Admission to the Education Program
Education majors must apply for formal admission to the education program. Formal application takes place during the spring semester of every year. Generally, students who have completed between 45 and 60 credits and have taken the appropriate tests and coursework are ready to make formal application to the program. For most students, this occurs in the spring of their sophomore or junior year. It is important to work closely with your advisor to determine the appropriate semester for you to apply and to ensure that the proper coursework has been completed.
Program Prerequisites
In order to be admitted to the program, education majors must meet the following requirements:
- Maintain an overall 2.5 GPA
- Complete at least 45 credits
- Take the Pre-professional Skills Test (PPST)
- Enroll in EDUC 354 General Teaching Methods
- Complete the required prerequisite courses for their program with a grade of "C" or higher. An average GPA of 2.75 must be earned in these courses.
Elementary Education Prerequisites |
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| EDUC | 150 | Foundations of Teacher Education |
| ENG | 124 | Rhetoric and Research |
| COMM | 220 | Public Speaking |
| PSYC | 125 | General Psychology |
| MATH | 115 | Practical Mathematics |
| or | 125 | College Algebra I |
| or | 250 | College Algebra II & Trigonometry |
| FA | 111/112/116 | Music or Art Appreciation |
| or | 250 | Intro to Theatre |
| SCI | 210/215 | Physical Science |
| HIST | 225/226 | American History I or II |
| MUSL | Piano Lesson or pass music placement test* | |
| *Contact the education office for information about the music placement test | ||
Communication Arts (5-12) Prerequisites |
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| ENG | 124 | Rhetoric and Research |
| ENG | 220 | British Literature I |
| ENG | 223/233 | American Literature I or II |
| ENG | 337 | Adolescent Literature |
| COMM | 220 | Public Speaking |
| PSYC | 125 | General Psychology |
| PSCY | 257 | Developmental Psychology II |
| EDUC | 150 | Foundations of Education |
| HIST | History Elective | |
| FA | 111/112/ 116/250 |
Music or Art Appreciation or Intro to Theatre (2) |
Social Studies (5-12) Prerequisites |
| Coming Soon! |
Vocal Music (K-12)Prerequisites |
| Coming Soon! |
Application Process
A meeting for all prospective applicants is held during EDUC 354 General Teaching Methods to explain the process. In addition to the requirements listed previously, the following are required in the application process:
- Declare a major in education through the Registrar's Office
- Submit two recommendations from faculty outside the education department
- Take the Pre-Professional Skills Test (PPST)
- Submit a handwritten autobiographical sketch
- Submit a paper completed for a college or university class
- Successfully complete the interview process with an education department faculty member
- Secondary education majors must be approved by the chair of their specialization department (English, Arts & Sciences, or Fine Arts)
Note: Students who have been convicted of a felony are required to confer with the Chair of the education department as soon as they seek admission into the education program. Students will be informed of relevant statutes and certification policies which might produce employment difficulties.
Types of Admission
After full review of the student's application to the education program, a decision concerning acceptance is made. Students will be notified of the decision by mail before academic advising for the next year begins. There are three types of acceptance decisions that may be made:
- Full Acceptance. Students receive full acceptance into the program when all criteria in the application process have been met.
- Provisional/Probationary Acceptance. A student may receive provisional acceptance when it is believed that the applicant has the potential to be a good teacher candidate, but one or more of the acceptance criteria are not met. The student will be notified in the acceptance letter of the terms of the probation. All probationary terms must be met in the timeframe given or the student may be dismissed from the program at the end of the semester.
- Denial. Occasionally it is deemed that a student is not a good candidate at the time of application. If this is the case, the student will be notified by letter; often a conference is scheduled with the department chair to discuss the situation as well. At this point, the student may decide to change majors, apply again at a later date, or appeal the decision. Steps in the appeals process are in the following section.
Appeals Process
When a student is denied admission to the education program, that student may appeal to the Education Appeals Committee. The appeal, written in the form of a letter, must be submitted within one week of receiving the admission denial letter. The Education Appeals Committee will reconsider admitting the student and then provide a response to the student within three weeks of receiving the student's appeal letter. The appeals committee is made up of five members: one education faculty member, two faculty members from the university outside of the department, and two members of the education department's advisory committee.
Maintaining Status in Program
Students will be evaluated after their first semester in the formal teacher education program. To maintain fully approved admission to the education program a student must fulfill the following requirements:
- Maintain an overall GPA of 2.5
- Maintain a GPA of 2.75 in all education courses
- Maintain a grade of "C" or higher in all education courses
- 4. Maintain and improve the necessary skills, knowledge, and attitudes for the study of teaching
Additionally, if methods class instructors or field experience supervisors are concerned about a student's progress in the program, they may bring their concerns to the education department faculty.