Online Graduate Secondary Education Certificate

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Degree Level

Master's

Class Setting

Online

Area of Study

Teaching

Program

Grad. Cert. Canyon L.E.A.P. to Teach, Secondary Education

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Country

United States

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Overview

Explore Teaching Methods for Middle and High School Learners

Answer the call to pursue a teaching career with GCU’s graduate certificate in secondary education. This specialized program surveys knowledge and skills in teaching and curriculum development at the secondary education level. This program is intended for those looking to become a certified teacher in grades 6–12, who already hold a bachelor’s degree but do not currently hold a teaching license.^{(See disclaimer 1)} Candidates must also have verification of employment with a school district as a teacher of record.

This post-baccalaureate secondary education certificate serves as an alternative route for obtaining a teaching license, incorporating observation requirements, mentorship, hands-on teaching experience and theoretical knowledge of pedagogy. As a graduate of this certificate program, you will be prepared to work as a teacher in a middle or high school classroom by pursuing a non-traditional path to teacher licensure with the support of your school district.^{(See disclaimer 1)}

Graduate Certificate of Completion Canyon L.E.A.P. to Teach, Secondary Education

Initial Program – Leads to Initial Teacher Licensure

Offered By

College of Education

Class Settings

Online

Tuition Rate

Online: $615 per credit [More Info]

Cost of Attendance

Course Information

Credits: 16

Online: 6 weeks

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Transfer Credits

The University will accept one course of the total certificate requirements in transfer.

Credits: Fill out the Lopes Eval to find out what will transfer

Admission Requirements

Admission Requirements (Master's)

Undergraduate Degree*
2.8+ GPA

OR 2.5+ Unweighted GPA and

GMAT: 500
GRE: 300 combined**

Admission requirements may differ based on degree level, program and modality, or transfer status. Some programs of study may require a higher GPA and/or other qualifying criteria for admission. Please review full admission and program requirements in the University Policy Handbook.
* Degree must be from an accredited college or program that has been approved by GCU.
** Combined verbal/quantitative, after August 2011 (1,000 combined verbal and quantitative, prior to August 2011).

GCU’s Canyon L.E.A.P. to Teach Programs are exclusively offered in Arizona and only lead to Arizona state licensure.

Why GCU

Advance Your Skills for Effective Classroom Instruction

This graduate certificate in secondary education follows the Canyon L.E.A.P. to Teach pathway, which is a non-traditional approach to entering the education field. This structured L.E.A.P. program aims to prepare teacher candidates to earn a secondary education certificate through an immersive learning experience that includes daytime teaching, professional development, mentor support and graduate coursework.

Offered by GCU’s College of Education, this graduate certificate program is designed to be accessible and flexible for both full-time students and working professionals. You can accelerate your pathway toward a teaching career and prepare to inspire students to achieve their full potential. GCU offers faith-integrated courses that nurture your beliefs while shaping you to serve as an ethical leader in your school system.

Accessible

Flexible

Transferable

Coursework

Course Topics for Secondary Education Certificate Graduates

As a future teacher, you may have opportunities to inspire students and leave them with a lasting impression that can help shape their future success. Prepare to serve as a role model and mentor, as well as a teacher. GCU’s coursework in this graduate certificate program can help you develop strong competencies in classroom management, teaching strategies, curriculum development and more.

The graduate-level coursework within GCU’s certificate of secondary education program focuses on practical, applied strategies that fit within the modern classroom, helping to prepare you to serve culturally and socially diverse students.

Coursework in this certificate in secondary education program teaches skills and knowledge in the following areas:

Planning, delivery and evaluation of standards-based instruction

Typical and atypical development of middle and high schoolers

Realistic discipline plans for managing student and classroom behavior

Research-based methodologies to enhance literacy instruction

Development of engaging learning environments for varying ability levels

Strategies for English language learning through Structured English Immersion

Graduate Certificate in Secondary Education Program Requirements

As a student in this graduate certificate program, you are required to fulfill programmatic requirements established by the College of Education. Fulfilling all of these program requirements satisfactorily can lead to graduation and enable you to apply for your teaching license.^{(See disclaimer 1 )}Expect to complete both coursework and hands-on field practicum experiences.

