Please consult the table below for key information about this degree program’s admissions requirements. The program may have more detailed admissions requirements, which can be found below the table or on the program’s website.

Graduate admissions is a two-step process between academic programs and the Graduate School. Applicants must meet the minimum requirements of the Graduate School as well as the program(s). Once you have researched the graduate program(s) you are interested in, apply online.

Graduate Admissions Requirements

Requirements	Detail
Fall Deadline	This program does not admit in the fall.
Spring Deadline	This program does not admit in the spring.
Summer Deadline	June 1*
GRE (Graduate Record Examinations)	May be required in certain cases; consult program.**
English Proficiency Test	Every applicant whose native language is not English or whose undergraduate instruction was not in English must meet the Graduate School minimum requirements (https://grad.wisc.edu/apply/requirements/#english-proficiency).
Other Test(s) (e.g., GMAT, MCAT)	PRAXIS subject test may be required if breadth of coursework does not match licensing content standards.
Letters of Recommendation Required	2

*

December 1 is the deadline for early admission and priority scholarship consideration. As space allows, the program will continue to review applications from Dec 1 until June 1. Financial support options are available for later applicants as well.

**

If GPA is below a 3.0, a GRE may be required.  Applicants will be notified after initial application review.

 Prerequisites to applying to the World Langauge Education named option can be found here.

Admissions Requirements

Graduate School Resources

Resources to help you afford graduate study might include assistantships, fellowships, traineeships, and financial aid. Further funding information is available from the Graduate School. Be sure to check with your program for individual policies and restrictions related to funding.

Minimum Graduate School Requirements

Review the Graduate School minimum academic progress and degree requirements, in addition to the program requirements listed below.

Named Option Requirements

MODE OF INSTRUCTION

Mode of Instruction

Face to Face	Evening/Weekend	Online	Hybrid	Accelerated
Yes	No	No	No	Yes

Mode of Instruction Definitions

Accelerated: Accelerated programs are offered at a fast pace that condenses the time to completion. Students are able to complete a program with minimal disruptions to careers and other commitments.

Evening/Weekend: ​Courses meet on the UW–Madison campus only in evenings and/or on weekends to accommodate typical business schedules.  Students have the advantages of face-to-face courses with the flexibility to keep work and other life commitments.

Face-to-Face: Courses typically meet during weekdays on the UW-Madison Campus.

Hybrid: These programs combine face-to-face and online learning formats.  Contact the program for more specific information.

Online: These programs are offered 100% online.  Some programs may require an on-campus orientation or residency experience, but the courses will be facilitated in an online format.

CURRICULAR REQUIREMENTS

University General Education Requirements

Requirements	Detail
Minimum Credit Requirement	30 credits
Minimum Residence Credit Requirement	30 credits
Minimum Graduate Coursework Requirement	24 credits must be graduate-level coursework. Details can be found in the Graduate School’s Minimum Graduate Coursework (50%) policy (https://policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-1244).
Overall Graduate GPA Requirement	3.00 GPA required. This program follows the Graduate School's policy: https://policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-1203.
Other Grade Requirements	Students must earn a B average or above in all coursework to earn the MS degree. For teaching certification, a candidate must earn a B or better in each graded course (or CR in credit/no credit courses). If a candidate does not earn a B or better additional coursework may be required.
Assessments and Examinations	Requirements vary by named option; please see the program website

REQUIRED COURSES

There are five distinct subject-area programs within the UW-Madison Secondary Teacher Certification Program (English, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, and World Language). Students apply to and are admitted to one of these areas. Students in all five, however, go through the program as a cohort and take classes and participate in school field experiences with students from across the subject areas. 

