Frequently Asked Questions Related to Business Teacher Education

Who do I contact regarding Business Education certification?
George Claffey, claffey@mail.ccsu.edu or 860-832-2590

What grade level will I be certified to teach?
We are a 7-12 certification.

What courses can I typically expect to teach?
Keyboarding/word processing and accounting are offered in about 85 percent of the schools.  Other common courses include classes related to Microsoft Office, business law, business careers, international business, and personal finance.

What is the application process?
Please note that printed deadlines for admission to both the Graduate School and the School of Education and Professional Studies are strictly adhered to.  Applicants must complete one application to the Graduate School and, following formal admission to the Graduate School, a separate application to the Professional Program of the School of Education and Professional Studies.  Original official transcripts are required for both applications.  (Official transcripts from CCSU are not required.)  See FAQ on admission requirements for more information.  It is the admission to the Professional Program that allows students to satisfy most course prerequisites that are part of the program.

How long does it take to complete the courses?
Assuming the applicant has a business degree or equivalent, typically students need a combination of business education and education courses totaling approximately 42 semester hours that includes student teaching.  Full time students starting in the fall can usually finish the program in 1.5 years with perhaps some summer classes.  Part-time students usually can complete in 2.5 years, again with perhaps a summer class or two.

When are courses offered?
Business education classes are offered in the evenings.  However, the four required courses are only offered once during the year.  Education courses are offered generally as late as 4:00 p.m.  Please note that some courses require outside observations or tutoring which would occur during the day.  At present it is estimated that students should expect 75 hours of required observation from the required classes.

What are the typical admission requirements?
You need an overall GPA of 2.7 from all schools attended beyond high school.  The School of Education requires a satisfactory Praxis I test score or waiver.  You must have an undergraduate degree in business or equivalent course work in a related degree.  At a minimum you need to show on your transcript courses in the following subjects:  financial accounting, managerial accounting, managerial finance, business law, management information systems, marketing, microeconomics, macroeconomics, managerial communications or public speaking, and two courses in statistics or quantitative analysis.  Applicants normally have some prior experience dealing with high school age youngsters.  You must provide an essay why you want to be a teacher and two letters of recommendation from individuals that can address your teaching ability or potential ability.  In addition, the department requires completion of a word processing proficiency exam and keyboarding proficiency exam.  The keyboarding exam requires you to be able to type at 42 net words a minute for three minutes with no more than three errors (52 gross words a minute if you make errors).  As a part of the initial admission process to the professional program, students need to submit to a personal interview.  Prior to student teaching, students need to provide evidence of 500 hours of office work experience within the past five years.  At the beginning of the semester prior to student teaching, you must provide an essay why you want to be a business teacher and two letters from individuals that will say you will be a good business teacher.  The department will also assess your skills and dispositions at this time to determine your suitability for student teaching.  This information plus your course work and an interview by a committee determines you suitability for student teaching.

How do I find out what courses I have to take?
When you are admitted, the School of Education will provide you with a planned program that lists all of the courses you need to take to satisfy the requirements. 

How long do I have to complete the requirements?
You have six years from the start of the program to complete all requirements including student teaching.

Is there a sequence that courses must be taken?
Some courses do have prerequisites that must be adhered to.  

What is student teaching?
Student teaching in business education is eleven weeks completed in a public school in Connecticut.  Student teaching may be completed in either the fall or spring semester.  Fall student teaching begins when the fall semester begins and usually ends around Thanksgiving.  Spring student teachers go out when the spring semester begins and generally end around the time of April vacation.  During student teaching you cannot work or take classes.  All course work must be completed prior to student teaching.  Student teaching assignments are made by CCSU and try to take into consideration the person’s hometown.  Students are placed with individuals who have been certified to have student teachers.

What about earning a master’s degree?
A separate application is required for the MS in Business Education.  Admission requires State of Connecticut Certification in Business Education.  Four business education courses taken as a part of certification can be included in the 30-hour master’s degree in business education with advisor approval.

Can I start taking courses and apply later?
In some cases it may be possible that a course or two can be taken prior to acceptance to the Graduate School and to the Professional Program of the School of Education and Professional Studies.  Contact Dr. Claffey (860-832-2590) to find out whether this is possible.  For example, an applicant who has not taken a U.S. history course could take it without acceptance.  Similarly an applicant who has not taken Life-Span Development could take that without further permission.

Am I certified as soon as student teaching is over?
You have to complete the required paperwork for certification and submit it to the Assistant Dean in the School of Education and Professional Studies who certifies you have met the requirements to the State.  You need to provide a satisfactory Praxis II for business education at the time you apply.  The process of submitting your materials and getting the actual certification may take several months.

What is the job picture?
No one has a good handle on how many real jobs there are in business education.  Over the recent past there seem to be sufficient openings.  As schools become more concerned about standardized test scores, those areas that are not required could suffer.  Additionally, changes in technology can impact our area positively or negatively.  Some districts have at least some partial requirement for personal finance for all students.  If more schools move in this direction, the job market would be brighter.  Changes in the job market both up and down have occurred over the last 30 years.

What are starting salaries?
Published reports peg beginning salaries at around $35,000 on average.  Some beginning business teachers have been placed at a higher step based on previous work experience, some have not.