Certification Requirements: Elementary, PK-8 (305)
1) A bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution.
2) A minimum of 39 semester hours of college credit in general education including:
- A three-credit survey course in United States history
AND - Coursework in at least five of the following six areas
- natural science (biology, chemistry, earth science, physics)
- English
- social studies (psychology, sociology, economics, political science, anthropology)
- fine arts (visual art, music)
- mathematics
- foreign language
3) A subject area major in any one subject area (not professional education)
OR
A 39-credit interdisciplinary major consisting of at least 18 credits in one subject area and the remaining credits distributed among no more than three additional subject areas (not professional education).
Note: A minimum of six credits in child and/or human growth and development is required and may be met as part o the subject area major or general academic course requirement.
4) A minimum of 30 semester hours of college credit in professional education in a planned program of study and experience in elementary education, including:
- foundations of education (e.g., philosophy of education, school effectiveness, history of education and comparative education)
- educational psychology (e.g., growth and development children from birth through the life span, psychology of learning, child-adolescent psychology)
- curriculum and methods of teaching including six credits in language arts (e.g., subject area curriculum and methodology and effective teaching skills)
- student teaching (minimum of six credits)
- an approved three-credit course of study in special education including gifted and talented.
5) A passing score on the four Praxis Elementary subtests, and the Pearson Foundations of Reading test.
A printable version of these requirements is also available.