Teacher Education Program

STUDENT RESOURCES FACULTY RESOURCES

Start your student to teacher journey at Cornell

Cornell students have many opportunities to identify a field of interest in their first-year, then apply to the Teacher Education Program in their second year to start the path to obtaining a teaching certification.

By the time you are student teaching in your senior year, you'll be classroom comfortable, because previous practicums will have prepared you. 

Successful TEP graduates should apply for their Iowa teaching license upon graduation. Iowa licensure provides graduates with reciprocity in most states and territories in the U.S.*

*Specific state by state reciprocity is shared with TEP students at time of admission to the program.

Teaching and learning in parallel

One Course At A Time allows you to easily weave in field experiences, practicums, and student teaching opportunities without the stress of trying to navigate around a traditional semester course schedule. You can spend entire days at your school site and get connected with your classroom in a way that is not always possible if you only have an hour or two to be in the classroom each day.

You can complete practicums in K-12 classrooms beginning in your first year. These early experiences help you discover the area of study and the level at which you’d like to teach. By the time you graduate, you’ll have completed a minimum of 20 weeks in various public school classrooms.

Education staff and faculty provide close supervision and mentoring during your student teaching and job search process. You’ll get assistance with your resumes, cover letters, and application materials. And you’ll get to practice your interview skills during a career day where local principals conduct mock interviews on campus.

Obtaining K-12 Certifications

Once you’re in the Teacher Education Program and you’ve declared your major in studio art, music, or kinesiology, you may decide to complete your K-12 certification for music, art, or physical education.

You’ll complete your major course requirements in addition to completing your education coursework. For example, a music major works toward course completion in both education and in music, graduating with a bachelor of music (B.Mus.) degree and K-12 certification in music.