Students preparing for the teaching profession and initial teacher certification must be accepted into the teacher education program. Formal application for admission may be made upon completion of a required set of courses which includes Education 200, Foundations of Education. Applications are obtained through the School of Education office. Transfer students desiring teacher certification will be screened upon completion of twelve semester hours at Bellarmine and must meet all admission criteria.
General criteria for acceptance into teacher education programs are as follows:
- Evidence of specific competency levels in the following basic skills: oral and written communication, reading, writing and mathematics. Applicants to teacher education must demonstrate these competencies through their liberal arts and professional course work (including experiences in the field) and by meeting minimum score requirements on the Core Academic Skills for Educators (CASE) as follows: Reading (156), Mathematics (150), Writing (162).
- Mandatory meeting(s) with education advisor at least once per semester.
- A minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.75.
- A minimum grade of B- in all professional education classes, with a 2.75 cumulative grade point average in professional education courses.
- A minimum grade of C+ in Eng. 101; Comm. 103 or 205.
- Elementary & Middle School majors – a minimum grade of C+ in MATH 101 and MATH 102.
- Successful completion of transition point benchmarks.
- Receipt of satisfactory recommendations from instructors of Education courses, selected General Education courses, and cooperating teachers of field-based experiences.
- Appropriate teacher dispositions as delineated by the School of Education.