M.A. and Teaching Credential Advising
On this page
Meet your advisors
The director of teacher education is responsible for the overall administration of the M.A./credential program and can answer questions regarding program administration, scheduling, foundational learning goals, program activities, or the operations of the program.
The M.A./credential program coordinator advises current and prospective students on credentialing, monitors the academic progress of current students and provides academic counseling, supports the credential application process, and coordinates fellowships and scholarships.
Soleste Hilberg
- Title
- Director of Teacher Education, Associate Professor of Teaching
- Phone
- 831-459-2280
- Campus Email
- Office Location
- McHenry Library, McHenry 3141
Esperanza E Zamora
- Title
- MA Graduate Advisor and Credential Analyst
- Campus Email
- Office Location
- McHenry Library, McHenry room 3140
- Office Hours
- By appointment via zoom or in person
Program requirements
Program completion requirements
Students are awarded a California SB2042 Preliminary Teacher Credential and Master of Arts Degree in Education upon completion of:
- (a) required coursework,
- (b) field work,
- (c) the Capstone Portfolio consisting of the Becoming an Educator Essay and successful passage of the Teacher Performance Assessment
- (d) passage of state requirements
- Basic Skills requirement (e.g. CBEST or alternative),
- Subject Matter requirement (e.g. CSET or a subject matter program)
- Certificate of Clearance
- US Constitution Requirement
- CPR requirement
- Technology requirement
- Reading Instruction Competence Assessment (multiple subject candidates only),
Field work placement requirements
| Multiple Subject | Single Subject |
| First Placement (Beginning): Begins first week of public school Ends mid-December 10 hours total from 1st week of school to Labor Day 16 hours/week from Labor Day to end of placement mid-December First placement hours: 218 | First Placement (Beginning): Begins first week of public school Ends at the end of October 10 hours total from 1st week of school to Labor Day 15 hours/week from Labor Day to end of placement end of October First placement hours: 145 |
| Second Placement (Int/Adv): Begins 2nd week in December Ends at end of placement school year 12-16 hours/week until placement winter break 16 hours /week in UCSC Winter Quarter Full time in Spring Quarter Second placement hours: 538 | Second Placement (Int/Adv): Begins 2nd week in November Ends at end of placement school year 15 hours/week in November 20-25 hours/week (5 days/week) through remainder of UCSC Fall Quarter and UCSC Winter and Spring Quarters Full responsibility for two courses for at least one full placement grading period Second placement hours: 615 |
| Total hours in placement: 756 | Total hours in placement: 760 |
MA/Credential coursework & handbook
Campus resources
Advising resources
Cost of attendance resources
For information on the cost of your UC Santa Cruz education, view all graduate student costs. In addition, outside fees related to the M.A./credential programs are constantly changing and are beyond our program’s control. Plan for $1,000-1,500 in additional out-of-pocket costs beyond tuition and university fees. The list below estimates additional costs that students will be responsible for that are not covered by financial aid. These required costs are not included in the financial aid estimate.
Estimated Out-of-Pocket Expenses
- CalTPA/edTPA registration with Pearson – (CTC currently waiving TPA fees) $300
- RICA Test – (CTC is currently waiving RICA fees) $57 per computer-based subtest (3 subtests)
- TB Test – $35 to $99
- CPR Course – $90 to $134 (Must be Adult, Infant, Child, with in-person skills check)
- Technology Course – $410 to $480; by exam $267 (CSET tests 133 & 134)
- Credential application – $102.50
Federal Financial Aid Process
Since our program spans two academic years, students seeking financial aid submit two Free Applications for Federal Students Aid (FAFSAs): one for their first summer quarter, and a second for the following Fall through Summer. Both FAFSAs must be filed online by May 1.
Recently admitted student deadlines and resources
May 1: Financial aid and FAFSA deadline
MA/C students applying for aid will need to complete both the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 FAFSA on or before the May 1 deadline. Please see the UC Santa Cruz Financial Aid Office for FAFSA requirements and instructions. Use the Financial Aid for MA/C Students Application Instructions (2023-2024) resource for a step-by-step walkthrough.
May 1: Submit essay for bilingual authorization
If you have intermediate or higher abilities in Spanish reading, writing, and speaking, we encourage you to participate in this program at no additional cost.
