Teacher Education Admission Requirements

Admission to Teacher Education is a selective process separate from Weber State University admission and must be achieved before students may register for Professional Education Courses. A predetermined number of qualified applicants are Provisionally Admitted each semester, based upon availability of Teacher Education faculty and departmental resources. Provisionally Admitted students are admitted to Candidacy for licensure at the beginning of their student teaching semester provided they have successfully completed all required course work, field experience, and testing, and adhered to Teacher Education Professional Standards.

• A. Student Advisement

  1. Teacher Education Advisement - Academic advisement is available in the Teacher Education Advisement Center. To schedule an appointment please contact the advisement center.
  2. Faculty Mentors - Professional mentoring is centralized with four faculty mentors including one for each licensure program including Elementary, Secondary, Special Education, and Graduate Certificate of Teaching. Names of faculty mentors are available in the Teacher Education A&R website.

• B. Academic Criteria for Admission

  Students are encouraged to seek advising early in their studies, the following academic criteria must be completed to apply for admission:

  1. Grade Point Average (GPA) - A cumulative minimum GPA of 2.75 or 3.00 in the last 30 credit hours is required.
  2. General Education Core Requirements – The following must be completed with a grade of C or better. General Education Requirements of Computer and Information Literacy must be satisfied before applying for admission. (See Weber State University Catalog for specific General Education Core Requirements). Students seeking secondary licensure must also have completed their Quantitative Literacy. Whereas, students seeking elementary or special education licensure must also have successfully completed Math 2010.
  3. English 2010 or 2015 – Complete a three or four-semester credit college level English Course approved by the Teacher Education Advisement Center with a minimum grade of C or above.
  4. Communication Class - Complete a three-semester credit college-level public speaking course approved by the Teacher Education Advisement Center with minimum grade of B-.
  5. Education 1010 - Complete the three-semester credit introduction to education course with a grade of B.

• C. Application Procedures

  After all academic criteria have been satisfied, an application for Teacher Education Admission may be submitted to the Teacher Education Advisement Center. Application to Teacher Education may be made when 30 semester credits have been earned. No student will be permitted to apply for admission to more than a total of three times.

  1. Application for Admission - The Teacher Education Advisement Center provides program outlines and advisement, and all necessary application materials. If desired, an applicant may submit with the application a brief letter explaining any extenuating circumstances the applicant wishes to be considered by the Admissions Committee. Credits for individual professional education courses taken at WSU or any other institution more than five years ago must be repeated and will not be counted toward licensure. By applying for admission to teacher education, students agree to comply with Teacher Education Professional Standards. Applications for admission to teacher education, along with routine directions are available in the Teacher Education Advisement Center.
  2. Self-Evaluation: Prior to admission students will be asked to complete a self evaluation on the necessary dispositions required of teachers in the field. This form will be sent to you once your application has been received, and is available online.

• D. Selection Process

  Departmental administrators determine the number of qualified applicants that may be Provisionally Admitted each semester, based upon availability of Teacher Education faculty and departmental resources. Thus, meeting the minimum admission requirements qualifies a candidate to be considered, but does not ensure admission to the program during any particular selection period. Students are Provisionally Admitted twice each year, and notified in time to allow registration for the up-coming semester

  1. Ranking of Applicants - After the Application for Admission is submitted, applicants are ranked for consideration and selection by the Admission Committee. The minimum Standard for each of the selections criteria must be met for an applicant to be considered for admission.
  2. Under-represented and Special Need Populations - The Department of Teacher Education recognizes needs for qualified teachers among under-represented populations, including ethnic, language speaking, disability status, and critical-need secondary teaching majors and minors (Applicants having disabilities must first register with the WSU Services for Students with Disabilities (SDD) Office before consideration for special admission or program accommodations).
  3. Assistance for Non-selected Applicants - Feedback to non-admitted applicants regarding future selection cycles may be obtained upon request from the Teacher Education Advisement Center.

• E. Provisional Admission

  Applicants admitted to the Teacher Education Program are admitted provisionally until they have successfully completed all required course work, field experience, and testing, and begin student teaching.*

  * Appeal Process: If you wish to appeal a decision or ruling of the Admission and Retention Committee, you must communicate that request in writing to the committee chairperson. The appeal process is outlined in the WSU Student Rights and Responsibilities policy.

• F. Background Security Clearance

  All applicants are required to apply For Background/Security Clearance (including fingerprinting) immediately upon being notified of Provisional Admission. Security clearances are validated on a continuous schedule and will be reviewed prior to student teaching. Students who do not complete all security clearance requirements will not be allowed to complete the necessary practicum/field experience required in the professional education coursework. Weber State uses the security clearance required by USBE for licensure.

• G. Admitted to Candidacy

  Candidates will be fully admitted to the Teacher Education program at the beginning of their student teaching semester provided they have successfully completed all required course work, field experience, and testing, and adhered to Teacher Education Professional Standards.