San Diego Teacher Residency
Earn your Masters Degree in Teaching & Learning (M.Ed.) & Preliminary Teaching Credential

Teach to Transform
Considering a purpose-driven career teaching in California K-12 schools? The San Diego Teacher Residency prepares aspiring teachers to educate for justice and deeper learning. We believe that all children deserve a space where they can bring their full selves and develop as curious, critical, and creative human beings. Public school classrooms have enormous potential to become such spaces — and SDTR is part of the movement to make that transformation happen, one new teacher at a time.
Learn More
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What sets us apart

900+ HOURS
Teaching residents gain 900+ hours of classroom experience in one of the 16 High Tech High schools during the first year — more than 1.5x the average program.

60%
Nearly 60% of teaching residents identify as people of color — 3x the national average for teachers. 90% of alumni are employed as teachers.

$8000
$8,000 living stipend GUARANTEED for all first-year students.
About the Program
Earn a California Preliminary Teaching Credential and Master’s Degree in Teaching & Learning in a 2 year program.
Year 1: High Tech High Mentorship, Individualized Coaching, California Preliminary Teaching Credential
SDTR residents take courses with their cohort, and spend four days a week as student teachers at one of High Tech High’s 16 K-12 schools. This mentorship allows them to work closely with a veteran HTH teacher while gaining experience in the classroom. Residents also meet one day and one evening a week at High Tech High GSE for course work, peer collaboration and intensive support from our expert teaching faculty. SDTR provides individualized coaching from a personalized supervisor to support career growth as new teachers. Residents earn their California Preliminary Teaching Credential at the end of Year 1, and are supported in applying for teaching positions at our growing network of partner schools around the region.
Year 2: Employment, Capstone, M.Ed in Teaching In Learning
The second year of SDTR serves as a critical support to candidates as they move into their teaching career and seek to connect and sustain the learning provided during the residency year. While working as fully-employed teachers, residents return to the GSE one evening per week to complete their M.Ed. in Teaching and Learning. In their masters’ capstone classes, they build on both the learning and the relationships that they formed during their first year and explore problem-solving of practice that emerge in their classrooms. They also will receive continued support from a personalized mentor. Throughout our San Diego teacher credential program, SDTR residents will learn to teach in ways which are student-centered and inclusive, centered in authentic projects, and are grounded in anti-racist/anti-bias pedagogy.
Launch Date
Duration
Format
Engage with GSE Admissions
1 on 1 Meetings
Meet with our Admissions Manager to discuss more program details, learn how you can prepare your application and ask any questions specific to your personal journey
Info Session
Join us on Tuesday, September 26 @ 4:00 p.m. PST for a deep dive from our program directors, faculty, current students and alumni regarding program highlights, coursework, the student experience, and admissions.
Office Hours
Just have a few quick questions for us? Stop by any time during your lunch break on Wednesdays from 12:00-12:30 p.m. to connect with our Programs & Admissions Manager to discuss credentialing requirements, testing, and more.
Our program has already launched with our incredible new cohort, and we only have one entry term per year in August. Please sign up to join our mailing list to learn more about upcoming information sessions!
- Program Tuition is $22,000
- Year One Tuition: $12,000
- Year Two Tuition: $10,000
Available Aid
Living Stipends: All San Diego Teacher Residency students are guaranteed a living stipend of $8,000 total for year one of the program.
Payments will be disbursed according to the three academic terms with funding released for Fall Term: mid-August, Winter Term: early December, and Spring term: early March.
With a new grant to support the diversity of teachers in our own network of HTH K-12 schools, SDTR candidates may apply for up to $20,000 in living stipend funding (limited time only). To be considered for this stipend, candidates will submit an additional writing supplement during the application.
Review our residency year funding pathways
Federal Student Aid: SDTR students are eligible to apply for federal financial aid. Aid consists primarily of William D. Ford Federal Direct Loans (Unsubsidized), Federal Graduate PLUS Loans, and Federal Work Study. Degree-seeking graduate students are eligible for federal financial aid if they:
- are enrolled in 4.5 or more units per term,
- meet the HTH GSE’s Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) policy,
- are in good standing with prior federal loans,
- are citizens of the United States (or eligible non-citizens)
Please review the Financial Aid FAQ’s for more information. To apply for aid, follow Steps to Apply for Financial Aid.
If applying as an international student, the HTH GSE is approved to offer F-1 visas and students may be eligible for a reduced tuition rate. You can find more information about studying in the U.S. and applying for the F-1 visa here.
Other helpful resources:
- Earned BA/BS degree
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- Degree earned (or “In Progress”) from a regionally accredited university with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0. Applicants with a lower GPA should include an explanation of their academic qualifications in their application.
- If the degree was earned outside of the U.S., the transcript must be evaluated for equivalence by World Education Services, Inc. (WES) or Educational Perspectives with a Course-by-Course Report.
- The GRE is not required for admission to the HTH GSE.
- Basic Skills Requirement
- The basic skills requirement measures reading, mathematics, and writing skills. Candidates can meet this requirement through one of the methods as described here by the CTC.
- Fingerprint Clearance Requirement
- Fingerprint clearance accounts for professional fitness to work in a CA Public or Charter school. Candidates can meet this requirement by applying for a Certificate of Clearance (instructions CL-900). Educators who hold a valid CTC issued substitute teaching permit have already met this requirement.
- Subject Matter Competency Requirement
- Candidates must provide evidence of having: 1) passed the CSET, 2) attempted the CSET, 3) registration for the next scheduled CSET examination, 4) completed a Commission approved the appropriate subject matter preparation program, 5) made continuous progress toward meeting the subject matter requirement, or 6) enrolled in an organized subject matter examination preparation program. See more about CA Subject Examinations for Teachers (CSET) series.
- TB Screening Requirement
- TB screening is to prevent the transmission of tuberculosis in CA public schools and charters. Educators must provide negative TB results or TB Assessment administered by a healthcare professional.
SDTR residents complete a 30-unit degree program that includes course-taking, clinical fieldwork, and the submission of a capstone Master’s Project featuring three cycles of lesson study. This is a cohort-based program by design. A sampling of coursework is as follows: Equity I: Self Schools, and Society; Foundations of Classroom Culture; Foundations of Student-Centered Teaching; Foundations of English Language Development; Inclusive Classrooms; Instruction and Assessment in the Disciplines; Foundations of Reading Instruction; Equity II: Culturally Responsive Pedagogy; Equity III: Critical Pedagogy; Design for Deeper Learning; and Inquiry into Practice.
SDTR is a participant in EdPrepLab, co-sponsored by Bank Street College and the Learning Policy Institute.
Our Team
Janie Griswold
Paola Capo-Garcia
Matt Sheelen
Jenny Bourassa
Kirstin Northenscold
Carol Battle
Sarah Strong
Brittney Quinones
Alec Patton
Anna Champion
Mari Jones
Curtis Taylor
Michelle Pledger
Sarah Fine
Address
Office of Admissions
High Tech High
Graduate School of Education
2150 Cushing Road
San Diego CA 92106
Contact
Contact us if you have questions about any of our programs.
(619) 398-4902