California requires different credentials depending on which
grades and subjects you want to teach. UC Davis offers the
following credentials, which are earned concurrently with your
Master of Education degree.
Multiple Subject Teaching Credential
If you want to teach in elementary schools, you will need a
multiple subject teaching credential. This credential
authorizes you to provide instruction in all subjects in a
self-contained class for students in grades twelve and below,
including preschool, and in classes organized primarily for
adults. Most multiple subject teachers in California teach in
grades K-6.
Single Subject Teaching Credentials
If you want to teach in middle, junior, or high schools, also
called secondary schools, you will need a single subject teaching
credential in your specific subject. This will authorizes you to
provide instruction in only that subject to students in grades
twelve and below, including preschool, and in classes organized
primarily for adults. Most single subject teachers in California
teach in grades 7-12.
UC Davis offers single subject credentials in:
Credential with a Bilingual Authorization in Spanish or Mandarin
If you are fluent in Spanish or Mandarin, you can also choose to
earn a Bilingual Authorization in addition to a
credential. A bilingual authorization allows elementary and
secondary teachers to teach English Language Development, also
known as English as a Second Language (ESL) or Teaching English
to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), to English learners
communicating in the target language of Spanish or Mandarin.
Teachers who earn the Bilingual Authorization in addition to the
Multiple Subject or Single Subject credential are in great demand
in public schools.
Please note that students in this program earned a Master of Arts
degree in Education up until 2027. The first cohort of our Master
of Education (M.Ed.) degree began in summer 2027.
