Admission Requirements for All Undergraduate Certification Program Candidates
The Pennsylvania Department of Education requires that all candidates interested in obtaining teacher certification must meet certain prerequisite requirements before they can enter a program leading to teacher certification. All students who are seeking Pennsylvania teacher certification in PreK-4/Special Education (K-8), Middle School (4-8), Secondary Education (7-12) or Art Education (K-12) must formally apply into the teacher certification program through the School of Education and must meet the following prerequisite requirements.
Admission decisions are based on the Pennsylvania Department of Education state certification requirements (PA Code, Chapter 354). The following are required:
- 48 credits outside of Education
- An overall GPA of 3.0 or higher
- Two college-level Mathematics courses
- Courses in English Composition and a course in American Literature
- Current PA Criminal Background and Child Abuse Clearances and FBI Background Clearance
In addition to the above requirements, students must do the following:
- Take at least one Education course
- Allowed only one grade of "C" in an Education course
- Pass the Pre-Service Academic Performance Assessment (PAPA) Basic Skills Test for Instructional Candidates
- Submit an electronic portfolio (PreK-4/Special Education majors and Middle School Education majors only)
NOTE: All Arcadia undergraduates seeking certification, except those who transfer to the University in their junior year, should apply during the spring semester of their sophomore year to the School of Education.
A student who thinks his or her GPA might be below 3.0 and/or has not met all the prerequisite requirements may request to be conditionally admitted. Students completing the conditional requirements within a designated time frame will be fully admitted into the teacher certification program. Those students who do not meet the requirements may continue in the Education Program but will not be able to pursue certification. Students also may choose to pursue an alternative major.
Students denied admission to the School will be advised to pursue an alternative major or seek a path that may combine Education with another major.
Transfer Students Admission
All transfer students above the level of a first-semester sophomore must apply for admission to the School immediately after their first semester as a full-time student or after two semesters as a part-time student. At the end of that semester, their Arcadia University GPA (3.0 or higher) along with their transfer GPA will be used to determine whether they will be admitted to the School. Transfer students are not required to submit an e-portfolio until they apply for student teaching. They are required to meet all admission standards required by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
