Aerial view of campus with Williamsport, the Susquehanna River and Bald Eagle Mountain as a backdrop

Areas of Certification

Lycoming College offers the following certification programs approved by the PA Department of Education:

  • Early Childhood Education Grades PK-4
  • Secondary Education 7-12
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • English
    • Mathematics
    • Physics
    • Social Studies – with a certification and major in Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, Economics, History, Political Science, or Philosophy
  • PK-12 Certification Areas
    • Art
    • Modern Language (French, German and Spanish)
    • Music
    • Special Education

Students in secondary and K-12 certification areas must complete a major in the academic discipline. Students also complete professional education coursework and field experiences, and candidates complete student teaching in grade levels representative of the candidate's license.

Certification

In addition to Lycoming College's requirements for an academic degree, candidates seeking teacher licensure in Pennsylvania must also meet all requirements set forth by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Certification requirements are set by the state of Pennsylvania and subject to change. Contact the teacher certification officer for current certification requirements.

Please refer to Teacher Education Handbook for criteria in each program.

Successful completion of the program requirements and passing scores on the required PRAXIS exams allow students to be certified to teach in the specific content area. All certification programs require a 3.0 or better GPA at completion of program and graduation in order to receive certification.

Reciprocal agreements among states allow students to become certified in states other than Pennsylvania by applying directly to the Department of Education in that state. In these states teachers can be hired with their Pennsylvania certificate and will then have to meet the individual requirements for certification in that specific state.

Significance of a PA Teaching Certificate

When you graduate, we encourage you to apply for a Pennsylvania Teaching Certificate. Once you acquire a teaching certificate here, obtaining a comparable certificate in another state is easier, because Pennsylvania has a certification agreement with at least 45 other states. For more information on the states involved in this agreement, visit the Pennsylvania Department of Education on the web.

If you decide to get certified in another state, it is your responsibility to be familiar with the certification requirements for that state. For up-to-date information on certification requirements and important contact, please visit 50 States’ Certification Requirements, a website updated by the University of Kentucky.

Post-Baccalureate/Teacher Intern Certification Routes

Anyone who holds a baccalaureate, masters or doctoral degree from an accredited institution and wishes to be considered eligible for a Pennsylvania teaching certificate must consult with the Education Department. An individualized program of study, which complies with the PDE and Lycoming College program approval requirements for elementary, special education, PK-4, PK-4 with Special Education PK-8, K-12 or 7-12 secondary certification with special education, will be developed. Individuals with a baccalaureate, masters or doctoral degree can also consider the internship program. Please see Post Bacc section of the Teacher Education Handbook for more information.

ACT 48

Lycoming College is an approved provider for the Pennsylvania Department of Education Act 48 professional development requirements. These requirements are for teachers certified for Pennsylvania. Courses for credit qualify for PA Act 48 standards; non-credit coursework does not qualify. Students must supply their unique PA Act 48 Professional Personal ID (PPID) number in order to have their credit course posted. Students should log into the PA Department of Education website (www.pde.state.pa.us) to obtain this ID number.