Admission to the Teacher Certification Program
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.
(*Undesignated courses taken pass/fail will be considered as a grade of C for GPA calculations).
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). See note above regarding pass/fail. [Those completing teacher certification Spring 2017 or later will need 2.75 GPA];
- 2.8 or above on all professional education courses with no grade less than C; See note above regarding pass/fail. [Those completing teacher certification Spring 2017 or later will need 3.0 GPA];
- 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). [Those completing teacher certification Spring 2017 or later will need 3.0 GPA];
- 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: Statement of Responsibility and Guideline Agreement.
- 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fully admitted to the Teacher Certification Program will be reviewed on a yearly basis until they have completed or withdrawn from the program.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. [Those completing teacher certification Spring 2017 or later will need 2.75 GPA].
- Maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.8 or above in professional education courses. [Those completing teacher certification Spring 2017 or later will need 3.0 GPA].
- 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.
DAYSTAR Program
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.
Many education courses are taught in the summer (five summers total) while academic content courses and internships are mainly 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 Missouri Content Assessment.
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.
Beacon Program
The Beacon program is a certification program designed so that students can graduate with a baccalaureate degree in their content area and certification in their grade level. Students complete all degree and certification requirements at the undergraduate level. Students seeking certification to teach will declare a major in their content area (i.e. Math, History, English, Science) and a minor in Elementary Education Certification, Middle Level Education Certification, Secondary Education Certification, Art K-12 Certification, or Music K-12 Certification. Students will be required to maintain a 2.8 GPA within each minor and complete a minimum of one half of the Education coursework through Columbia College, which must include an observed field experience. Certification students must apply and be accepted into the Teacher Certification Program before enrolling in most education courses above 300. 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.
Students who choose to pursue Elementary Education Certification have two degree options:
- Obtain the Bachelor of General Studies for Elementary Education Certification that includes the Elementary Education Certification Minor and Elementary Education Content Area Minors in Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies. Students must complete all minors to earn this degree.
- Obtain a degree in a content area and add the Elementary Education Certification Minor. Recommended content degree programs are list
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