to help in several ways. The student teaching seminar is in part used as an opportunity to prepare for job searching and interviewing, including two meetings with the head of the university’s career counseling office. Because we are committed to the city of Newark and its schools, we have a direct contact at the Newark Board of Education who will review our graduates’ resumes. We notify you of local career fairs in teaching. All members of the teacher education program’s teaching faculty are available to write job reference letters.
What happens after I graduate?
When you become alumnae/i of our program, the Rutgers-Newark Urban Teacher Education Program still wants to be part of your professional growth as a teacher. We hold new teacher support group meetings monthly. You will hear from us by email with interesting education-related news, and we will invite you into our classes to mentor upcoming new teachers. We hope that you will continue to see us as partners in imagining and working towards improved urban educational experiences in the state of New Jersey.
Does the Department of Urban Education offer any graduate programs?
- In collaboration with the Federated History Department of Rutgers University-Newark and New Jersey Institute of Technology, the Department of Urban Education offers an MAT in history. For more information regarding the MAT program please visit the History Department's Graduate web site or contact Ms. Christina Strasburger, the Department Administrator.
- The Rutgers University-Newark Department of Urban Education and the School of Public Affairs and Administration (SPAA) work collaboratively to offer a graduate program that leads to Principal Certification. For more information please visit the SPAA web site or contact Ms. Gail Daniels, the Assistant Dean.
- We also have a PhD Program in Urban Systems that focuses on urban educational policy. The PhD program is a partnership between Rutgers University, the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) that prepares. The PhD Program in Urban Systems is the first cross-sectoral doctoral program in the social sciences to draw upon the combined strengths of New Jersey's three senior public research universities. For more information about this program, please visit the Joint PhD Program in Urban Systems web site.
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