If you are a proficient speaker of Mandarin Chinese seeking a career in teaching, our professional development program is designed for you.

In response to a critical need for the teaching of Chinese at the K-12 level, the Rutgers Department of Asian Languages and Cultures and the World Languages Institute have created a specially tailored, flexible curriculum that provides:

• State-approved courses in pedagogy, methodology, Chinese linguistics and literature
• Intensive day and evening courses taught by highly qualified faculty & experts in the field
• Fulfillment of K-12 Certificate of Eligibility requirements in as little as two summers depending on prior academic background

In order to become certified to teach Chinese in New Jersey, candidates must first obtain a Certificate of Eligibility (CE) from the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE). After obtaining a CE, students can then seek teaching employment, and once employed, they enter the Provisional Teachers Program, which leads to standard certification.

New Jersey Department of Education Requirements to Obtain a K-12 Certificate of Eligibility (CE) to Teach Chinese

• A Bachelor's or advanced degree with a GPA of 2.75 or higher.
• 30-credits in Chinese language, literature, civilization and culture courses, of which at least 12 are at the 300 level or higher. These 30 credits can be acquired through one or more of the following methods.
  
  
  • Undergraduate or graduate degree: If your degree is from a country other than the United States, your transcripts must be evaluated by an NJ DOE approved foreign transcript evaluation service to determine how many credits these courses are equivalent to in the US. Click here for a listing of some evaluation services.
  • NYU Mandarin 16-Point Proficiency Exam: Points achieved on the proficiency exam can be worth up to 16 credits, but must be placed on a transcript, which can be done by Thomas Edison State College. Rutgers University does not offer this transcript service.
  • Undergraduate 300- and 400-level courses or graduate courses in Chinese offered at Rutgers during the Academic Year and Summer Session.
• 3-credits in a state-approved course on second language acquisition and related methodologies.
• A rating of Intermediate-High or above on the ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview in Mandarin Chinese. It is highly recommended that native speakers of Mandarin Chinese also take an ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview in English, for which a rating of Advanced-Low must be achieved.

Alternate Chinese Teacher training and job opportunities

For information on job opportunities, teacher training options at Rutgers and other helpful resources for teachers of Chinese, please follow this link.