Education Program Admission Requirements

Here's what you need to know about admission: The checkpoints of Provisional, Full and Student Teaching Admission are carefully monitored by advisors and the Teacher Preparation Committee (TPC).

There are five steps through the Teacher Education Program:

Pre-admission - Prerequisite classes and aptitude determination.
Provisional admission - Permission to enter teacher preparation program.
Full admission—Permission to enter upper division professional program.
Student Teaching—Permission to student teach.
Certification and Early Career Review

Provisional admission

Permission to enter the Education Program

Students who wish to enroll in the teacher preparation program are required to apply for provisional admission to the Teacher Preparation Committee (TPC) during EDUC 125 Introduction to Teaching, generally taken during the freshman year. Transfer students should contact their advisor to set up a plan at the time of their first registration at the college.

Students must:

1. Apply for provisional admittance during the EDUC 125 Introduction to Teaching course;
2. Provide evidence of a GPA of 2.75 and no grade lower than C (2.00) in professional education or major field;
3. Sign a denial of felony/misdemeanor statement;
4. Complete background check;
5. Have no incomplete grades;
6. Complete the requirements of EDUC 125 Introduction to Teaching which include:

one recommendation giving evidence of moral, ethical, and professional character: from a current or former residence hall dean, a pastor, from a teacher or from a work supervisor
completion of 20 clock hours of field experience
completion of an autobiographical sketch which includes a statement of career goals and rationale for requesting admission into the program
completion of the speech and hearing test
completion of 16 Personalities Test
take the required Praxis CORE tests as part of EDUC 125. Tests must be taken no later than October 15. Tutoring is provided and required for those still needing to pass before and after this deadline. All tests must be passed before registering for EDUC 218;
obtain Anthology Portfolio membership to collaborate with instructors and peers on classroom assignments as well as track your progress on meeting program outcomes. See the office for instructions on how to register for a membership.

The above elements will be examined by the Unit Faculty who will then recommend to the TPC for provisional acceptance or denial of admission into the program.
If at any time the ending semester cumulative GPA falls below 2.75 or a grade below a C (2.00) in any EDUC or content course required for the endorsement major, the teacher candidate may not enroll for further professional education classes until the GPA is raised to 2.75 or above, the class is retaken, or permission is granted by the TPC.

Full admission

Permission to enter upper division professional education classes

Students who have been provisionally admitted within the past three years and who wish to continue in teacher preparation must appear before the Candidacy Committee, usually during the spring semester of the sophomore year. The Candidacy Committee will be made up of the student's advisor(s), a member of the education faculty and, if the student desires, a peer.

A student eligible for candidacy must:

1. Complete an application for full admission and submit it to the Candidacy Committee by February 15;
2. Maintain a GPA of 2.75 or above with no grade lower than C (2.00) in professional education and major courses;
3. Have no incomplete grades;
4. Pass the Core Academic Skills Test (CORE) with minimal scores of Reading 156, Mathematics 150, and Writing 162, as required by the State of Nebraska;
5. Write a detailed plan showing how all remaining classes are scheduled to guarantee successful completion of the program;
6. Provide a recommendation from content area division(s) (Secondary Education only);
7. Sign a denial of felony/misdemeanor statement.
8. Provide a report of 20 hours of Observation in a diverse setting.

The Candidacy Committee will review all records and schedules, discuss goals and character expectations, and recommend to the Teacher Preparation Committee (TPC) for acceptance or denial of the candidate to full admission status.

Each spring the Teacher Preparation Committee will:

1. Review the recommendation of the Candidacy Committees;
2. Review candidate's progress and vote to confer or deny full admission;
3. Report decision to the candidate and, if denial is voted, a written explanation of cause will be given to the candidate;
4. Review the candidate's GPA.

If at any time the ending semester cumulative GPA falls below 2.75 or a grade below a C (2.00) in any EDUC or content course required for the endorsement major, the teacher candidate may not enroll for further professional education classes until the GPA is raised to 2.75 or above, the class is retaken, or permission is granted by the TPC.

Failure to gain full admission to the program by the end of the spring term of year two may significantly delay a student's progress through the program.

Student Teaching

Certification

Nebraska State Certification

Application for certification is made through the Union College Certification Officer using the forms provided by the Nebraska Department of Education. This form can be obtained in the division office or on the Nebraska Department of Education website at http://education.ne.gov

To qualify for Nebraska State Certification each candidate will have:

earned minimum of a baccalaureate degree (124 semester hours in addition to any Teacher Learning Center credit earned) and completed all requirements of the “approved program” for which recommendation is desired.
attained a minimum of 18 years of age.
shown evidence of physical fitness, emotional maturity and moral character.
met a 2.75 GPA standard of scholarship.
taken and passed the Core Academic Skills Test with minimum scores set by the State of
Nebraska
taken and passed the PRAXIS II - Elementary Education: Curriculum, Instruction, and
Assessment or secondary education content knowledge test for his/her major endorsement.
successfully completed student teaching assignment.
shown a background free of criminal convictions shown by background check.

Seventh-day Adventist Denominational Certification

Application for SDA Certification is made in the division office using the form provided by the Mid-America Union Conference (MAUC).

To qualify for Seventh-day Adventist certification in the North America Division, each candidate will:

a. meet all state certification requirements

b. have taken RELT 455 Prophetic Guidance and RELH 310 History of the SDA Church

c. hold membership in good standing at a Seventh-day Adventist church

d. affirm a willingness to subscribe to and teach within the frame work and philosophy of the church.

Upon graduating, the teacher candidate will receive a Union College diploma, which indicates that he/she has completed a Nebraska, CAEP and an NAD accredited Bachelor’s degree program in teacher education and will be recommended to the State and MAUC for certification.

Criminal History Check

1. Nebraska law requires that every teacher candidate must affirm under oath that he or she has no felony nor misdemeanor convictions involving abuse, neglect or injury to any person, nor any other convictions. A person with a felony conviction shall not be allowed to participate in pre-student teaching or student teaching experiences without approval by the State Board.

2. Every certification candidate who has not been a continuous resident of the state of Nebraska for the past five years must present an official fingerprint record on forms provided by the State, along with the application for certification.

3. Every certification candidate who plans to student teach must apply for a full Background Check by filling out the form provided by the Division office.

Out-of-State Certification

Because the Union College Teacher Preparation Program is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Program (CAEP), obtaining certification in other states is easier. Each state has its own requirements, but most require that initial certification be in the state where the degree was obtained.

Change of Certification Requirements

In case of changes in Nebraska state certification requirements, it may be necessary for a teacher candidate who wishes to be recommended for certification to meet certain requirements different from those published above or in the College Bulletin. This is not to be construed to abridge teacher candidates’ right to graduate under any Bulletin enforced during the time they are in continuous residence as defined in the current Bulletin. However, since certification and graduation are two different end goals, candidates for certification may encounter certification law changes that they will be required to meet.