Teacher Certification Program

Students seeking teacher certification through the State of Missouri with Post-Baccalaureate status (Graduate-Level Teacher Certification program or Undergraduate-Level Teacher Certification program) must meet requirements and seek admission to the Teacher Certification Program (TCP) as early as possible. Students who seek admission to the program must have:

• Completed the Post-baccalaureate core courses: EDUC 505 , EDUC 542 , and EDUC 550  (or their undergraduate equivalents); 
• Obtain no grade lower than C in the professional education and content area courses; (See Dismissal on Grading and Academic Standing  page for more information.)
• Completion of application materials for admission to the Teacher Certification Program.

Retention Criteria:

• Complete at least six hours of professional education each year;
• Complete required field experiences (in EDUC 505  and EDUC 563 ) and receive favorable evaluations from cooperating teachers and faculty supervisors;
• Maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above in professional education and content area courses with no grade lower than C.
• Department faculty members and staff will document instances of unprofessional behavior. Unprofessional behavior may make the student ineligible for acceptance in the Teacher Certification Program or may result in the immediate dismissal of a student from the Teacher Certification Program. Additional information regarding candidate dismissal can be obtained from the Education Department.

Other Coursework:

• Content area coursework not completed in BA must also be taken to meet State certification requirements.
• Any content area or professional education course(s) with grade of “D” or lower must be repeated until a grade of “C” or above is obtained (see Dismissal on Grading and Academic Standing  page regarding two grades of C once admitted to the Graduate-Level Teacher Certification (Post-Baccalaureate) program).

Other requirements for certification that must be completed prior to recommendation for a Missouri teaching certificate:

• Successful completion of appropriate Missouri Content Assessment (MoCA) (prior to July 1, 2024) or Praxis II (beginning July 1, 2024);
• Successful completion of the Missouri Educator Evaluation System (MEES)

Cost Information and Suggestions for Teacher Certification Program Students

Teaching is a very rewarding field to pursue but the various costs associated with obtaining teacher certification can be difficult without careful planning. To help with this planning, here are the fees and assessment costs associated with becoming a teacher in the state of Missouri:

Assessments: Missouri requires various assessments throughout a student’s teacher certification program. Assessment fees are outlined below:

• Missouri Content Assessment (MoCA): the cost of this assessment varies ($77 to $189 per assessment) depending on the area of certification. Some certification areas require multiple assessments and others may only require one. (The use of this assessment ends June 30, 2024.)
• Praxis II: the cost of this assessment varies. (The use of this assessment begins July 1, 2024.)
• Missouri Educator Evaluation System (MEES): No cost to student 

Note: Some testing centers may also charge an exam sitting fee. For additional information about these assessments, go to http://www.mo.nesinc.com/

Tuition: Although this may seem obvious, tuition is another cost that requires planning. Tuition cost can be especially difficult during student teaching, which is a 16-week placement in a school during which most students are not able to maintain a separate job for income.

How to plan: Since the assessments are not covered by financial aid, students should determine with their advisor the semester/session they plan to take the assessment(s) and save any financial aid refund from previous terms to help defray the cost. A semester with no income while student teaching would obviously take more budgeting, but planning ahead would certainly help reduce the financial stress during that time.