The BAE program in secondary education prepares educators to teach youth enrolled in grades 6-12. While teacher candidates develop a strong theoretical background in their specific content areas, the program focuses on developing the skills and teaching abilities required to successfully teach middle or high school students. This program also offers a full structured English immersion endorsement to work with English language learners and provides extensive experiences in integrating technology into teaching.

The secondary education teacher certification program is clinically embedded during the junior and senior years. The primary goal of all clinical experiences is to provide interns and student teachers with multiple opportunities to apply knowledge learned in coursework to practice in preK-12 classrooms. Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College students complete internships during the junior year that require one day per week in grades 6-12 classrooms and student teaching, which is a full-time, year-long apprenticeship known as the senior year residency. Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College faculty and highly qualified mentor teachers from our partner school districts and charter schools collaboratively coach interns and student teachers during required clinical experiences. The clinical experience provided by the program, known as iTeachAZ, provides students with an opportunity to work directly with children and make an immediate impact on classroom achievement. This intensive hands-on clinical experience model of teacher preparation creates highly sought after graduates.

Graduates of the program desiring to teach in a public school must pass the appropriate Arizona educator exams, National Evaluation Series or Arizona Educator Proficiency Assessments, to be certified to teach in the state of Arizona.

Graduates from secondary education are recommended for certification in an approved area for grades 6-12. The demand for well-prepared secondary teachers is strong, particularly in the areas of math and science. Job opportunities in a fast growing state such as Arizona are numerous. Graduates with a degree in secondary education work in:

• Charter schools
• Private school settings
• Public schools