Admission to the Teacher Certification Program (Main Campus Day)
Education courses numbered 300 and below are open to all students. Students pursuing teacher certification may not enroll in Education courses as pass/fail unless the course is a designated pass/fail course by the Department. Admission to the program is required prior to enrollment in all education courses above 300 (excluding EDUC 390 , EDUC 391 /PSYC 391 and EDUC 392 /PSYC 392 ). Students are required to meet requirements and seek admission as early as possible.
Students who seek admission to the program must have:
- Declared a Bachelor’s degree in a subject/content area (e.g. English, History, Business, etc.);
- Completed 5-6 hours of Education courses at Columbia College which must include EDUC 100 ;
- Attained the following GPAs:
- 2.5 or above on all college coursework (Columbia College and other institutions);
- 2.8 or above on all professional education courses with no grade less than C;
- 2.8 or above on all content/concentration area courses with no grade less than C (this GPA must be achieved prior to acceptance for student teaching).
- Demonstrated competency in the areas of English, Mathematics, Science and Social Sciences as verified by passing scores on all sections of the Missouri General Education Assessment (MoGEA).
- Completed application materials for admission to the Teacher Certification Program (available on the Education Department website) and will include: Request for Admission, GPA Worksheet, and two letters of recommendation (at least one from the Education Department faculty).
- All students fully admitted to the Teacher Certification Program will be reviewed on a yearly basis until they have completed or withdrawn from the program. Areas for review could include:
- GPA (overall, in content area, and education coursework);
- Reports from faculty members regarding conduct and progress of student.
Transfer Student Admission to the Teacher Certification Program:
Transfer students’ admission requirements will differ from the above stated requirements in that:
- Students transferring in their first six (6) hours of education coursework from another institution could be admitted provisionally and would only be required to submit one letter of recommendation from an education faculty member from that institution.
- If admitted provisionally, students would be re-evaluated after one year and also at the time of being fully admitted to the Teacher Certification Program.
Retention Criteria:
- Complete at least six hours of professional education each year.
- Complete Field Experiences and receive favorable evaluations from cooperating teachers and faculty supervisors.
- Maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or above after acceptance to the program.
- Maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.8 or above in professional education courses.
- 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 requirements for certification that must be completed prior to graduation:
- Successful completion/passing of appropriate Praxis II exam;
- Successful completion of program certification portfolio (EDUC 400 - Senior Seminar 3 hours ) and exit interview.
Admission to the Teacher Certification Program (Main Campus Evening)
Education courses numbered 300 and below are open to all students. Students pursuing teacher certification may not enroll in Education courses as pass/fail unless the course is a designated pass/fail course by the Department. Admission to the program is required prior to enrollment in all education courses above 300 (excluding EDUC/ENVS 372, EDUC 390 , EDUC 391 /PSYC 391 and EDUC 392 /PSYC 392 ). Students are required to meet requirements and seek admission as early as possible.
Students who seek admission to the program must have:
- Declared a Bachelor’s degree in a subject/content area (ex. English, History, Business, etc.);
- Completed 5-6 hours of Education courses at Columbia College which must include EDUC 100 ;
- Attained the following GPAs:
- 2.5 or above on all college coursework (Columbia College and other institutions);
- 2.8 or above on all professional education courses with no grade less than C;
- 2.8 or above on all content/concentration area courses with no grade less than C (this GPA must be achieved prior to acceptance for student teaching).
- Demonstrated competencies in written communications, reading comprehension and basic mathematical skills and concepts as verified by a score above the national average on the ACT or equivalent standardized and nationally normed test. Current required scores are available from teacher certification program advisors, the department chair, or the certification officer; [ACT or equivalent may be waived if CBASE composite score is 288 or above (passing all sections)];
- Demonstrated competency in the areas of English, Mathematics, Science and Social Sciences as verified by passing scores on all sections of the Missouri College Basic Academic Skills Examination (CBASE). All sections of the CBASE must be passed within two years from the semester that the test was first taken or all sections of the test expire and must be repeated. [If the student’s ACT score is below the national average, they must pass all sections of the CBASE with a minimum composite score of 288.];
- Completed application materials for admission to the Teacher Certification Program (to be obtained from the Certification Officer by appointment) and will include: Request for Admission, GPA Worksheet, and two letters of recommendation (one from the Education Department faculty and one from faculty outside the Education Department).
- All students fully admitted to the Teacher Certification Program will be reviewed on a yearly basis until they have completed or withdrawn from the program. Areas for review could include:
- GPA (overall, in content area, and education coursework);
- Reports from faculty members regarding conduct and progress of student.
Transfer Student Admission to the Teacher Certification Program (TCP):
Transfer students’ admission requirements will differ from the above stated requirements in that:
- Students transferring in their first six (6) hours of education coursework from another institution could be admitted provisionally and would only be required to submit one letter of recommendation from an education faculty member from that institution.
- If admitted provisionally, students would be re-evaluated after one year and also at the time of being fully admitted to the TCP.
Retention Criteria:
- Complete at least six hours of professional education each year.
- Complete Field Experiences and receive favorable evaluations from cooperating teachers and faculty supervisors.
- Maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or above after acceptance to the program.
- Maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.8 or above in professional education courses.
- 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 requirements for certification that must be completed prior to graduation:
- Successful completion/passing of appropriate Praxis II exam;
- Successful completion of program certification portfolio (EDUC 400 ) and exit interview.
The Daystar Program (Main Campus Day)
This program is designed for Day Campus students who are primarily new freshmen. (Freshman-level transfer students with only liberal arts and sciences college credit may also apply.)
DAYSTAR is a four-year + program that allows students to earn a Bachelor of Arts in a content area (i.e. Biology, Math, History, etc), PLUS a Master of Arts in Teaching degree. Students graduating from this program will be eligible to be recommended for certification to teach in Missouri at the elementary, middle, or secondary school level.
Education courses are taught in the summer (five summers total) while academic content courses and internships are taught in the fall and spring. Students obtain substantial practical teaching experience with exposure to the classroom every semester.
Students admitted to this program will receive a DAYSTAR tuition grant to cover tuition costs for required courses taken in the summer sessions.
Admission to the DAYSTAR Program requires approval by the Education Department through Scholarship Day. Entry to the teacher certification program must occur prior to student teaching. (See Admission to Teacher Certification Program). Admission to the MAT program is required to complete certification. To be eligible for certification, students must have a minimum a 3.0 cumulative grade point average, passing scores on all sections of the MoGEA, and a passing score on the Praxis II examination.
DAYSTAR students will graduate from Columbia College knowing they have successfully completed one of the most challenging and innovative teaching programs in the nation while earning both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in little more than four years. (NOTE: See the DAYSTAR Certification checklists for lists of certification courses taken at the Post-Baccalaureate level.)
DAYSTAR is an adapted Holmes-group model of teacher education which:
- Emphasizes academic content over pedagogy at the undergraduate level.
- Substantively increases opportunities for practical experience in clinical placements (students will participate in a clinical experience during each semester of enrollment, including summer placements),
- Provides for specific study of, and clinical experience with, special needs students,
- Requires demonstrated content (MoGEA & Praxis) and clinical (Field Placement) competence prior to being admitted to the certification sequence, and
- Focuses on pedagogy at the graduate level culminating with a professional degree in education.
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