5-Year Program with Certification in Mathematics Education (K-12)

    Program Overview

    The 5-Year Program with Certification in Mathematics Education (K-12)  stresses the need for students to be familiar with the entire K-16 range of mathematics learners, challenges, and current developments. The core curriculum provides students with a foundational understanding of the principles in mathematics education, while elective courses deal with basic problems in the learning and teaching of mathematics, techniques and strategies for studying children’s mathematical thinking, the uses of technology in mathematics teaching, and topics within mathematics itself. Successful completion of the program will lead to a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree in education, and initial teacher certification in mathematics education. The program curriculum will provide students with exposure to fundamental courses related to education, including the Urban Social Justice Core classes, as well as program-specific coursework related to teaching biology at the middle and high school levels. 

    To complete the program in 5 years, undergraduate students must complete specific pre-admission coursework and field placements during their sophomore and junior years. Students then apply for the 5-year program before the Spring semester of their junior year and if admitted, enter the professional education sequence in the summer before senior year. After senior year, students qualify to have their bachelor’s degree awarded by the undergraduate liberal arts college and continue with the professional sequence in the summer after graduation. Students will return in the fall to complete a full-time student-teaching internship and continue with full-time graduate study, including a field-based research project in the spring. 

    After the master’s degree is awarded, the GSE will make a recommendation to the New Jersey State Department of Education on behalf of the graduate to receive their Certificate of Eligibility with Advanced Standing (CEAS) as a teacher.

    Program Goals as of 2022-2023
    (Last updated: 7/28/2022)

    Knowledge/Understanding 

    • Mathematics Education students will expand and deepen their own understanding of mathematics and how it is learned. Specifically, this includes being able to: identify the mathematics in their own and other students’ reasoning; understand the types of environments that support growth in their students’ reasoning; and determine the validity and learning opportunities contained in their students’ arguments. 

    Communication/Community Building 

    • Mathematics Education students will learn how to collaborate with their peers and colleagues to grow professionally and support their own and other students’ learning of mathematics.

    Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) 

    • Mathematics Education students will understand how the diversity, strengths, and identities of their own students influence how they learn and consider these factors in planning for access and support in mathematics lessons. 

    Research/Professional Practice 

    • Mathematics Education students will improve their ability to successfully teach mathematics. Specifically, they will be able to use problem solving and technology as tools for advancing their own and other students’ mathematical knowledge. 

    Assessment 

    • Mathematics Education students will learn how to collect and use evidence of their own and other students’ learning of mathematics (from both formal and informal assessments) to improve instruction and subsequent learning of individual students, subgroups of students, and whole classrooms of students. 

    Professional Development/Self-Reflection 

    • Mathematics Education students will develop a stance towards continuous professional learning and development, including reflective self-inquiry. 

    For more information about this program:

    • Prospective students should download the revised proposed program guide (with fewer required credits) effective September 2025*. The program guide includes a proposed course list and application requirements for the anticipated new program.
    • The current program guide is effective through Summer 2025 and is applicable to all current students.
    • For more information about the pending changes to the program, please attend a GSE Initial Licensure Information Session or watch this video of an information session, password: ?0fzQs9I
    • Contact Ken Tufo, Student Counselor in the Office of Student and Academic Services for further information.

    *Pending final approval from the New Jersey Department of Education and Rutgers University.

    Program Details

    Application Deadline

    Februrary 1, 2025

    Entry Term(s)

    Summer

    Program Level

    Masters

    Program Type

    Bachelor's Degree Master's Degree + Teacher Certification

    Format

    On-campus

    Credits

    62

  • What You’ll Learn

    The 5-Year Program with Certification in Mathematics Education (K-12) at the GSE offers accepted students the opportunity to expand their mathematics background, acquaint themselves with and enhance their practice of various methods and techniques for teaching mathematics, and to participate in practical experiences creating effective classroom environments for children learning mathematics. Students in the program will engage in independent studies, small group work, and traditional whole-group class sessions. Students will also be involved in the ongoing research and professional development activities of the faculty and doctoral students in mathematics education.

    For more information about the courses in this program, please visit the course catalog and online schedule of classes.

  • Program Requirements
    • 32 Undergraduate Course Credits
      • 12.5 Credits – Completed Pre-admission in Sophomore or Junior Year
      • 6.5 Credits – Completed in the Fall of Senior Year
      • 13 Credits – Completed in the Spring of Senior Year
    • 2 no-credit Course Modules – Completed in the Summer Before Senior Year
    • 30 Graduate Course Credits
      • 3 Credits – Completed in the Summer Before the 5th Year
      • 15 Credits – Completed in the Fall of the 5th Year
      • 12 Credits – Completed in the Spring of the 5th Year
    • Portfolio 
      • Students will archive artifacts from various GSE courses via an online instructional and evaluation system as directed by faculty

    Graduates are expected to complete the required course sequence and satisfy their general education requirements and liberal arts credits, as well as complete HIB training, an edTPA performance-based assessment, and their portfolio concurrently through completion of their coursework.

  • Careers and Outcomes

    Given timely recognition of the importance of science, technology, math, and engineering (STEM) education programs in the United States and abroad, graduates of this program are especially poised to pursue teaching, administrative, and educational leadership roles in mathematics education immediately following conferral of their degree. Depending on their individual teacher certification status, students exiting the program may take up positions as math teachers and tutors, college-level instructors or faculty, and or consultants, developers, or specialists working on special educational initiatives. Other opportunities outside traditional education settings might include careers as mathematicians, statisticians, accountants, or financial managers.

  • Admissions Requirements
    • Personal Statement
    • One Letter of Recommendation
    • Passing Praxis Core test scores* in Reading, Writing, and Math
      • or SAT scores* greater than 50th percentile in both Math and Verbal or both Math and Reading
      • or ACT scores* greater than 50th percentile in both Math and English
      • or GRE scores* greater than 50th percentile in both Verbal and Quantitative Reasoning
    • Official Undergraduate Transcripts**

    *Any test scores submitted must be less than 5 years old as of the application deadline
    **The New Jersey Department of Education requires a minimum GPA of 2.75 to be admitted to a teacher education program

  • How to Apply
    1. Collect the materials required for admission
    2. Submit your application online at http://gradstudy.rutgers.edu/
    3. Submit supporting materials online
    4. Any supporting materials that cannot be submitted electronically should be mailed to Graduate Admissions’ New Brunswick office. Their mailing address can be found here: https://gradstudy.rutgers.edu/about/contact-us
  • Tuition & Financial Assistance

    Tuition: 

    For tuition and fees information please visit the tuition landing page.

    Financial Aid:

    While students are encouraged to apply for federal student aid using the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), there are a number of other merit- and need-based support options, including loans and college work-study programs within and external to Rutgers. For more information, please visit the Office of Financial Aid website.

    Scholarships, Fellowships & Assistantships:

    Generous GSE alumni, friends, and community members have established and continue to donate to more than one dozen fellowships and scholarships to help deserving students reach their goals. These awards are granted on the basis of academic achievement and or financial need. While these awards are competitive, interested students are encouraged to apply for consideration and submit the required materials. Students must also submit a FAFSA application to be eligible.  

    To review all current awards and learn more about the donors that established them, please click here. 

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