Teacher Certification Programs

DESE Alternative Route to Certification Program

Students who have a baccalaureate degree relating to secondary certification areas may be eligible for a Temporary Authorization Certificate to teach in Missouri and may be eligible to negotiate a program of study at Columbia College to maintain Temporary Certification. This is a program defined by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).

Students seeking the alternative route to certification must apply as Post-Baccalaureate within the Graduate Program.

Alternative Certification Program of Study

A candidate for Alternative Certification must present evidence of the following:

• A baccalaureate degree (2.5 GPA minimum) with a major in Art, Biology, Business, Chemistry, General Science, Language Arts (English), Social Studies or Mathematics discipline. Included in the degree must be general education coursework that has been determined by the Office of the Registrar to be sufficient to meet Columbia College standards;
• Three years of professional (post-baccalaureate) employment experience¹;
• A valid current contract with a school district²;
• Admission as an Alternative Certification student into the Master of Arts in Teaching Program (no other admission category is applicable); and
• Completion of a two-year Academic Contract outlining the Program of Study and requirements to be met.

Required in the Program of Study (18 hrs) for Alternative Certification are:

EDUC 505 - Instructional Theory and Techniques 3 hours 

EDUC 507 - Alternative Certification Portfolio 3 hours  (continuous enrollment in EDUC 507E  is required)

EDUC 525 - Educating Exceptional Individuals 3 hours 

EDUC 560 - Theories of Learning 1-3 hours 

EDUC 563 - Management of the Classroom Environment 3 hours 

EDUC 580 - Methods of Effective Academic Evaluation 3 hours 

PRAXIS II - The appropriate examination must be successfully taken by the end of the first year of the Academic Contract, or the contract is void.

A supervising professor from the College will observe the candidate teach at least once per semester and will be available to counsel or assist the candidate as needed via e-mail, fax or telephone. The supervising professor will meet annually with the candidate’s principal to determine the teaching progress and performance of the candidate. Teaching progress and performance is defined as 56 of 80 points on the First-Year Principal’s Evaluation, and as 60 of 80 points on the Second-Year Principal’s Evaluation. Failure to annually demonstrate teaching progress and performance voids the Academic Contract.

The school at which the candidate is employed must provide an on-site teacher/mentor in the area of certification being sought. The school must provide to the Columbia College Teacher Certification Program the name of the mentor and a brief description of the mentoring process. The school also must provide the candidate professional development opportunities throughout the two-year program. Proof of participation in professional development must take the form of evidence that the candidate is successfully participating in a performance-based teacher evaluation process. Failure to annually provide proof of successful participation voids the Academic Contract.

The Program of Study is a two-year process. If the process is not completed in two years, the Academic Contract is void.

Post-Baccalaureate Certification Programs

Students who have completed a baccalaureate degree may be eligible for admission to Columbia College’s Post-Baccalaureate Programs for Teacher Certification. A candidate for Post Baccalaureate Teacher Certification must present evidence of the following:

Complete the MAT Post-Baccalaureate Core within the first 18 hours:

EDUC 542 - Law, Ethics and Education 3 hours /EDUC 200 Law, Ethics and Education 3 hours

EDUC 560 - Theories of Learning 1-3 hours /EDUC 230 Theories of Learning 3 hrs

EDUC 505 - Instructional Theory and Techniques 3 hours /EDUC 300 Instructional Theory and Techniques 3 hrs

EDUC 550 - Human Development 3 hours /EDUC 391 Human Development 3 hrs or
EDUC 392 Adolescent Psychology

• A baccalaureate degree (2.5 GPA minimum). Included in the degree must be general education coursework that has been determined by the Office of the Registrar to be sufficient to meet Columbia College standards;
• Admission as a Post-Baccalaureate student.

Once admitted, Post-Baccalaureate students must:

• Maintain a minimum GPA of 2.8 in all Professional Education courses with no grade lower than B (See Grading and Academic Standing );
• Maintain a minimum GPA of 2.8 in all content area courses with no grade lower than B (See Grading and Academic Standing );
• Complete application materials for admission to the Teacher Certification Program (to be obtained from the Certification Officer by appointment) that include: Request for Admission, GPA Worksheet, and two letters of recommendation (one from the Education Department and one from outside the Education Department).

Columbia College offers Teacher Certification Programs in:

Art Education K-12 
Music Education K-12 
Special Education K-12 
Elementary (grades 1-6) 
Middle School (grades 5-9) 
(Content areas: Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Speech/Theatre)
Secondary (grades 9-12) 
(Content areas: Biology, Business (non-vocational), Chemistry, English, General Science, Mathematics, Social Studies, Speech/Theatre)

Post Baccalaureate graduate students seeking teacher certification may take certification courses at the graduate level when available. The graduate equivalent courses are listed on the following checklists in brackets after the course title.

NOTE: Not all certification courses have graduate-level equivalencies.

¹ Evidence of experience may include letters from former employers detailing job responsibilities and time of employment. Similar information from colleagues may serve as well to meet this requirement. Any other documents supporting employment experience may be submitted similarly. Regardless of form, all evidence of employment must be submitted at the same time admission is sought and must be on file in the office of the Teacher Certification Program prior to the beginning of coursework. Program completers will have a minimum of five years professional work experience.

² A copy of the contract must be on file in the office of the Teacher Certification Program prior to acceptance into the Alternative Certification Program.