Middle Grades Education – Certification
Why Pursue a Middle Grades Education Certificate?
Do you enjoy helping and shaping young minds? Perhaps you’ve coached youth sports teams or even a Sunday school class and felt fulfilled. Do you wonder if teaching is your true calling? Or maybe you’re already an educator and are interested in a new challenge? The good news is that, if you have a requisite education, Piedmont offers a way to obtain teaching certification without having to go back to school full time. An education certificate – including a middle grades education certificate – allows you to qualify to become a teacher, or change your teaching focus, in a direct and convenient manner.
Piedmont’s middle grades education certificate will help you learn how to teach in a 4-8 grade classroom setting and qualify you for teaching certification in both public and private systems throughout the state of Georgia. This program offers a way for you to shape the leaders of the future – without having to become a full-time student of your own again. And educators are always in need in systems throughout Georgia.
How a Piedmont Middle Grades Education Master’s Degree Helps You
- Become a middle grades teacher without having to pursue a higher degree.
- Learn how to meld the skills and knowledge you have already accrued with classroom fundamentals to become the teacher you were meant to be.
- Create a new and rewarding career without having to go back to school full time.
- Earn certification to qualify for teaching in public and private systems anywhere in the state of Georgia.
Career Opportunities
An Middle Grade Education certificate from Piedmont certifies you to teach in both public and independent schools in the state of Georgia. A Piedmont certification also opens doors to a wide range of professional opportunities at schools and school systems throughout the state of Georgia.
A certificate in Middle Grade Education prepares individuals to effectively teach and support students in the transitional middle school years within Public Schools. It provides specialized training in adolescent development, content-area instruction, and strategies for engaging diverse learners during a critical stage of academic and social growth.
A certificate in Middle Grade Education supports a career in Independent Schools by equipping educators with the tools to engage and support adolescents through specialized instruction and developmental understanding. It fosters flexible, student-centered teaching aligned with the mission and values of independent educational environments.
More About Middle Grades Education Certificate
Learn more about Middle Grades Education Certificate and the variety of options available to you as a Piedmont student.
The length of time required to complete the certificate-only option at Piedmont varies. A minimum of 15 credit hours must be completed in a Piedmont program, unless otherwise approved by the Chair of the department. Classes are offered face to face, hybrid, and online – but not fully online. Certification candidates complete 3 internships. Internship I is observation-based and requires 120 contact hours across the semester. Internship II focuses on co-teaching and classroom management and requires 360 classroom hours. Internship III (student teaching) is the cumulating experience and requires 600 classroom hours (a semester of full-time teaching).
Piedmont’s middle grades education certificate program will provide you with a 4-8 grades certification for the state of Georgia. Teaching options will include elementary and middle schools (public and private), or as a teaching assistant. It also qualifies you to pursue add-on certifications, administrator certifications, counseling, coaching, and other graduate level degree work in or outside of education. Our students typically receive their certificate two weeks after graduation (provided paperwork is successfully completed and submitted).
To enroll in Piedmont’s middle grades education certificate program, you must have a minimum of a master’s degree with a 2.5 cumulative GPA from an accredited college or university. Applicants must also provide/complete:
- Graduate Admissions Application
- Official, final transcripts from all colleges and universities attended
- Two Professional References
- Personal Affirmation Form
- If you are a returning BA or MA Educational Studies graduate from Piedmont University, you may return within five years as a certification only student. A prerequisite for admission as a certification-only student is successful completion of the appropriate GACE content tests.
(NOTE: If you currently hold a professional teacher certification and want to add another certification, you may apply for the certification only program with only a BA degree).
The Middle Grades Education department chair approves certification-only courses, based on a transcript analysis, to meet minimum state certification requirements. Your academic advisor can discuss the criteria for experiential credit and will review your transcript to create an individualized plan specific to your individual needs. Certification-only is not a degree program. All other procedures and requirements of Piedmont University and the College of Education apply. Candidates must apply for and be admitted to Teacher Education at the beginning of the program. To complete middle grades certification requirements, candidates must pass the Georgia Assessments for the Certification of Educators (GACE) content examination in their selected certification field. (NOTE: Completion of this course of study does not lead to a degree in education.)
Related Programs
Intrigued by a Middle Grades Education Certificate? You might also be interested in one of these programs:
Meet our Faculty
Meet our talented faculty with both academic and professional experience in Middle Grades Education, adolescent development, and effective teaching strategies for grades 4–8.
Where do I start?
To begin your journey toward becoming an Middle Grades Education student at Piedmont University, you can start by applying today! Or, schedule a campus visit and meet with admissions and financial aid advisors, as well as faculty members in education.