Program requirements include:

Experience with formal and informal evaluations
Four online GCU teacher education courses
Culminating hands-on capstone project
Professional development and mentoring

This comprehensive approach helps ensure that candidates are well-supported during every step of the pathway and are able to sufficiently develop their pedagogical skills. GCU aims to graduate teacher candidates who are fully prepared to step into the classroom and guide students toward academic success and personal growth.

Careers

Grow Your Teaching Career With a Secondary Education Certificate

Middle and high school teachers hold considerable responsibility, as they are tasked with nurturing the academic achievements and personal growth of individuals during a dynamic period in their development. While handling tasks such as developing lesson plans, delivering instruction, grading assignments and providing one-on-one guidance, teachers must always keep in mind their ultimate mission: to serve as an inspirational, positive influence that motivates students to live up to their true potential.

Potential job opportunities you could pursue include:

Middle school teacher

High school teacher

$64,580

Median annual salary of high school teachers as of May 2024^{(See disclaimer 3)}

66,200

Number of openings expected for high school teachers each year from 2024 to 2034^{(See disclaimer 4)}

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Whether you are just starting your career in education or are considering a career change, it’s likely you have some questions. These frequently asked questions and answers about the graduate certificate program may be helpful as you plan your career pathway.

How do you get a secondary education certificate if you already have a bachelor's degree?

The process of obtaining an education certificate if you already have a bachelor's degree may vary depending on your specific circumstances and the licensure or certification requirements in your state.1 However, this secondary education graduate certificate program at GCU is specifically designed for individuals who already have a bachelor's degree and are interested in pursuing a career in teaching at the middle or high school level. Upon graduating, you will need to pass certification exams to earn your teaching license.1

What is a secondary education graduate certificate?

A secondary education graduate certificate program allows those with a bachelor’s degree to complete the education requirements necessary to pursue teacher licensure. You can expect a series of courses that focus on topics such as curriculum design, classroom management, instructional strategies and assessment and evaluation. This program can be a good option if you enjoy working with adolescents and want to gain advanced knowledge and skills to enter the education field.

Is a graduate certificate worth it?

While the curriculum and experiential components may be challenging at times, a graduate certificate program that focuses on secondary education may be worth it for you if you’re interested in becoming a teacher and working with middle or high school students. While reflecting on your career choices, you may want to explore job shadowing opportunities or otherwise connect with current secondary teachers to learn more about the career and determine if a certificate program is the right choice for you.

Can you teach in secondary education without a certification?

All states require teachers in public schools to hold a state-issued teacher license or certification. While private schools are not required by law to mandate a teaching certification, they may look for well-qualified individuals and may choose to require this credential.5 Along with this graduate certificate program, which can lead to initial teacher licensure, you have other options for pursuing teacher preparation. These include a degree program, such as the MEd in Early Childhood Education degree, which leads to licensure.

Courses

Program Curriculum

Credit Summary

Major16 credits

Degree Requirements16 credits

Core Courses

TCH-505

2 Total Credits

Course Description

Candidates will identify effective classroom management techniques that foster a sense of community and promote student growth. Candidates will reflect on the importance of building a strong connection between home and school. All candidates will examine research-based strategies that engage learners in collaborative and self-directed learning. Throughout this course candidates will evaluate the logical progression of effective lessons, leveraging critical thinking skills and preferred learning styles. Candidates will engage in reflective practices, including a variety of self-assessments, to reflect on their practices and plan for necessary adjustments. Practicum/field experience hours: 1. Fingerprint clearance required.

SEC-510

3 Total Credits

Course Description

This course is designed to allow the teacher candidate the opportunity to learn techniques involved in the successful engagement and management of a learning environment. Major emphasis is placed to the establishment of a realistic discipline plan to manage student behavior, as well as engagement and management techniques and strategies to maximize instructional time, classroom procedures, and physical space. Practicum/field experience hours: 15. Fingerprint clearance required. Prerequisite: SEC-501 or SEC-502 or approved enrollment in the Graduate Certificate of Completion Canyon L.E.A.P. to Teach, Secondary Education.

SEC-545

3 Total Credits

Course Description

Teacher candidates explore research-based strategies for delivering differentiated reading instruction to promote reading proficiency. Language and literacy development is examined to inform assessment, remediation and intervention practices to support middle to high school readers and ability levels, including students with dyslexia and other reading disabilities. Using this foundational knowledge, teacher candidates will select, adapt, and use research-based instructional strategies and interventions with attention focused on reading in academic curricula to advance learning for adolescent students. Practicum/field experience hours: 15. Fingerprint clearance required.

