Secondary Graduate Certification Program Prerequisites

The Post-Baccalaureate Program has the following prerequisites which must be completed by the deadline listed or before summer classes begin if no deadline is stated:

Degree Prerequisite:

1) A Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution with a minimum overall GPR of 2.75.

Degree must be awarded no later than May 31, 2008.

Prerequisite Course Work:

2) The following courses (or their equivalent from an institution of higher education):

a) INST 310: Understanding Special Populations or TEED 302: Teaching/Learning Processes OR SPED 621: Overview of Exceptional Students

b) TEFB 322 Teaching and Schooling in the Modern Society or INST 301: Educational Psychology OR EPSY 602: Educational Psychology.

c) TEFB 324 Teaching in Secondary School

Transcripts for correspondence courses & transfer courses must be received no later than May 12, 2008.

Applications/Tests Prerequisites:

3) A teaching field plan, listing required and completed course work in the teaching area of certification, must be completed and signed by a teaching field advisor.

4) TLAC Departmental Application for M.Ed.  Application for Secondary Graduate Certification Program must be submitted to the Secondary Graduate Certification Office (Heaton Hall, 104). http://tlac.tamu.edu/articles/admissions

5) An application for admission to Graduate Studies submitted to Texas A&M University. http://www.tamu.edu/admissions

6) Three letters of recommendation must be on file in Department of TLAC Graduate Admissions Office. Mail to Ms. Kerri Smith, 4232 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843.  http://tlac.tamu.edu/articles/admissions

7) To meet state certification requirements an applicant must have either a passing score either on the Texas Higher Education Assessment (THEA) OR equivalent GRE scores. (Verbal and Quantitative scores should be above the 25% for each section).  GRE Test is required by the Admissions office if applying for Masters Degree. http://www.gre.org

NOTE: Students who meet literacy and numeracy qualifications through the THEA will be required to take the GRE before being admitted to the Department of Teaching, Learning & Culture Master's Degree program.

State Content Area/Teaching Field Certification Exam:

Students who have met requirements 1 to 7, will be recommended for the Content Specialization area Texas Examination of Educator Standards (TExES). A passing score of 240 on the TExES is required for admission to the Post-Baccalaureate Secondary Certification Program. Students will take the TExES test on the April 19, 2008, administration date.

Eligible students will be given the application form at the orientation meeting in January. Completed application for the exam, along with the necessary fees, must be submitted to the Certification Office, Room 801 Harrington Tower by January 13, 2008. For more information on the TExES standards and competencies to be tested, visit the State Board for Educator Certification.

NOTE:  Any student who plans on enrolling in graduate course work during the spring 2008 semester must be admitted, November 1, 2007 (deadline) to the Department of Teaching, Learning, and Culture before enrolling in those courses. Please contact Dr. Kelly , Kerri Smith, Danielle Bairrington, or Ludovic Sourdot for timelines associated with graduate admission for spring courses.

No student will be allowed to enroll in non-certification graduate level course work without admission to the Graduate Program.

Course Descriptions

Students should contact the appropriate teaching field advisors listed below to determine the adequacy of their content area preparation. A signed teaching field plan is a pre-requisite of the Post-Baccalaureate Program.

*These teaching fields are in low-demand. It may be difficult to secure an internship or student teaching position in these areas. Candidates interested in these areas are encouraged to complete course work for a second teaching field.

The application deadline for the 2008-2009 (Summer 2008, Fall 2008, & Spring 2009) cohort is
December 8, 2007.