Welcome to the Credential programs of the Palm Desert Campus of California State University, San Bernardino! We are glad you have chosen to pursue the teaching profession. In particular, we thank you for your interest in our programs.
When we ask our candidates why they choose to become teachers, they almost always say they want to make a difference in the lives of their students and want to create a positive and engaging learning environment in which their pupils can achieve excellence. The program faculty members understand that teachers in the 21st century need knowledge, skills, and dispositions to work with students of diverse backgrounds in the changing, complex, knowledge-based, information technology-driven economy and society of the Coachella Valley and California.
To help candidates become effective teachers with linguistic and cultural competency, our program takes into account the specific needs and backgrounds of teacher candidates and K-12 students in the Coachella Valley. Our program provides candidates with engaging coursework and field experiences that promote their understanding of how children learn and how to support them. More specifically, the coursework and field experiences are structured to promote reflective teaching as candidates strive to understand: (a) the relationship between educational theory and classroom instructional practices; (b) California’s curriculum and the Common Core State Standards; (c) the needs of English learners and students with special needs; (d) issues of social, economic and cultural diversity; and (e) the 21st century skills and dispositions such as critical thinking, problem solving, creativity, innovation, leadership, teamwork, collaboration, multicultural literacy, social justice teaching and new media literacy.
Interested in the programs?
We highly encourage you to attend one of our credential program information sessions to learn more about admissions requirements and upcoming deadlines. If you are unable to make it to an information session, please schedule an appointment to go over the admission process and get answers to your questions regarding the credential programs.