Post Baccalaureate Teacher Certification

Students who already hold a bachelor’s degree may pursue teacher certification through our Post-Baccalaureate Certification and the Master’s of Arts in Teaching programs. Post-baccalaureate programs do not result in master’s degrees.

Admission to the Post-Baccalaureate Certification programs involves two distinct application processes. First, students must apply to the School of Graduate Studies through the CCSU Graduate Admissions Office*. Students are admitted to the School of Graduate Studies at the pre-certification level and begin the program at this level. Once students have begun the program, they then apply for admission to the Professional Program for Teacher Certification through the Office of the Dean of Education and Professional Studies. Students admitted to the Professional Program for Teacher Certification are designated certification candidates. Registration for professional level education courses is restricted to students admitted to the Professional Program for Teacher Certification.

*The admissions application, application fee, and official transcripts from each college and university attended (except Central Connecticut State University) must be submitted to the Graduate Recruitment and Admissions Office.

The Professional Program for Teacher Certification applications are located outside of Barnard Hall, Room 203. Applications to the Professional Program for Teacher Certification are processed twice a year. Submission deadlines are September 10 and February 10. The Professional Program Application has complete instructions about requirements for each program. Criteria for admission to the Professional Program include admission to a post-baccalaureate graduate program, current enrollment in classes at CCSU, an overall undergraduate Grade Point Average (GPA) from all institutions attended of 2.70 GPA, passing scores or a waiver for the Praxis I tests, an additional complete set of official transcripts (transcripts submitted to Graduate Admissions cannot be used), letters of reference addressing the students’ potential as teachers, an essay, and other program-specific materials listed on the application. Students also must participate in a Professional Program interview. The application review and admission process takes from 6 to 8 weeks and is completed before pre-registration for the following semester.

The Connecticut State Department of Education will issue a Praxis I waiver based on specific SAT, ACT, or PAA scores. Testing and waiver requirements are subject to change by the State of Connecticut without prior notification. Information about the waiver application and criteria for receiving a Praxis I waiver are available at Barnard 203 or from the Connecticut State Department of Education at http://www.ctcert.org/. Information on registering for the Praxis tests are also available at Barnard 203 or from Educational Testing Service at www.ets.org. Students should allow 10–12 weeks to receive Praxis I scores or waivers.

Students can seek certification in the following fields:

Elementary Education

NK-12 Education

Art

Music

Physical Education

Special Education

Technology & Engineering Education

TESOL

Secondary Education

Biology

English

French

German

History

Italian

Mathematics

Science Education

Social Studies

Spanish