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.