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Summer 1 (Full Time - Mid June to Mid August) 1
Coursework
ED POL 600	Problems in Educational Policy	3
CURRIC 736	Educating Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Learners	2
CURRIC 737	Linguistics for Educators	2
Fieldwork 1
CURRIC 435	Course CURRIC 435 Not Found
CURRIC 510	Community-Based Practicum 2	1-4
Fall: Academic Semester 1 (Full Time - Early September to Mid January) 3
Coursework
CURRIC 507	Inclusive Education in Secondary Schools	2
CURRIC 545	Course CURRIC 545 Not Found
CURRIC 546	Course CURRIC 546 Not Found
CURRIC 673	Learning Second Language and Literacies	1-6
CURRIC 729	Classroom Management for Secondary Educators	1
Fieldwork
CURRIC 442	Student Teaching in World Languages (K-8)	2-12
CURRIC 511	School-Based Practicum 2	1-4
Spring: Academic Semester 2 (Full Time - Mid January to Early June) 5
Coursework
CURRIC 675	General Seminar	1-3
CURRIC 747	Masters Capstone in Teacher Education	3
Fieldwork 3
CURRIC 443	Student Teaching in World Languages (6-12)	2-12
CURRIC 511	School-Based Practicum	1-4

¹

The focus of this summer semester includes a field experience in the local community intended to involve program students with adolescents from diverse backgrounds. The university courses present assignments for students to carry out in the practicum sites. Within the content domain, program students will consider how academic subject knowledge is and should be translated into the curriculum.

²

CURRIC 510 Community-Based Practicum is typically taken for 2-3 credits and CURRIC 511 School-Based Practicum is typically taken for 1-2 credit.

³

In this semester, program students are placed in local secondary schools. University courses provide assignments for students in their practicum sites and present concepts useful for understanding schooling, teaching, and students. Topics addressed across coursework include teaching methods to engage with all students, universal curriculum design, understanding contemporary adolescence, and theories of literacy and strategies in learning languages.

⁴

Fall student teaching is typically 4 credits and spring student teaching is typically 8 credits, and includes a seminar. These courses are only required for certification; however, they are not required for the master's degree.

⁵

Program students will be immersed in a semester of student teaching. University coursework provides assignments for students to carry out in their student teaching as well as concepts and practices that will enhance their instructional effectiveness. During this semester, each student will prepare and teach an instructional unit incorporating concepts and theories from all previous semesters. The instructional unit exercise will also provide evidence for the Performance Assessment Portfolio.

⁶

Recommended but not required for the master's degree.

⁷

Students will also complete a Performance Assessment Portfolio including artifacts demonstrating proficiency on each of the School of Education’s Teaching Standards.

Students in this program may not take courses outside the prescribed curriculum without faculty advisor and program director approval. Students in this program cannot enroll concurrently in other undergraduate, graduate or certificate programs.

Graduate School Policies

The Graduate School’s Academic Policies and Procedures provide essential information regarding general university policies. Program authority to set degree policies beyond the minimum required by the Graduate School lies with the degree program faculty. Policies set by the academic degree program can be found below.

Named Option-Specific Policies

Prior Coursework

Graduate Work from Other Institutions

Students may not transfer graduate course credits from other institutions.

UW–Madison Undergraduate

No credits from a UW–Madison undergraduate degree are allowed to count toward the degree.

UW–Madison University Special

No credits as a UW–Madison University Special student are allowed to count toward the degree.

Probation

This program follows the Graduate School's Probation policy.

ADVISOR / COMMITTEE

All students are required to have an advisor. An advisor is assigned to all incoming students. To ensure that they are making satisfactory progress toward a degree, students should meet with their advisor on a regular basis.

The advisor serves as the primary contact within the program and approves the candidate's capstone project. Students can be suspended from the program if they do not have an advisor.

CREDITS PER TERM ALLOWED

15 credits

Time limits

This program follows the Graduate School's Time Limits policy.

