ACCESS Elementary Education PreK-4 Degree Program
It's Never Too Late to Become a Teacher
Learn the knowledge and skills you’ll need to become an elementary school teacher. After successfully completing this elementary education certification program, you’ll be certified to teach Pre-Kindergarten through fourth grade in Pennsylvania.
Our accelerated degree program is especially for "non-traditional" students — those who are looking for the flexibility to take most of their classes either online or during the evening.
What classes do I need and how long will this take?
Our friendly academic advisors will explain which classes you’ll need and help you transfer any eligible credits you may have already earned from another school. They’ll also help lay out a clear path and timeline for which classes you’ll need to take before you begin student teaching.
How does student teaching work?
The Professional Phase of the program, aka student teaching, is two placements of 7 weeks for five days a week. It’s important to note that you must be available five days a week for school hours, approximately 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., depending on your placement.
Students seeking certification must apply and be accepted into the professional phase once they have completed 48 credits. If you are transferring into the program with close to 48 credits, you’ll need to meet the basic skills requirement set by the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE). The good news is that there are now several ways to show that you have met the basic skills requirement. We’ll help to explain the different routes you can take, including SAT or ACT scores, the ETS Education core examinations, or the PAPA examinations. You can even mix and match — if you have one score that meets the requirement from one type of test and another score from another test, they both count!
Fulfill Your Teaching Goals; We Can Help!
Your goal is to become the best teacher you can be, and a true leader inside and outside of the classroom. Our goal is to teach you how to become the best teacher you can be, and a true leader inside and outside of the classroom! Let's work together to fulfill our common goals.
How will I attend classes?
Depending on which classes you take, this program is taught in a variety of classroom settings.
- Online courses are held strictly in the virtual classroom. Depending on the course, students either go online at the same time, have the freedom to go online when convenient, or a combination of the two. Online classes are enriched with interactive, multimedia content from a variety of digital educational tools.
- Hybrid courses follow an alternating on campus, online schedule. The first two weeks of class are held in person on campus. Subsequent weeks then alternate between online and on campus.
- Flex courses blend the convenience of online with the personal interaction of a traditional classroom. Attendance is required at the scheduled day and time each week, BUT you can choose to come campus in person OR attend virtually from your computer.
Flex Classes: In Class or Online
Flex classes are designed for students who enjoy the experience of live-time, instructor-led classes but can't always physically get to campus.
Courses are offered in Center Valley with students being able to participate synchronously from anywhere in the world via the internet.
Online Learning at DeSales
Brightspace by D2LTM is our online learning system.