School of Education

Elementary Education (Certifiable PK-6)

On this page, you'll find the department-specific requirements for your certification area, including prerequisite courses, GPA expectations, and any additional admission criteria. Take time to review the information carefully so you can stay on track, plan ahead, and confidently prepare your application for admission into the Teacher Preparation Program.

DepartmentAdmission Requirements
Elementary Education (PK-6)

Candidates must complete a minimum of 18 credits in their subject-area major before being considered for full admission to the Teacher Preparation Program. All courses within the major must be completed with a grade of C- or higher, unless otherwise specified.

Applicants may apply while required coursework is still in progress; however, all outstanding requirements must be successfully completed before full admission to the program can be granted

Candidates must complete the following prerequisite courses with a grade of C or higher prior to full admission into the Teacher Preparation Program:

•    HIST 161 or HIST 162
•    WRT 110 or WRT 105/105P
•    MATH 113 and MATH 213
•    PSY 136 and PSY 361 or PSY 362
•    BIO 211 (not required for Science majors)
•    SCI 211
•    EDEL 212
•    LLA 240 (required for students who begin at Central in Fall 2026 or later)

Applicants may apply while required coursework is still in progress; however, all outstanding requirements must be successfully completed before full admission to the program can be granted

 

Documentation of 15 hours of quality paid or volunteer experience with children or young adults. Acceptable experiences can include but is not limited to: work in a professional setting such as childcare teacher or assistant, camp counselor, paraprofessional, classroom volunteer, work in an after-school program, or work in a Scout or YMCA program. 

Two satisfactory Evaluation Rubrics

  • one evaluation rubric must be from a professional who has observed the applicant’s work with children or young adults and 
  • the other evaluation rubric must be from a faculty member in the student’s subject matter major department. 
     

Interview and Timed Writing Assessment

Candidates must successfully complete an on-site, timed writing assessment and an interview with Elementary Education faculty as part of the admission process.

Following the application deadline, the Elementary Education Program Coordinator will contact all applicants to schedule their interview and on-site writing assessment.