Teacher Certification

Requirements in Alberta

Requirements for Alberta Interim Professional Certification  

All teachers must meet the rigorous requirements of the Certification of Teachers Regulation to teach in the province of Alberta.  Individuals are required to provide evidence of:
  1. a minimum of sixteen years of schooling inclusive of:  four years of university education and a recognized degree which includes or is supplemented with a structured, pre-service teacher preparation program from an institution acceptable to the Minister of Education.  The program must include at minimum, 48 semester hour credits in professional teacher education coursework inclusive of a minimum of 10 weeks in supervised student teaching at the elementary or secondary level.

    Effective April 1, 2008, in addition to the above requirements, all applicants who have completed their teacher preparation program outside Alberta must meet the following requirements within their overall postsecondary studies:      

    a)  Elementary teachers are required to present a minimum of 24 semester hour credits in academic coursework including:

      • 3 semester hour credits in Canadian Studies
      • 3 semester hour credits in Mathematics
      • 3 semester hour credits in Science
      • 6 semester hour credits in English/French Literature and Composition

    b)  Secondary teachers are required to present a minimum of 24 semester hour credits in a teachable subject area, and 6 semester hour credits in English / French Literature and Composition;

  2. valid certification from the jurisdiction where the teacher completed their initial teacher preparation program and from where the teacher is currently teaching or last taught. Statement of Professional Standing:
  3. currency of teaching experience.  Individuals will be required to  evidence of current teaching experience;
  4. Canadian citizenship or Canadian permanent residency;
  5. being a fit and proper person, and;
  6. proficiency in one of Canada’s official languages (English or French).

 

 

Note: 

  1. Teacher preparation programs offered through self-directed study are not accepted for certification purposes.  Pre-service teacher preparation programs completed by distance delivery may not be accepted in their entirety.  
  2. Degrees are subject to scrutiny on a course by course basis.  Deductions may be made if the institution or coursework is not acceptable to the Minister of Education.  Denominational or doctrinal courses, and audit courses are not recognized for certification purposes.
  3. School based or employment based teacher training programs, for example, Graduate Teacher Programs (GTP) are not recognized for certification purposes. 
  4. Alberta Education does not pre-approve teacher preparation programs.  Therefore, individuals must ensure that at minimum, the program chosen meets the above criteria.
  5. An initial assessment of credentials is valid for five years.