Certification
The Accelerated Certification in Teaching Program (ACT) is designed to prepare women and men with non-teaching degrees for teaching careers. It is a non-degree, graduate-level, state-approved teacher education program.
Female teacher looking at a textbook with a child
Program Location

Maryland Educator Certification Areas

  • Art (PreK-12)
  • Music (PreK-12)
  • World Languages (PreK-12)
  • English for Speakers of Other Languages (PreK-12)
  • Early Childhood Education (PreK-3)
  • Elementary Education (1-6)
  • Special Education (1-8)
  • Special Education (6-Adult)
  • Secondary Education (7-12) in the following content areas:
    • Business Education
    • Computer Science
    • English
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Science
    • Social Studies
    • Theater

State Certification Requirements

In order to meet state certification requirements, you must successfully complete the coursework, internship, ePortfolio and Praxis II exams in the area of certification. During the internship semester, you will also complete an edTPA portfolio to be submitted for national scoring.

Anyone with a Bachelor's degree or above may apply to the ACT program. As part of the admissions process, your transcripts will be reviewed, and your academic advisor will create a custom program of study for you to follow so you will know what courses you need to take to ensure you meet the Maryland State Department of Education’s requirements.

Dual Certifications

Unlike many other teacher preparation programs, many of our program completers are certified in multiple content areas.

Dual or multiple certifications also increase the marketability of our graduates, furthering opportunities for meaningful employment.

Types of Dual Certifications Available

  • Art/Music/World Languages and Special Education
  • Early Childhood Education and Elementary Education
  • Early Childhood Education and Special Education
  • Elementary Education and Special Education
  • Secondary Education and Special Education

Additional Study Options

Certification in Secondary Education fields and PreK-12 certification fields art, music and world languages

Required Courses

  • EDU-519 Human Development and Learning
  • EDU-538 English Language Learners for the Classroom Teacher
  • EDU-544 Educational Assessment
  • EDU-556 Technology for Instruction and Management
  • EDU-580 Reading and Writing in the Content Areas Part I
  • EDU-551 Reading and Writing in the Content Areas Part II
  • SPE-526 Special Education for the Classroom Teacher

Select one Methods of Teaching in Secondary School course from the following:

  • EDU-530 Art
  • EDU-531 English
  • EDU-532 World Languages
  • EDU-533 Mathematics
  • EDU-537 Science
  • EDU-539 Social Studies

Methods course for Business, Music, Theatre and Computer Science candidates chosen in collaboration with academic advisor

  • EDU-601 Internship: Teaching in Secondary School or EDU 605 Internship: Student Teaching in Art
Certification in Elementary Education

Required Courses

  • EDU-509 Processes and Acquisition of Reading
  • EDU-510 Elementary Reading Materials
  • EDU-511 Assessment of Reading
  • EDU-513 Science and Social Studies in the Elementary School
  • EDU-519 Human Development and Learning
  • EDU-538 English Language Learners for the Classroom Teacher
  • EDU-542 Instruction in Reading
  • EDU-556 Technology for Instruction and Management
  • EDU-592 Mathematics in the Elementary School
  • EDU 602 Internship: Teaching in the Elementary School
  • SPE-526 Special Education for the Classroom Teacher

Elementary Education candidates may pursue a dual certification in Early Childhood Education (preK – 3) with the following additional class:

  • EDU-515 Curriculum and Methods for Early Childhood Education
  • EDU-603 Internship: Early Childhood (Dual certification candidates will complete both a 3 credit elementary school placement and a 3 credit early childhood placement during the internship semester)
Certification in Secondary Special Education

Required Courses

  • EDU-519 Human Development and Learning
  • SPE-526 Special Education for the Classroom Teacher
  • EDU-538 English Language Learners for the Classroom Teacher
  • EDU-53(_) Methods of Teaching in Secondary School (required if pursuing a dual certification in special education and a secondary content area – take the course matching the content area)
  • EDU-551 Reading and Writing in the Content Areas Part II
  • EDU-556 Technology for Instruction and Management
  • EDU-580 Reading and Writing in the Content Areas Part I
  • SPE-543 Special Education Assessment
  • SPE-546 Methods of Teaching Students with Special Needs
  • SPE-571 Vocational Skills
  • SPE-576 Communication Skills for the School-based Professional
  • SPE-601 Internship: Teaching in Special Education 
  • EDU-601 Internship: Teaching in Secondary School (Candidates will complete both a 3 credit special education placement and a 3 credit secondary placement during the internship semester, if seeking dual certification)
Certification in Elementary Special Education

