Undergraduate Teacher Education Admission Requirements
Acceptance to ÑÇÖÞÇéÉ« does not guarantee that a student will be accepted into the teacher certification program. There is a two-step process for obtaining certification:
Step One
For initial admission into the program, students must have completed or been in the process of completing:
- 48 credit hours (12 course units).
- A 3.0 GPA in the 48 credit hours.
- 6 credit hours (1.5 units) of college-level mathematics. (These credits may be part of the initial 48 credits.)
- 3 credit hours in English composition and 3 credit hours in English literature. (These credit hours may be part of 48 initial credits and can be met by the Writing 100 course and the literature requirement.)
- U.S. citizenship or a declared intent to file for U.S. citizenship. (This requirement is mandated by the Pennsylvania Department of Education and applies to teachers of all subjects except foreign languages.)
Step Two
Students who intend to student teach must make formal application to the Education Department. Applications should be submitted during the academic year preceding the student teaching semester. Formal applications will be presented to the Teacher Education Committee for consideration. The Committee will review applications based on the following criteria:
- GPA. Students must achieve a minimum 2.70 overall QPA to register for professional education courses numbered 200 or above. Standards for admission to student teaching include a minimum 3.0 overall GPA, 3.0 in the academic major, and 3.0 in the professional education sequence.
- Recommendation of the major department. This recommendation is particularly necessary when the student's academic record is marginal in terms of the established standards. In the case of a post-baccalaureate student, letters of recommendation from current or past employers may also be required.
- Recommendation of the Education Department. This recommendation is based on completion and approval of all requirements listed on the Undergraduate Initial Application, as well as the Student Teaching Application.
- Evidence of successful experience with children or youth. This includes volunteer and required course-related work. All students are required to successfully complete stage 1 & 2 field experience, as well as the stage 3 pre-student teaching experience, prior to being approved for student teaching.
- Evidence of written and oral communications skills. Skills should be demonstrated by college work, fieldwork, and personal conferences or interviews.
- Evidence of positive character. Submission of the signed application to the teacher certification program will give the Teacher Education Committee the continuing right to review and report student personnel files relevant to the applicant's behavior at ÑÇÖÞÇéÉ«.