5-Year and Post-Bacc Teacher Education Program
A Top-Ranked Program that Prepares Teachers to Lead Change in the 21st Century.
Take the First Step Towards Your Career Today
Top-Ranked
Rutgers GSE is ranked among the top 13% of schools of education in the country.
Personal Attention & Mentoring
Enjoy small class sizes and personal mentoring from world-class faculty.
Competitive Tuition
Get a premium education experience with competitive tuition.
The GSE’s Community School Partnership Network (GSE-CSPN) allows pre-service teachers to gain experience working in NJ schools. Often they go on to be employed in their assigned district and join other New Jersey teachers as some of the highest compensated educators in the country.
Rutgers Graduate School of Education offers a wide variety of five-year joint bachelor’s and master’s with initial teacher certification. We also offer post-bacc options for those who have completed their bachelor’s degree. Each program is designed to provide students with the opportunity for real-world practice while positioning them at the cusp of cutting-edge research in their field of interest.
This blend of theory and practice—facilitated by world-class faculty and paired with the GSE’s community-wide commitment to equity and social justice—equips alumni with a holistic understanding of the current state of education and the specialized skills needed to set them apart from their peers and fellow job-seekers. The New Jersey Department of Education reports that graduates of Rutgers’ teacher education programs consistently have the highest rate of job placement in New Jersey school districts.
Our Commitment to Equity & Social Justice
Rutgers GSE has been preparing New Jersey teachers since 1923. Our programs have continually evolved to effectively address the various dimensions of education and cultivate leaders capable of driving change and innovation in the field.
Teachers prepared at the GSE will learn to critically analyze the social politics of urban, rural, and suburban schools and use that analysis to advocate for each other, their students, and the families that they serve as they engage in the most effective instructional practices built upon deep knowledge of their students.
How It Works
In the 5-Year Program, Rutgers undergraduates apply and are admitted to the program in spring semester junior year. Their professional education sequence begins during senior year. At the end of senior year, students qualify to have their bachelor’s degree awarded by one of Rutgers’ undergraduate schools. Students continue with their professional education sequence the summer after their undergraduate graduation and throughout their fifth year. In the fall of their fifth year, students complete a student teaching internship with related coursework and continue with full-time graduate study, including a community-based practicum in the spring.
Post-Bacc candidates follow a similar sequence of course and clinical work after they have earned their bachelor’s degree. After two years of professional study at the GSE, 5-Year and Post-Bacc students complete all requirements and the Master of Education (Ed.M.) degree is conferred. Then, Rutgers GSE will make a nomination to the New Jersey State Department of Education on behalf of the student to receive a Certificate of Eligibility with Advanced Standing in the subject area(s) specific to their individual program.