If you have already declared your interest and submitted an essay in Spanish with your application, we will contact you in May to schedule an appointment for an oral interview in Spanish. The interview may be done via phone, but is best done in person. The purpose of the informal interview is to understand better your fluency in Spanish and the kind of bilingual setting that would be the best match as a placement.
If you have not already declared your interest or submitted an essay in Spanish, write a one- to two-page essay in Spanish that addresses one of the following prompts.
- Describa el contexto en que se había usted ha aprendido el español.
- Describa su historia personal y cultural con las comunidades hispanohablantes.
- Describa sus experiencias con la educación bilingüe.
The purpose of this essay is to informally assess your written Spanish ability. Once we receive your essay, we will send a reply message to set up an oral interview, as described in Option 1.
Submitting your essay: In the subject line of the email include: “Bilingual Authorization Essay,” first and last name, and cohort. Email to Danna Moreno.
May 1: Submit student teaching placement request form
Multiple student teaching overview
Single subject student teaching overview
At least one of your placements must be in a school with a significant number of English Learners. Many placement schools are outside the city of Santa Cruz. Plan to commute or carpool to schools some distance from campus (e.g., Watsonville, Castroville).
May 8: Submit your assigned UCSC email to the department
The Graduate Division provides UCSC email addresses to students who have stated their intent to register. Let the department know what email address you have been assigned. You will need to use your UCSC email address to complete the Student Teaching Placement Request Form. For more information on campus email, see resources from UC Santa Cruz’s Information Technology Service.
May 10: Complete basic skills and subject matter competency testing
May 10 is the final available test date to obtain results by the submission deadline. See details of the subject matter requirements on the Graduate Admissions site and basic skills requirements from the California Commision on Teacher Credentialing.
June 10: Submit all application supporting documents to credential analyst
Each of the following documents will be required to be submitted to Canvas. Candidates will be invited to Canvas via email.
June 10 is the deadline to submit verification of meeting Basic Skills (e.g., CBEST, coursework, or other of alternative options) and Subject Matter (e.g. CSET, college degree, or other option) state requirements. For course evaluations and/or questions, please email Esperanza Zamora.
July 1: Test for tuberculosis and submit results
All K-12 schools require anyone working with children to be tested for TB. Get tested through the UCSC Student Health Center or a private doctor. Submit a scanned copy of your test results via the MAC Program test results form. Keep a copy for your records. Email MA/C Program Coordinator, Matthew Garipay if you have any questions.
Submit your UC-wide Immunization and TB Risk Screening requirement directly to the UCSC Student Health Center. All incoming students (including re-admitted and deferred admission students) are required to complete an Immunization and Tuberculosis Risk Screening Compliance Process prior to arrival on campus. There are no exemptions except for medical exemptions. The deadline is before you come to campus. Find more information on the Health Center’s website.
July 22: Submit COVID-19 vaccination records
COVID-19 vaccinations are mandatory for all students, faculty, and staff accessing facilities at any UC campus. Students who are eligible for a booster must receive their booster within 30 days of becoming eligible. UCSC allows exemptions to vaccination policy, but school districts do not. Submit proof of your vaccination via Health e-Messenger. Then, upload proof of vaccination to the MAC program COVID-19 vaccination cohort form.
September 1: Order two copies of final undergraduate transcripts with degree notation
For all non-UCSC degree holders, the Education Department needs your official, final undergraduate transcripts to verify your degree for the credential application. The Program Coordinator/Credential Analyst will provide instructions for submitting your transcripts in September.
Key program dates
July 21: M.A./credential program start date
The 2025-2026 MA/Credential Program begins Monday, July 21, 2025
July 22 and July 25: New student orientation
New student orientation will take place during the first week of classes, Tuesday, July 22, 2025, 1-5p.m., and Friday, July 25, 1-5p.m. (location TBD).
Aug. 1: Student teaching orientations
Orientations to prepare for student teaching placements will take place on Friday, August 1, 2025, time and location TBD.
Mid-August: Student teaching placements announced
Fall student teaching assignments will be announced in mid-August, at which time you will receive your placement school calendar for the first part of the year. The program’s academic schedule combines the UCSC academic calendar and the local school districts’ calendars.
Student teaching will begin on the first day of school at your assigned placement (between mid-August to early September) before the UCSC fall quarter begins. You will be required to complete your student teaching assignment during some of the UCSC academic breaks, taking spring and winter breaks according to the school district calendar with which you are placed.