Required Courses

  • EDU-519 Human Development and Learning
  • EDU-556 Technology for Instruction and Management
  • SPE-526 Special Education for the Classroom Teacher
  • EDU-538 English Language Learners for the Classroom Teacher
  • EDU-509 Processes and Acquisition of Reading
  • EDU-510 Elementary Reading Materials
  • EDU-511 Assessment for Reading Instruction
  • EDU-542 Instruction in Reading
  • EDU-592 Mathematics in the Elementary School (required if seeking dual certification with elementary education)
  • SPE-544 Special Education Assessment
  • SPE-546 Methods of Teaching Students with Special Needs
  • SPE-570 Individualizing the Curriculum:  Strategies for Holistic Intervention
  • SPE-576 Communication Skills for the School-based Professional
  • SPE-601 Internship: Teaching in Special Education
  • EDU-602 Internship: Teaching in the Elementary School (Candidates will complete both a 3 credit special education placement and a 3 credit elementary placement during the internship semester if seeking dual certification.)
Certification in ESOL PreK-12

Required Courses

  • EDU-508 Issues in TESOL 
  • EDU-545 Principles of Linguistics 
  • EDU-546 Methods and Materials for Second Language Acquisition 
  • EDU-547 Assessing Second Language Acquisition 
  • EDU-548 Language Learning 
  • EDU-586 Teaching Reading and Writing to Students with Limited English Proficiency 
  • EDU-556 Technology for Instruction and Management 
  • EDU-519 Human Development and Learning 
  • SPE-526 Special Education for the Classroom Teacher 
  • EDU-611 Internship: ESOL
Outcomes

Student Outcomes

As a student in this program, you will be able to:

  1. Use the knowledge of students to inform your teaching practice.
  2. Plan assessments to monitor and support student learning.
  3. Demonstrate skill in checking for student understanding and using feedback to assess.
  4. Utilize formative and summative assessments to inform your instructional practice.
  5. Deepen student learning by providing scaffolded opportunities for higher level, deeper learning.

Program Outcomes

At the completion of the program, you will be able to:

  1. Pass all national testing requirements, as applicable, achieving a 100% pass rate for NDMU.
  2. Enhance career and professional development opportunities for employment pathways in the profession, e.g., elementary or secondary education teacher, highly qualified with a dual or triple certification, professional developer, preparation for teaching in higher education, etc. 
  3. Document an ability to design a thorough lesson plan that addresses the needs of all students and which provides for both formative and summative measurable student outcomes.
  4. Utilize classroom management skills to effectively engage students and maximize learning opportunities for all students.
http://catalog.ndm.edu/graduate-catalog/school-of-education/accelerated-certification-for-teaching

What to Expect Studying at Notre Dame of Maryland University

As a nationally recognized NCATE-accredited teacher preparation program and the #1 private institution in Maryland for initial teacher certification, you can expect to benefit from small class sizes, expert faculty, and practical field experiences.

Flexible Class Schedules

Work with an advisor to develop a personalized program plan: 

  • Courses offered in the evenings at times convenient for working adults.
  • Occasional courses available on Saturdays or online.

High Quality Programs

All of NDMU's award-winning teacher certification programs are nationally recognized by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) and by the individual specialized professional associations; e.g., the National Council for Teachers of Mathematics.

Internship Opportunities

As part of the program requirements, you will complete a full-time internship semester with the support of a mentor teacher and an internship supervisor.

Internship Semester Features

  • Speak to human resources representatives from local school systems. 
  • Get insight into the application and interview process.
  • Find out what qualifications and content areas are most desired in local schools.
  • Participate in on-campus interviews.

Candidates who already have a full-time teaching position in their intended certification area may use their current teaching job to satisfy the internship requirement.

Teaching Positions

Graduates of NDMU are highly recruited for employment; we partner with local school systems to help our students navigate the hiring process.

See Our Award-Winning Teachers

Maryland Teacher Shortage Areas

Notre Dame offers more programs in critical shortage areas (PDF) than any other institution in Maryland. By providing programs in these much-needed areas, we help our local schools systems find new teachers and our graduates find teaching jobs.

For the 2025-2026 school year, the declared critical shortage areas are:

  • Family and Consumer Sciences, Technology Education (not offered at NDMU)
  • Computer Science (Grades 7–12)
  • English (Grades 7–12)
  • English for Speakers of Other Languages (Pre-K–Grade 12)
  • Mathematics (Grades 7–12)
  • Middle School Education in English, Math, Science and Social Studies (Grades 4-9)
  • Science Areas (Grades 7–12) Biology, Chemistry, Earth/Space Science, Physical Science, Physics
  • Special Education Areas Generic: Elementary (Grades 1-8) and Secondary/Adult (Grade 6–Adult)
  • World Language Areas (Pre-K–Grade 12) French, Spanish
  • Art (Pre-K–Grade 12)
  • Dance (not offered at NDMU)