K-12 Teacher Preparation

Portland State University educates prospective K-12 teachers in the College of Education, through the Licensure in Elementary Education Program (LEEP), Graduate Teacher Education Program (GTEP) and the Special Educator Program (SPED). The Special Educator Program prepares teacher candidates to work as Special Education Teachers in Pre-K through grade 12 settings and results in the teacher candidate receiving the Oregon Preliminary Teaching License with added Special Education Generalist Endorsement and option to complete the MA or MS in Special Education. The Graduate Teacher Education Program (GTEP) prepares teacher candidates to work as content area teachers in grades 6-12 and results in a master’s degree and recommendation for the Oregon Preliminary Teaching License with added Content Area Endorsement. The Licensure in Elementary Education Program (LEEP) prepares teacher candidates to work as elementary teachers and results in a bachelor’s or master’s degree and recommendation for the Oregon Preliminary Teaching License with Elementary Endorsement and English for Speakers of Other Languages endorsement.

Undergraduates at Portland State University may prepare for competitive admissions by consulting with appropriate advisers, by achieving high academic standards in the recommended and required courses for a specialization, and in courses in liberal arts, and by documenting successful experience with children in public schools.

Pre-Education Undergraduate Advising

503-725-3822,
Suite 360 Fariborz Maseeh Hall (FMH)

Advisors: B. Alberts and E. Benner

Child, Youth, and Family Studies Major Advising

503-725-3822
Suite 360 Fariborz Maseeh Hall (FMH)

Advisors: K. Delorio and E. Benner

Early childhood and elementary education

Students who want to be elementary teachers choose from a wide range of majors to complete their undergraduate degrees. Pre-Education advisors have traditionally recommended interdisciplinary majors – such as Arts and Letters, Social Science, General Science, and Liberal studies – because they can include multiple subjects that are highly relevant to the elementary curriculum. However, specific disciplinary majors can also be fitting for the goal of progressing into LEEP. Such disciplines include (but are not limited to) English or History (especially those wishing to teach at the upper elementary level), Psychology, and Child, Youth, and Family Studies. Prospective elementary teachers can work with their major advisor, together with the GTEP Admissions Advisor at askcoe@pdx.edu.

Secondary (Middle/High School) Education

Academic majors and their respective secondary endorsements are as follows: biology (biology and general science); physical education (physical education); history, anthropology, sociology, philosophy, political science, geography, and economics (social studies); health (health); mathematics (mathematics); English (English language arts); art (art); world languages and literatures (foreign language); music (music); chemistry (chemistry); physics (physics); business and economics (business); drama (drama); speech (speech).

Additional information is available online, or by contacting GTEP admissions at (503) 725-4619.

Special education

All prospective special educators, whether they wish to teach special education at the elementary or secondary level, should consult with a pre-education advisor and consult the Special Education website.

Graduate Teacher Education Program

Any current or prospective PSU Students who are considering application to GTEP at PSU should attend one of the College of Education’s regularly held information sessions for prospective applicants. A current schedule of upcoming information sessions is available online, along with an online form to register to attend a specific session. For additional information, please contact the College of Education (askcoe@pdx.edu; 503-725-4619) and consult the GTEP website.

Licensure in Elementary Education Program

All prospective elementary educators should consult with a pre-education advisor and attend one of the College of Education’s regularly held information sessions for prospective applicants. A current schedule of upcoming information sessions is available online, along with an online form to register to attend a specific session. For additional information, please contact the College of Education (askcoe@pdx.edu; 503-725-4619) and consult the LEEP website.