The Education Department of Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts aims to prepare teachers who can motivate, challenge, and assist children in developing the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for creative citizenship and effective living. The College recognizes the importance of subject matter knowledge as an essential cornerstone of effective teaching and believes that this content knowledge should be appropriate to the task of teaching students at the early childhood, elementary, middle, and/or high school level.
The MCLA Education Department is dedicated to helping educators navigate the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) licensure process. Beginning educators will earn their first license at MCLA while practicing educators advance their license and earn ongoing professional development experiences for recertification. Within Massachusetts, there are four types of licenses: Temporary, Provisional, Initial, and Professional. A complete overview of available licensure types in each licensure category can be found on the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Office of Educator Licensure web page. 

General Information for All Teacher Licensure Candidates

All license programs require that students have completed a major in the Liberal Arts and Sciences appropriate to the licensure area.

Students who have completed requirements for licensure will be able to:

• plan curriculum and instruction
• deliver effective instruction
• manage classroom climate and operation
• promote equity
• meet professional responsibilities

The objective of the education program is to provide a balanced blend of theory and practice so that a student will graduate with a solid foundation from which to begin a teaching career.  A network of mentor teachers associated with the College affords the pre-professional student the opportunity to apply educational theories in a variety of settings.

Individualized areas of concentration may be developed by those students who do not require licensure. In this case, a plan of study will be created during the admissions process.

Initial Teacher Licensure

Licensure Requirements in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts grants initial licensure to individuals who have completed an approved educator preparation program and received passing scores on the appropriate Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL). Licensure candidates must pass all required MTELs for the license sought prior to beginning their practicum.

Licensure candidates are required to complete pre-practicum and practicum work at a variety of schools. All school districts require the completion of a CORI (Criminal Offender Record Information) check; some also require completion of a SORI (Sexual Offender Record Information) check and/or fingerprinting. Fingerprinting is required for the student teaching practicum. CORI forms are obtained from the school district. When applying for licensure, please be advised that DESE may refuse to provide a teaching license for an individual who is convicted as an adult of a felony. Concealment or misrepresentation of information required on the CORI form may result in denial of recommendation for licensure.

MCLA Initial Teacher Licensure Programs at the Graduate Level

• Early Childhood: Pre-K - Grade 2
• Elementary: Grades 1 – 6
• General Science: Grades 5 – 8
• Humanities: Grades 5 – 8
• Mathematics: Grades 5 – 8
• Mathematics and Science: Grades 5 – 8
• English: Grades 5 – 12
• History: Grades 5 – 12
• Biology: Grades 8 – 12
• Chemistry: Grades 8 – 12
• Mathematics: Grades 8 – 12
• Physics: Grades 8 – 12
• Moderate Disabilities: Pre-K - Grade 8 or Grades 5 – 12

Formal application for admission into the student teaching practicum requires an overall 3.0 GPA, with no grade below a B in required licensure courses, and an interview with Education department faculty. Prior to enrolling in a practicum, all students will be required to submit passing scores on the MTELs appropriate to the license they are seeking and a completed application (including two recommendations). Students must have departmental approval to enroll in more than 12 credits during the Professional semester.

After successfully completing an Initial licensure program at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, each candidate will be endorsed for licensure in Massachusetts and will have the following endorsement statement on their MCLA transcript: This student has completed a State and NASDTEC approved program for (indicate license field, level and type) and is institutionally recommended in this field.