The eligibility requirements for the Prince George's County Teaching Fellows are dictated by the Maryland State Department of Education's requirements for a Resident Teacher Certificate. As such, these requirements are non-negotiable.
No previous coursework in education or teaching experience is required. However, candidates must:
- Have a Bachelor's degree (conferred by June 1, 2010)
- Have a 2.75 GPA in the subject area the candidate wishes to teach
- Meet Maryland state testing requirements
- Meet subject area eligibility requirements
- Have U.S. citizenship or permanent resident status
The Prince George's County Teaching Fellows is designed for outstanding individuals who do not currently have a professional teaching certificate.
Bachelor's degree
Candidates must have a bachelor's degree conferred by June 1, 2010 to be eligible to apply.
Candidates who received credit from foreign universities must have their transcripts evaluated by a foreign credential evaluation agency. When requesting an evaluation, candidates should ensure that the evaluating agency specifically states that the individual has received the U.S. equivalent of a bachelor's degree in his/her subject area (if applicable) AND provides a full listing of coursework. If invited to interview, candidates must submit evaluations of any foreign transcripts. A decision will not be made regarding a candidate's final status unless foreign transcript evaluations have been received.
2.75 GPA in the subject the candidate wishes to teach
Individuals must have a GPA of 2.75 or higher from an accredited college or university in the subject area the candidates wishes to teach. Candidates with a GPA below a 3.0 will have the opportunity in the online application to address any issues that may be relevant to their academic performance.
For a convenient way to figure out your content GPA, please use the GPA calculator on this website. Candidates enter the grade and credits received for the courses needed to establish eligibility for a particular content area.
If invited to an interview, candidates must provide at least one official or unofficial transcript from each college or university attended. A total of three (3) official transcripts from each college or university attended must be submitted by June 1, 2010 for entrance into the program to be finalized. We strongly encourage candidates to request official transcript copies as soon as possible to avoid delays in submitting them to the program by the deadline.
Maryland state testing requirements
Candidates must take and pass the Praxis I exam and the Praxis II Content exam that correlates with the subject that the Fellow is assigned to teach. Interested candidates are encouraged to apply to Prince George's County Teaching Fellows even if they have not yet taken these exams. However, admission to the program is contingent upon passage of required tests, and passing scores must be on file with the Fellows office on or before June 1, 2010.
For more important information on the Praxis testing requirements, please click here.
U.S. Citizenship or Permanent Resident Status
All applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents to be eligible for the program.
Subject Area Eligibility
PGCTF is no longer accepting applications for the 2010-2011 school year. Please visit our site in October 2010 to view opportunities for the 2011-2012 school year.
For the 2010-2011 school year, we accepted the applications of candidates who were eligible to teach Early Childhood Education, Elementary Special Education, Math, Math Special Education, Spanish, English, English Special Education, Science Special Education. Please note that the subject areas for the 2011-2012 school year have not yet been determined and may be different from the subject areas listed below.
Eligibility requirements vary by subject and are established by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE). In addition to meeting the general eligibility requirements, candidates must meet the requirements for one of these subject areas to be eligible to apply to PGCTF. Candidates will have the opportunity to express their interest in, and eligibility for, specific subject areas in their online applications. Fellows were especially needed to teach in the areas of Math, Spanish, and special education.
Candidates sometimes find that they are 3 or 6 credits short of the MSDE requirements listed below. Candidates have the option of taking courses at local community colleges or online to fulfill the necessary credit requirement, however any coursework taken must be successfully completed no later than June 1, 2010. If you need to take additional courses, please contact PGCTF program staff at (301) 780-2703 to ensure that they will meet MSDE requirements.
Please see below for specific requirements for each subject area.
Early Childhood Education (PreK - 3rd grade)
| Credits/GPA | Course |
|---|---|
| 6 credits | Math |
| 6 credits | Science* |
| 6 credits | Social Studies |
| 6 credits | English |
| 12 credits | Other Liberal Arts Content Area |
| 2.75 GPA | Average in all coursework |
*Please note that social sciences courses (e.g., psychology, sociology, anthropology, etc.) do not count toward the science requirement.
Elementary Special Education* (1st - 6th grade)
| Credits/GPA | Course |
|---|---|
| 6 credits | Math |
| 6 credits | Science* |
| 6 credits | Social Studies |
| 6 credits | English |
| 12 credits | Other Liberal Arts Content Area |
| 2.75 GPA | Average in all coursework |
*Please note that social sciences courses (e.g., psychology, sociology, anthropology, etc.) do not count toward the science requirement.
English Language Arts or English Special Education* (Secondary Content Area)
| Credits/GPA | Course |
|---|---|
| A major/degree in English OR | |
| 24 credits | English courses |
| 6 credits | Related English coursework, including:
|
| 2.75 GPA | Average in all coursework |
Mathematics or Math Special Education* (Secondary Content Area)
| Credits/GPA | Course |
|---|---|
| A major/degree in math, Statistics, Engineering OR | |
| 24 credits | Math courses |
| 6 credits | Related coursework, including:
|
| 2.75 GPA | Average in all coursework |
Science Special Education*: Biology (Secondary Content Area)
| Credits/GPA | Course |
|---|---|
| A major/degree in Biology OR | |
| 24 credits | Biology courses |
| 6 credits | Related coursework in natural science |
| 2.75 GPA | Average in all coursework |
Science Special Education*: Chemistry (Secondary Content Area)
| Credits/GPA | Course |
|---|---|
| A major/degree in Chemistry OR | |
| 24 credits | Chemistry courses |
| 6 credits | Related coursework in natural science or conceptual mathematics |
| 2.75 GPA | Average in all coursework |
Science Special Education*: Earth/Space (Secondary Content Area)
| Credits/GPA | Course |
|---|---|
| A major/degree in Earth/Space Science OR | |
| 24 credits | Earth Science courses |
| 12 credits | Space Science courses |
| 6 credits | Related coursework in natural science, conceptual mathematics, or engineering |
| 2.75 GPA | Average in all coursework |
Science Special Education*: Physics (Secondary Content Area)
| Credits/GPA | Course |
|---|---|
| A major/degree in Physics OR | |
| 24 credits | Physics courses |
| 6 credits | Related coursework in natural science, conceptual mathematics, or engineering |
| 2.75 GPA | Average in all coursework |
Spanish (Secondary Content Area)
| Credits/GPA | Course |
|---|---|
| A major/degree in Spanish OR | |
| 24 credits | Spanish courses |
| 6 credits | Related coursework, including:
|
| 2.75 GPA | Average in all coursework |
* Special Education Fellows will also take the Praxis II: Education of Exceptional Students: Core Content Knowledge exam AND the Praxis II: Special Education: Application of Core Principles Across Categories of Disability exam after PGCTF training in August.