Grievances and Appeals

These resources may be helpful in addressing your concerns:

• Bias or Hate Reporting  
• Graduate Assistantship Policies and Procedures
• Hostile and Intimidating Behavior Policies and Procedures
  • Office of the Provost for Faculty and Staff Affairs
• Dean of Students Office (for all students to seek grievance assistance and support)
• Employee Assistance (for personal counseling and workplace consultation around communication and conflict involving graduate assistants and other employees, post-doctoral students, faculty and staff)
• Employee Disability Resource Office (for qualified employees or applicants with disabilities to have equal employment opportunities)
• Graduate School (for informal advice at any level of review and for official appeals of program/departmental or school/college grievance decisions)
• Office of Compliance (for class harassment and discrimination, including sexual harassment and sexual violence)
• Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards (for conflicts involving students)
• Ombuds Office for Faculty and Staff (for employed graduate students and post-docs, as well as faculty and staff)
• Title IX (for concerns about discrimination)

Any student who feels that they have been treated unfairly by a faculty or staff member has the right to complain about the treatment and to receive a prompt hearing of the grievance, following these grievance procedures. The complaint may concern course grades, classroom treatment, program admission, or other issues. To insure a prompt and fair hearing of any complaint, and to protect both the rights of the student and the person at whom the complaint is addressed, the procedures below are used in the School of Education.

The person whom the complaint is directed against must be an employee of the School of Education. Any student or potential student may use these procedures unless the complaint is covered by other campus rules or contracts. The following steps are available within the School of Education when a student has a grievance:

1. The student should first talk with the person against whom the grievance is directed. Most issues can be settled at this level. If the complaint is directed against a teaching assistant, and the student is not satisfied, the next step would be to talk to the TA's supervisor, who is usually the course professor. If the complaint is not resolved satisfactorily, the student may continue to step 2.
2. If the complaint does not involve an academic department, the procedure outlined in Step 4 below should be followed. If the complaint involves an academic department, the student should contact the chair of the department. The chair will attempt to resolve the problem informally. If this cannot be done to the student's satisfaction, the student may submit the grievance to the chair in writing. This must be done within 60 calendar days of the alleged unfair treatment.
3. On receipt of a written complaint, the chair will refer the matter to a departmental committee, which will obtain a written response from the person at whom the complaint is directed. This response shall be shared with the person filing the grievance. The chair will provide a timely written decision to the student on the action taken by the committee.
4. If either party is not satisfied with the decision of the department, they have five working days from receipt of the decision to contact the dean's office (at the number below), indicating the intention to appeal. If the complaint does not involve an academic department in the school, the student must contact the dean's office within 60 calendar days of the alleged unfair treatment.
5. In either case, there will be an attempt to resolve the issue informally by the associate dean. If this cannot be done, the complaint can be filed in writing with the dean's office. This must be done within 10 working days of the time the appealing party was notified that informal resolution was unsuccessful.
6. On receipt of such a written complaint, the associate dean will convene a subcommittee of the school's Equity & Diversity Committee. This subcommittee may ask for additional information from the parties involved and may hold a hearing at which both parties will be asked to speak separately. The subcommittee will then make a written recommendation to the dean of the School of Education who will render a decision. Unless a longer time is negotiated, this written decision shall be made within 20 working days from the date when the grievance was filed with the dean's office.

Questions about these procedures can be directed to the School of Education Dean's Office, 377 Education Building, 1000 Bascom Mall, 608-262-1763.

State law contains additional provisions regarding discrimination and harassment. Wisconsin Statutes 36.12 reads, in part: "No student may be denied admission to, participation in or the benefits of, or be discriminated against in any service, program, course or facility of the system or its institutions or center because of the student's race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, disability, ancestry, age, sexual orientation, pregnancy, marital status or parental status." In addition, UW–System prohibits discrimination based on gender identity or gender expression. Students have the right to file discrimination and harassment complaints with the Office of Compliance, 361 Bascom Hall, 608-265-6018, uwcomplianceoffice@wisc.edu.

Other

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Graduate School Resources

Take advantage of the Graduate School's professional development resources to build skills, thrive academically, and launch your career.