Robert Morris University offers a Secondary Teacher Certification Preparation program for students who already hold a bachelor's degree and wish to pursue a rewarding career in teaching. This program provides students with the course work required for Pennsylvania state teacher certification in several areas, including communication.
Our education faculty members are specialists in their areas of expertise, and all have related work experience as practitioners in the field, such as principals, superintendents, and teachers.
Students take a combination of graduate and undergraduate courses to fulfill academic requirements. Completion of the program requires a 16-week semester of supervised student teaching and the successful completion of all required Praxis examinations.
Job opportunities for teachers over the next 10 years should be excellent, due mostly to the large number of teachers expected to retire. There are currently 6.3 million teaching positions in the United States, and employment opportunities are expected to increase. In addition, over one million teachers will retire in the next five years, leaving our nation with a potential shortage of over two million teachers.
Teaching is a highly respected profession which provides a regular daily and weekly work schedule, time off each year, excellent benefits, job security and opportunities to continue your education.
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2010 national mean bachelor-level, entry-level salaries: (information from the National Association of Colleges and Employers) |
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Elementary |
$30,513 |
Special Education |
$32,898 |
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Pre-Elementary |
$27,336 |
Specific Academic/Vocational |
$34,260 |
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Secondary |
$37,703 |
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2009 RMU Salary Survey: |
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Elementary Education |
Mean: $31,250 |
Range: $24,000 - $38,500 (based on three or fewer responses) |
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Business Education (M.S.) |
Mean: $40,539 |
Range: $30,000 - $55,000 |
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Below is a typical four-year course of study for communications teacher certification, including major requirements and electives. Your own schedule will vary based on your own interests.
| FRESHMAN/Fall Semester | FRESHMAN/Spring Semester |
| Reading & Writing Strategies | Argument and Research |
| Reading Literature: Coming of Age | Intro to Communication |
| Math Reasong w/Applications | Schools and Society |
| General Psychology | Study of Literature |
| Principles of Sociology | Fundamentals of Info. Systems |
| Statistics | |
| SOPHOMORE/Fall Semester | SOPHOMORE/Spring Semester |
| Public Speaking and Persuasion | Intercultural Communication |
| Survey of Economics | Teaching Special Needs Students |
| Educational Psychology | Modern English Grammar and Editing |
| Study of Language | Creative Writing |
| Intro. to Theater | Study of Rhetoric |
| General elective | Humanities: Art and Music |
| JUNIOR/Fall Semester | JUNIOR/Spring Semester |
| Interpersonal/Small Group Comm. | Instructional Design/Assessment |
| Professional Communication | American Lit: 1865-Present |
| Teaching in Inclusive Sec. Classrooms | British Lit: 1789-Present |
| Reading Content/ELL | Seminar in English Studies |
| American Lit: Before 1865 | Natural Sciences elective |
| British Lit to 1789 | |
| SENIOR/Fall Semester | SENIOR/Spring Semester |
| Technology for Secondary Educators | Student Teaching Seminar |
| Content Specific Pedagogy: Eng/Com | Student Teaching Internship: Eng/Com |
| Dramatic Art of Shakespeare | Additonal night course |
| Writing Theories and Practices |
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| History or Political Science elective |
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The Communications Skills Program (CSP) is a sequence of nine courses running through all four years of instruction. Students are normally required to take eight of them: four in the University Core and four communications-intensive courses in their major fields or closely related areas of study.
Because communications skills is a concern during every semester and in every major, Robert Morris students have the time necessary to develop proficiency in reading and interpreting, writing, speaking, listening, making presentations using appropriate software, developing skills in cross cultural and multicultural group dynamics, and applying rhetorical skills to each business discipline.
The Communications skills courses equip Robert Morris graduates for a competitive, multicultural, professional environment, and satisfy employer needs for employees prepared to meet the demands of a diverse and interconnected global economy.
The program builds a real world advantage for the Robert Morris graduate. The University believes this program moves Robert Morris graduates years ahead of their peers in terms of experience that will be most valuable to them on the job and in graduate studies.
School of Education & Social Sciences - Advisory Committee School of Education & Social Sciences - Advisory Committee
A resource for faculty and students in teacher education is the advisory board, which consists of education alumni, teachers, and administrators from schools where our graduates are employed. These professionals provide advice and input on matters pertaining to the education profession which are helpful to the department in keeping the curriculum current and in keeping our program requirements challenging yet practical. Thus, it is the primary goal of the board to help keep Robert Morris at the cutting edge of teacher education offerings in the area.
The School of Education and Social Sciences faculty is comprised of caring individuals who accept the responsibility for educating the "whole" student at RMU. Consequently, our faculty members are specialists in their areas of expertise who effectively implement sound instructional practices when teaching and just as importantly, they engage students in a variety of purposeful enrichment activities outside the classroom setting. As all faculty possess related work experience as practitioners in the field, such as principals, superintendents, teachers, researchers, authors, psychologists, counselors, etc., students learn from them first-hand what it takes to succeed.
Scholarships are available based upon academic achievement.
For freshmen, high school grade point average and ACT/SAT scores are used. For transfer students, the cumulative grade point average of all college courses is used. Scholarships range from $1000 per year up to full tuition. (To calculate your scholarship eligibility, click here.)
Higher education is an investment in your future.
At Robert Morris University, we will work closely with you to show you how to finance your education through a combination of need-based financial aid, scholarships, and financing strategies to make your education attainable. RMU has one of the lowest tuition rates of all private institutions in the state, but we know that financing your education can be complicated, and your family might need help in understanding your options.
Talk to us—we can help!
Email us at finaid@rmu.edu
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