ESL-545

3 Total Credits

Course Description

In this course, teacher candidates examine the fundamentals of the legal, historical, and educational foundations of Structured English Immersion (SEI) and other instructional programs and approaches for teaching English learners. Theoretical principles of language acquisition and the role of culture in learning are examined. Methods of assessment are identified and analyzed. Teacher candidates identify strategies to promote English language development and improve student achievement as they plan, deliver, and evaluate standards-based instruction for English learners. Practicum/field experience hours: 15. Fingerprint clearance required.

SPD-508

3 Total Credits

Course Description

Teacher candidates are introduced to the educational needs of students with mild to moderate disabilities and their families, including the definitions, characteristics, prevalence, causes and educational approaches to these disabilities and disorders. Teacher candidates will identify cognitive, linguistic, social and emotional patterns of learning and development for students with mild to moderate disabilities. Teacher candidates also survey the special education process involving the application of various laws and regulations. Practicum/field experience hours: None. Fingerprint clearance not required.

TCH-506

2 Total Credits

Course Description

The goal of this culminating experience is to allow candidates to refine their skills in the identified InTASC standards. Teacher candidates will move to higher levels on the InTASC progressions through in-class discussions, video reflection, in-class progression of essential skills, and peer and coach mentoring. Candidates will create and evaluate appropriate learning experiences to move learners toward their next levels of development. They will dive deeper into the analysis of data to identify patterns and gaps in learning to guide instruction and provide meaningful feedback. Candidates will reevaluate plans in relation to short- and long-range goals and systematically adjust plans to meet each student’s learning needs and enhance learning. Practicum/field experience hours: 1. Fingerprint clearance required.

GCU cannot and will not promise job placement, a job, graduate school placement, transfer of GCU program credits to another institution, promotion, salary, or salary increase. Please see the Career Services Policy in the University Policy Handbook.
Please note that this list may contain programs and courses not presently offered, as availability may vary depending on class size, enrollment and other contributing factors. If you are interested in a program or course listed herein please first contact your University Counselor for the most current information regarding availability.
Please refer to the Academic Catalog for more information. Programs or courses subject to change

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Take the Next Step Toward Teaching Licensure

Prepare to make an impact in the classroom. Earn your Canyon L.E.A.P. to Teach certificate of secondary education online at GCU.

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If you are seeking licensure/certification, please refer to the "Accreditation and Compliance/State Disclosures” link for the specific program of interest’s website for your location and/or employment state’s licensure requirements, per 34 CFR 668.14(b)32 and 668.43(c).
Excluding observational and practice-based experiences and student teaching.
The earnings referenced were reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), High School Teachers, as of May 2024, retrieved November 2025. Due to COVID-19, data from 2020 to 2023 may be atypical compared to prior years. BLS calculates the median using salaries of workers nationwide with varying levels of education and experience. It does not reflect the earnings of GCU graduates as high school teachers, nor does it reflect the earnings of workers in one city or region of the country or a typical entry-level salary. Median income is the statistical midpoint for the range of salaries in a specific occupation. It is very unlikely that a median salary will reflect an entry-level salary. It represents what you would earn if you were paid more money than half the workers in an occupation, and less than half the workers in an occupation. It may give you a basis to estimate what you might earn at some point if you enter this career. Grand Canyon University can make no guarantees on individual graduates’ salaries. Your employability will be determined by numerous factors over which GCU has no control, such as the employer the graduate chooses to apply to, the graduate’s experience level, individual characteristics, skills, etc. against a pool of candidates.
COVID-19 has adversely affected the global economy and data from 2020 to 2023 may be atypical compared to prior years. Accordingly, data shown is effective August 2025, which can be found here: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, High School Teachers, retrieved November 2025.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2025, Aug. 28). How to Become a High School Teacher. Occupational Outlook Handbook. Retrieved November 2025.

Online Graduate Secondary Education Certificate

Explore Teaching Methods for Middle and High School Learners

Advance Your Skills for Effective Classroom Instruction

Course Topics for Secondary Education Certificate Graduates

Graduate Certificate in Secondary Education Program Requirements

Grow Your Teaching Career With a Secondary Education Certificate

Earn Your Secondary Education Certificate From an Accredited University

Frequently Asked Questions

Program Curriculum

Core Courses