Sept. 8: Summer Bridge for fall quarter classes
Although UCSC fall quarter classes do not begin until late September or early October, some M.A./credential program classes begin after Labor Day.
July 17, 2026: The 2024-2025 M.A./credential program ends
After successful completion of program requirements, candidates exit the program with a California SB 2042 Preliminary Teaching Credential and a Master of Arts degree in Education.
Teaching Performance Assessment (TPA)
As of July 2008, California statute (Chap. 517, Stats. 2006) requires all candidates for a preliminary Multiple and Single Subject Teaching Credential to pass an assessment of their teaching performance with K-12 public school students as part of the requirements for earning a teaching credential.
This assessment of teaching performance is designed to measure the candidate’s knowledge, skills, and ability in relation to California’s Teaching Performance Expectations (TPEs), including demonstrating ability to appropriately instruct all K-12 students in the Student Academic Content Standards. All candidates who start a Commission-approved multiple and single subject teacher preparation program as of July 1, 2008, must meet the teaching performance assessment requirement.
How it works
At UC Santa Cruz, we have elected to use the edTPA assessments. Candidates will plan and teach learning segments while video-recording their interactions with students during instruction. They will assess student learning throughout the learning segment and then submit a written explanation and reflection on various task components. This will be evaluated using rubrics especially developed for each task.
Contacts for questions about the TPA
All TPA-related email and questions should be directed as follows:
- General inquiries: Director of Teacher Education Soleste Hilberg and M.A./credential Program Assistant Matthew Alan Garipay.
- Science/math content-related questions for edTPA: Single Subjects Teacher Supervisor Sumita Jagger
- English/social science content-related questions for edTPA: Single Subjects Teacher Supervisor Jennifer Jones Hinz
- Multiple subjects credential content questions for edTPA: Multiple Subjects Teacher Supervisor Johnnie Wilson
edTPA details
The edTPA is a roughly one-week unit (~5 lessons), after which assessment materials will be submitted using Pearson’s web-based platform. Cost is $300. During the assessment period, teacher candidates complete three tasks:
- Planning: Teacher candidates submit a lesson plan for each day of the unit, including assessments. You describe your rationale for the plans’ design and how it meets the needs of your particular students. The plans must have a central focus.
- Instructing: Teacher candidates submit about 15 minutes of video (usually 2 clips) of your teaching during the unit, and you describe your strategies for student engagement, building understanding, and creating a supportive environment.
- Assessing: Teacher candidates assess students (with a test, essay, performance, quiz, or creative project) and analyze the performance of the whole class, subgroups, and three focus students (whose work you submit). You describe the feedback you gave students afterward. You explain your next steps for instruction based on these assessment results.
edTPA resources
Remediations/revisions and requirements
If a candidate fails the edTPA, the student and their teacher supervisor meet to review the score report and the original submission materials to identify needs and create a resubmission plan, which will include whether new video is needed or if submitted videos can still be used. In addition, for identified rubric scores, submitted artifacts, including lesson plans and reflections, are identified for additional work. Failure due to condition code is reviewed to determine the likely cause.
If a candidate fails due to a condition code, they must first contact Pearson by calling 916-928-4081 or by choosing the relevant tab on the edTPA website to email Pearson directly. When contacting Pearson, the candidate should request a “detailed condition code report,” so that a complete explanation for the condition code can be provided. After a response is received from Pearson, the candidate should address any errors made and then resubmit.
If a candidate fails due to a low score, remediation support is provided by the EDUC 200/201/202 instructor and the student’s teacher supervisor. See further instruction on retaking edTPA.
Teach-Out Plan
UCSC assures that M.A./credential students will have the opportunity to complete their studies, in the event of a program closure. While there are no plans to close the UCSC M.A./credential program, we have created the following plan. The UCSC M.A./credential program is 12-months long, with only a single point of entry in July. The teach-out plan is as follows:
- The current cohort will complete the program.
- In the event that there are students who do not complete the program during its final year and wish to return the following year, necessary courses will be offered online via the UCSC extension, and field supervision will be arranged to complete the field placement requirements, or
- An agreement will be sought with a nearby campus (e.g. California State University Monterey Bay, San Jose State University, UC Berkeley) of students’ choosing to allow students to complete the remaining requirements at their site. Agreements will ensure equitable treatment of candidates with remaining coursework and/or fieldwork requirements upon program closure.