The educator preparation programs prepare educators who possess the knowledge, disposition, and skills necessary to take the lead in establishing effective teaching and learning environments within their own classrooms and school communities. Immersion in subject matter, research, theory, and field-based experience provides a base for our graduates to make well-reasoned judgments in complex situations, render informed decisions, model exemplary practice, and take initiative for planned change. Students learn to establish caring environments which celebrate individual differences and backgrounds while fostering cooperation and educational improvement. We stress reflective critical inquiry as a mode of study and community-building as a means for promoting change. We value and support both our students' local practice and their broader leadership within the profession.
At the graduate level, students begin preparation for teaching at the undergraduate level with a semester of field experience and professional course work in education. Students complete a baccalaureate degree outside of education and then have the opportunity to apply to the Masters in Education that is appropriate to their licensure area. UNH undergraduates who qualify can apply to the Accelerated Master’s program. This typically means that they can complete the Masters, including a full-year internship, in as few as five years. Successful completion of the M.Ed. or the M.A.T. means that a student is eligible to be recommended as a program completer for a license in teaching. Students in other departments studying music, mathematics, theatre, child development (with concentration in early childhood education), and physical education have the option of choosing a four-year undergraduate program for licensure. Students who have already completed a baccalaureate degree may also enter the teacher preparation program at the graduate level. With no prior course work in education, these programs will normally require two years to achieve licensure and a degree.
Frequently Asked Questions
The state of New Hampshire Department of Education Bureau of Credentialing issues teacher licenses in New Hampshire. The University of New Hampshire provides recommendations for licensure to the state upon completion of an educator preparation program. At that time, a teacher candidate must file an application with the NH Department of Education. Applications are available online through the New Hampshire Educator Information System.
In addition to the recommendation for licensure provided by UNH at the completion of a student’s educator preparation program, candidates for certification must provide Praxis Core and Praxis II scores (as required by content area), submit an official transcript showing award of degree, complete a background check, and pay required fees.
Teacher candidates recommended by the University are eligible for a BEC-Beginner Educator Certificate (license).
Licensure, which broadly speaking is the ability to demonstrate all the requirements needed to be hired as a teacher or an administrator in a specific state, often requires completing a set of specific courses culminating in a degree, passing national or state exams, completing an internship, practicum or other experience in an educational setting, and potentially collecting letters of reference or verification of professional experience.
A degree is recognition of the successful completion of a specified program of study awarded by a college or university. One may earn a degree and not meet certification requirements, or one may earn a degree and based on that program of study, use it as proof of readiness to be certified. Consider the difference between earning a master’s degree in History versus earning a Master of Education degree in Social Studies Education. Many of content courses for these degrees may overlap, but the Social Studies degree would lead to certification based on a program of study that includes a broader set of content courses as well as teacher preparation courses and experiences.
A degree is usually the foundation for recommending someone for certification as it provides a defined collection of courses and experiences for demonstrating the completion of requirements that a state requires to be hired as a teacher or administrator. The requirements needed to earn a degree are often very similar or the same as what is needed to meet most requirements for certification. This is intentional; so that students graduating with certain education degrees are ready to be recommended for certification upon completion of their programs.
Some prospective students who have already earned a Master’s degree in Education or a related field may seek a licensure-only program of study. These students, who have already met many foundational educational requirements, often want an efficient, thorough, additional program of study that opens new career options. These programs require students to complete a specific set of courses in order to receive a recommendation as a program completer for a license.. Students may not be required to complete all the requirements for a degree program. UNH currently offers licensure-only programs in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and Special Education Administrator.
Praxis test information is available on the ETS Praxis site.
Yes, you may seek a waiver for the Praxis Core tests by requesting a review of SAT, ACT or GRE tests from the NH DOE. These may be used for admission purposes to UNH 4-year teacher preparation programs and when applying for certification.
Here is a link to how that process occurs and all questions should be directed to the NH DOE test evaluation request page.
Students applying for the 5-year accelerated master’s program or another teacher preparation-related master’s program must submit Praxis Core scores for admission to the UNH Graduate School.
You will need to create a myNHDOE account (Educator ID) when you begin the background check process. Please send your Educator ID number (this is not the MY NH DOE number) to Daniel.Carchidi@unh.edu.
You can create your EIS user account on the NH DOE website at myNHDOELogin.
This system is where you will apply for your license after UNH has recommended you for teacher licensure. Creating your account gets the process started. The license is also issued through this portal as a downloadable .PDF file.
Please contact education.department@unh.edu if you need a letter of eligibility when applying for teaching positions prior to receiving your licensure. The eligibility letter states that you will complete your educator preparation program in May 20XX or September 20XX, depending on your graduation date, and be eligible for New Hampshire licensure. Please provide your UNH ID # and your licensure area when you request the eligibility letter.
NHED requires an official transcript showing award of degree to be licensed. When requesting your transcript from the UNH Registrar, note “hold for degree” on the submission form. Official transcripts should be sent to NHDOE at this address: credentialing.docs@doe.nh.gov Final degree and certification information may take 6 or more weeks after graduation to be included on your official transcript.
If you are applying for certification outside of New Hampshire, please visit the Department of Education website of the state in which you are seeking certification. Information regarding testing requirements, verification of completion of out-of-state educator preparation program forms and other useful information can be found online or by contacting the State Department of Education in the state in which you would like to work. Please email education.department@unh.edu and we will be happy to work with you.
It typically takes 4-6 weeks to be issued a teaching or administrator license once an application is complete.
NHDOE policy states that recommendations for licensure are valid for 3 years from an institution’s date of recommendation.
Once you complete all degree requirements including your student teaching/internship, you will be recommended to NHED as a program completer. You will need to submit your subject specific exam or other tests such as the Foundations of Reading to NHED, final transcript showing award of degree, pay the applicable fees, and complete a background check in order to be eligible to receive your license. Please contact the Education Department (education.department@unh.edu) for assistance or any questions.
Not really. State requirements are consistent to be certified including Praxis tests, degree completion, student teaching/internships, and NH Teacher Candidate Assessment of Performance (NHTCAP). However, courses and length of student teaching or internship are different in the 4 and 5-year programs.
The critical shortage list published by the NH Department of Education is available here.
The New Hampshire Teacher Candidate Assessment of Performance (NHTCAP) often referred to as the “TCAP” is a statewide, common assessment tool for evaluating teacher candidates’ preparedness for the classroom while also serving as a tool for candidate and programmatic learning. The TCAP requires teacher candidates to demonstrate strategies they will use to make learning accessible to their students; explain the thinking underlying their teaching decisions; and analyze strategies they use to teach.
