The Urban Teaching Residency (UTR) program is organized around issues of equity, social justice, and anti-racism as well as research-based frameworks of teaching and learning. UTR offers students the ability to earn a master’s degree while continuing to work full-time. Students who would like to earn their master’s degree plus Pennsylvania general and/or special education certification may also do so.
Compare our three teacher education programs to find the best fit for you.
The Urban Teaching Residency program provides the solid academic training and professional mentoring necessary to create effective teachers, researchers, educators, and community advocates who are interested in the distinct needs of children and families in high-needs contexts.
Year 1 - Fall: 3 courses; Spring: 3 courses
Year 2 - Fall: 2 courses; Spring: 2 courses
Culminating experienceMaster’s capstone research thesis
Duration of program
Coursework and experiences in the Urban Teaching Residency (UTR) program are guided by the following principles and commitments:
Prospective students interested in earning certification must already have a full-time job as a teacher of record, long term substitute teacher, teaching assistant, or paraprofessional. Once enrolled in UTR, individuals are eligible to apply for intern certification as a part of our alternative route toward state certification.
Individuals interested in a master’s degree only do not need to have a full-time job in a teaching environment but the courses are still designed for working professionals committed to issues of equity in urban education.
Degrees and certifications offered
General Certification Options
Special Education Certification
Dual Certification
**Students not pursuing a master’s degree who would like to enroll in the special education certification-only track must already have Pennsylvania General Certification. Students in the master’s program can pursue any of the certification offerings.
Penn GSE offers an Ivy League environment that supports both practical knowledge building and high-quality research. Our alumni are recognized as some of the most influential education leaders, and our distinguished professors are pioneers in their fields.
Equity in education is the guiding principle of the Urban Teaching Residency program. Penn GSE renowned faculty members, in partnership with the School District of Philadelphia, wholeheartedly embrace equity in education and strive to work with our teacher-students to increase opportunities for urban students.
Inquiry and reflection are important at Penn GSE, and they permeate the Urban Teaching Residency program. Reflection and inquiry are used to examine ways in which teachers and students become communities of learners within and beyond school walls.
The Urban Teaching Residency emphasizes the centrality of student engagement in education and strong teacher-student relationships. While students are required to learn certain prescribed material, teachers (and schools) are obligated to hear children’s voices, and to enhance their interests, motivation, and participation.
All Urban Teaching Residency students pursuing certification engage in instructional coaching. You will select an experienced teacher at your school to be your instructional coach. Coaches all engage in professional development about coaching for equity. UTR’s site-based approach to coaching helps to build partnerships and capacities within each school to better support UTR students and in turn their PreK-12 students.
Coursework and experiences in the Urban Teaching Residency (UTR) program are guided by a commitment to anti-racist and social justice teaching and learning. Our faculty use research and practice-based approaches in their instruction.
You will learn to take an asset-based approach to local communities and the stakeholders in them and how to take an inquiry-orientated approach to urban education based on cycles of reflection, planning, and action.
Foundational courses explore the dynamic interactions among schools, communities, and governments as well as the competing forces of human agency and structural oppression, and methods courses are directly connected to what you (as a teacher) need in your teaching practice.
Our programs of study leverage inquiry, critical thinking, and problem solving to prepare our students to become skilled educators and leaders.
For information on courses and requirements, visit the Urban Teaching Residency M.S.Ed. program in the University Catalog.
In any of our master’s degree programs, students may choose one or two concentrations.
For students pursuing special education or elementary certification, additional field experiences are required. We have found that these experiences can be transformative for beginning teachers.
For students seeking special education or dual certification, VAST LIFE (Vocational, Academic, Social, Transition, Life Skill, Independent, Functional Experiences) is a supervised, formally-evaluated fieldwork experience working with, planning for, and educating students with low incidence disabilities in the areas of domestic, transition, social, functional, community, and leisure skills. VAST LIFE participants are local high school students aged 14 to 19 and who qualify to take the PASA in the State of Pennsylvania. The lessons take place on Saturdays in our spring semester, and are based on theories of universal design and research-based educational practice. Read a feature story about VAST LIFE in Penn Today.
Note: If you are a parent or guardian interested in applying to VAST LIFE for your child, please visit our VAST LIFE application page or contact Dr. Heather Hopkins at hopkinsh@gse.upenn.edu.
For students in our PreK-4 certification track, the KIDS program (Keeping Instruction Developmentally Sound) is a supervised, formally evaluated fieldwork experience working with, and planning for, preschool children aged 3-4. Teachers are paired with KIDS participants to provide one-on-one support during Saturday lessons in our fall semester. Lessons are based on theories of universal design and research-based educational practice.
Our schedule is designed with working professionals in mind. Students enrolled in a certification track must obtain and maintain a full-time job as a teacher of record, long term substitute teacher, teaching assistant, or paraprofessional while in the program.
Our courses meet in the evenings (1-2 evenings per week) and some weekends. Our master’s program can be completed in just two years.
The Urban Teaching Residency works with many community partners in the tri-state area to recruit future educators. Below is a list of our partners. Applicants do not need to be a member of these organizations in order to apply.
Our partners
In addition to the funding opportunities available to students applying to any of our master’s degree programs, the following opportunity is available specifically for students applying to the UTR program.
Franklin Fellowship
The Franklin Fellowship is an exclusive opportunity for undergraduate students from Franklin and Marshall College (F&M) who express an interest in long-term teaching in the Philadelphia area. The Franklin Fellowship guarantees eligible students a minimum $15,000 scholarship that can be combined with other Penn GSE merit and/or need-based scholarships.
Through the VAST LIFE program, students in Penn GSE's Urban Teaching Residency program experience hands-on learning in special education.
Our expert faculty help our students discover the kind of educator they want to be, prepare them for their role as a teacher-leader, and help them explore ways to use their foundational experience to pursue a career outside of the classroom.
Nicole Mittenfelner Carl
Program Director
Patrick Sexton
Executive Director, Teacher Education Programs
Roshonda Scipio
Program Manager
rscipio@gse.upenn.edu
Brad Latimer
Instructor
M.S. in Education, University of Pennsylvania
Dr. Anne W. Kimani
Instructor
Ph.D Capella University - Instructional Design for Online Learning
Cherylann Schmidt
Instructor
Ed.D., University of Pennsylvania
Alumni of the Urban Teaching Residency program are working as teachers, leaders, researchers, and policymakers who are committed to ending educational inequality and making an excellent education a reality for all children.
Please visit our Admissions and Financial Aid pages for specific information on the application requirements, as well as information on tuition, fees, financial aid, scholarships, and fellowships.
Contact us if you have any questions about the program.
Graduate School of Education
University of Pennsylvania
3700 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
(215) 898-6415
admissions@gse.upenn.edu
finaid@gse.upenn.edu
Roshonda Scipio
Program Manager
rscipio@gse.upenn.edu
Please view information from our Admissions and Financial Aid Office for specific information on the cost of this program.
Penn GSE is committed to making your graduate education affordable, and we offer generous scholarships, fellowships, and assistantships.