Secondary Teacher Education Program (STEP)

Professional Educator Program (PEP) Track in Secondary Education

Students can earn secondary teacher certification for teaching grades 7-12 from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania concurrent with a minor in Education for Secondary Schools in conjunction with academic majors. Students begin the program in the pre-professional phase of the program, confirming their commitment to teaching. See courses listed above. Afterward, students pursue the professional educator program of STEP as they fulfill the requirements of an academic major. DeSales University is authorized by the Pennsylvania Department of Education to prepare teachers in:

Biology (Major: biology)
Chemistry (Major: chemistry)
Communication (Major: theatre, film, or communication)
English (Major: English or theater)
Mathematics (Major: mathematics)
Social Sciences (Major: psychology)
Social Studies (Major: history or political science)
Spanish (Major or minor: Spanish

All certification areas are for grades 7-12, except Spanish, which is K-12. A program is offered for those preparing to teach theology but no Pennsylvania Department of Education certification is available. Please see the academic major for course requirements.

Clinical Field Experience and Student Teaching in STEP

Successful completion of the clinical field experience component of STEP is necessary for admittance to student teaching as mandated by PDE. Clinical field consists of a minimum of 170 hours of supervised classroom and educational experiences before student teaching. Field-experience competencies as determined by PDE must be met during the field experience.

Once candidates have completed all courses within the professional sequence, they are ready to student teach. STEP candidates may be placed in secondary public and nonpublic schools in grades 7-12 within their certification content area.