UAH: Department of Education

Undergraduate Candidates

Preadmission Requirements

File an Intent to Apply to the Teacher Education Program (TEP) with the Certification Officer as soon a decision is made to seek teacher certification. Apply for a Program of Study (POS) with the college advisor prior to the end of the sophomore year. In addition, students must meet the following requirements:

No more than 2 courses of the General Education Requirements remain to be taken.
Minimum GPA of 2.5 and grades of C or higher in EH 101 & 102 (or EH 105), CM 113, and PY 201.
Submit fingerprints for background check by ABI and FBI

Admission to the Teacher Education Program

Admission to the university does not qualify a student for admission to the Teacher Education Program. Students must submit an Application for Admission to the Teacher Education Program during the Block I semester of the education courses. In addition, students must meet the following requirements:

Minimum 2.75 GPA in Block I Education courses with no grade lower than a C.
Minimum 2.5 GPA in major or second area of study with no grade lower than C.
Satisfactory completion of specified requirements in ED 301, 305, 308 including writing and field assignments.
Satisfactory ratings on Interview Process, Dispositions Ratings (completed by 3 ED faculty members), and Application Essay.
Satisfactory External Faculty Letter of Recommendation
Program of Study (POS) on file

Admission for transfer students. Transfer students who have completed two years of undergraduate study may be eligible to apply for admission to the TEP if they have a grade point average of 2.5 for 9 semester hours of coursework at UAH and meet other preadmission requirements. Admission by reciprocity. Students who have been admitted to a teacher education program at an accredited university or college in Alabama may apply for reciprocal admission to the Teacher Education Program (TEP) with the Certification Officer or the Department Chair.

Continuing the Teacher Education Program

Requirements include:

Minimum 2.75 GPA in Education courses with no grade lower than C. Minimum grade of C is also required for MA 230
Minimum 2.5 GPA in second area of study or teaching field with no grade lower than C
Satisfactory completion of Blocks 2, 3, & 4 Field Experiences
Satisfactory ratings on Dispositions Ratings by Education, teaching field faculty, and field experience cooperating teachers.
Passing Score on APTT & Praxis II

If the above requirements are not met, a Professional Development Plan (PPDP) will be initiated. Candidates who do not meet the conditions of the PPDP will be dismissed from the Teacher Education Program.

Undergraduate Internship

Minimum 2.75 GPA in Education courses with no grade lower than C
Minimum 2.5 GPA in second area of study or teaching field courses with no grade lower than C.
Completion of minimum of 150 hours of field experiences in diverse settings.
Satisfactory ratings on dispositions reports and field experience evaluations.
Satisfactory External Faculty Letter of Recommendation
Applications for internship and graduation on file.

Application Dates: January 31 for the following Fall Semester and June 30 for the following Spring Semester. Internships must be taken the last semester before graduation. All internship placements are coordinated by the Department of Education faculty. At UAH, the internship is a full-time, full semester assignment of 15 weeks. Candidates should not expect to enroll in other courses during the internship semester.

Elementary Education students must complete a primary and intermediate grade assignment.
Secondary Education students will complete a middle and high school assignment.
P-12 music education students must complete an early childhood/elementary and a middle/high school assignment.
Candidates adding the Collaborative Teacher certification will complete part of the internship in a special education setting.

Undergraduate Certification

Alabama teaching certificates are the legal responsibility of the Alabama State Department of Education. Colleges and universities cannot issue professional certificates. In order to be recommended for a professional teacher’s certificate, candidates must complete a state approved program. Approved undergraduate programs offered by the UAH Department of Education are designed to prepare candidates for professional Class B certification with a bachelor’s degree. It is the candidate’s responsibility to initiate the application for the initial certificate. To be recommended for an initial certificate, candidates must:

Satisfactory completion of all UAH and department requirements
Satisfactory completion of all teaching field and education courses, including the internship with a “C” or better.
Grade point average in overall coursework (2.5); teaching field (2.5); in Education (2.75)
Satisfactory intern evaluations by cooperating teachers and university supervisors.
Satisfactory Exit Portfolio Review
Individuals who hold a valid Alabama substitute teacher’s license must submit to the certification officer a copy of the substitute license along with all certification application paperwork.
Candidates who expect to teach in states other than Alabama are responsible for knowledge of licensure requirements of those states. Such candidates should inform the certification officer of their intentions.

Certificate Renewal

The initial Class B certificate is valid for five years. This certification may be renewed upon verification of successful teaching for three years and completion of an approved professional development program or earning upper division or graduate level credit in the certification area.
Individuals who allow their certificates to lapse for more than 6 months will be required to renew their certificates, obtain another background clearance, and meet requirements of the Alabama Professional Teacher Testing (APTT) program for issuance of a renewed certificate or license. The UAH Department of Education in accordance with the Alabama State Board of Education provides courses for persons who wish to renew their certificates.

Undergraduate Warranty

For a period of two years of the valid date of the Professional Educator certificate, the University of Alabama in Huntsville, through the Department of Education, shall warranty and provide remediation at no cost to students who are evaluated to be unsatisfactory or deficient in any area of preparation. Remediation in professional education and/or teaching field departments will be based upon recommendations from the performance evaluations conducted by public school administrators who use the Alabama Professional Education Personnel Evaluation (PEPE) or comparable evaluations recognized and approved by the State Board of Education. A description of the New Teacher Mentoring Program is available on the Web site.

Field Experiences

The Alabama State Department of Education requires that all teacher candidates complete a minimum of 200 hours of field experiences in diverse settings prior to the internship. To meet this requirement, candidates will systematically be placed in area schools for approximately 50 hours of experience each semester.