Debbie K. Mercer, Dean
Cindy Shuman, Associate Dean for Research and External Funding
F. Todd Goodson, Associate Dean for Teacher Education and Accreditation
Roger W. Schieferecke, Assistant Dean, Director of the Center for Student Success and Professional Services
6 Bluemont Hall
785-532-5525
Fax: 785-532-7304
E-mail: edcoll@k-state.edu
www.coe.k-state.edu
College of Education programs prepare individuals for the broad spectrum of professional education positions.
Primary consideration is given to preparing education students for the various positions in elementary, secondary, career and technical programs, and the personnel who support these programs. In addition, the college provides consultative services and in-service training for the improvement of various aspects of education programs at all levels. The College of Education cooperates with all other colleges and departments in its interdisciplinary approach to the preparation of teachers and other educational personnel.
The university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA), and the teacher education programs are accredited by the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) and the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).
The college offers a bachelor’s degree in education with an emphasis in elementary or secondary education, and supports education programs outside the College of Education in, agriculture education, early childhood education, family and consumer sciences education, and music education. This degree leads to recommendations for teacher licensure in Kansas.
The college offers a bachelor’s degree in educational studies, preparing successful candidates to participate in shaping and making educational policy, working with youth in non-school settings, preparing for international teaching, or participating in the entrepreneurial realm.
The professional education unit at Kansas State University is committed to preparing educators to be knowledgeable, ethical, caring decision makers for a diverse and changing world through:
- delivery of exemplary instruction to students at the undergraduate and graduate levels;
- production, interpretation, and dissemination of sound and useful research and scholarship;
- leadership, collaboration, and service within the profession; and
- promotion, understanding, and celebration of diversity.
Click on any of the following links for information:
Advising
All students admitted to the College of Education are assigned an advisor from the Center for Student Success and Professional Services (13 Bluemont Hall).
EDCATS Central
EDCATS Central, a Canvas page for College of Education students, serves as a clearinghouse for all program documentation forms.
Teacher Education
The College of Education is the designated unit responsible for all K-State educator licensure.
The programs are designed to develop competencies essential for teaching and to meet Kansas State Department of Education standards. Some programs are parts of degree requirements in colleges other than the College of Education. All College of Education program requirements are subject to revision as necessary to meet Kansas licensure standards. Students should contact their advisors or the licensing officer if they have questions about licensure program changes.
Licensure through the teacher education program is available for four teaching levels: (a) early childhood unified birth through kindergarten, (b) elementary education prepares for grades P–6, (c) secondary programs satisfy state licensure requirements for grades 6–12, and (d) P-12 in art, music, modern languages, and physical education/health.
Admission Requirements for Teacher Education
The application for admission to a teacher education program may be submitted when the applicant has satisfied all of the admission requirements. Transfer students who have satisfied all the admission requirements should apply at the time of initial enrollment. Students making changes in degree programs within teacher education must reapply for teacher education.
Hours
Secondary requires 50 total hours completed and elementary requires 42 hours completed, including all transfer and K-State credits.
English Composition
Both Expository Writing I and II must be completed satisfactorily with a grade no lower than C (2.0).
Public Speaking
A grade of C or better is required in COMM 105, 106, or 109. Courses in interpersonal communication do not apply.
Quantitative Sciences
A grade of C or better is required in six credit hours of mathematics including college algebra, or a higher level of mathematics and a statistics course (for elementary education, MATH 160 is acceptable).
Overall Degree Program GPA
A 2.75 GPA is required in all attempted courses that meet degree program requirements, including all graded transfer and K-State credits. Probationary admission may be granted if the student has a 2.6 GPA and all other requirements are met. GPA must be 2.75 before the Professional semester.
Teaching Field GPA
A 2.75 GPA is required in all college work attempted in the required teaching field courses. (This includes work at K-State and other institutions.) Probationary admission may be granted if the student has a 2.6 GPA and all other requirements are met. GPA must be 2.75 before the Professional semester. Note: Elementary education majors do not have a teaching field.
Early Field Experience
Early field experience is completed in EDCI 230. This experience includes 40 hours of observation in a classroom.
Testing
A composite ACT score of 22 or higher is required for admission to preprofessional studies in Teacher Education. All applicants, including transfer students, are required to submit ACT scores, including the composite score as well as scores in reading and mathematics.
Applicants with an ACT score below 22 can be admitted to preprofessional studies in Teacher Education provisionally on the basis of evidence of potential success in the program and as a K-12 teacher. Provisional admission can be lifted upon completion of all other requirements for full admission to Teacher Education.
Applicants who have never taken the ACT can be admitted provisionally for one semester pending submission of an ACT score.
Application Deadlines
- To early enroll for summer or fall professional classes, apply by: February 15.
- To early enroll for spring professional classes, apply by: October 1.
When the applications are approved, students are notified of their acceptance into the respective teacher education professional program. Students who do not meet the requirements will be notified of the options available to them.
Criminal Background Check
- All students seeking advanced field experience placements complete a background check through an external provider.
The Professional Semester
The professional semester involves the equivalent of a full semester of student teaching. For residential students, this semester occurs in the fall or spring of the senior year. For online elementary education students, the professional semester occurs across both fall and spring semesters. There is no student teaching offered during summer sessions. Because of the school districts’ schedules, students may be required to begin their student teaching before the start of K-State’s semester schedule and/or end their student teaching after K-State’s semester schedule ends.
Students desiring to be recommended for licensure by K-State must earn credit for student teaching. Students may only take the courses prescribed for the professional semester unless permission is obtained through the Center for Student Success and Professional Services in 13 Bluemont Hall. Teaching participation is graded Credit/No Credit.
Admission to the Professional Semester
Students will be approved for the professional semester when the requirements listed below have been met.
Requirements for all applicants to the professional semester
- Full admittance to a teacher education program.
- Completion of 90 semester hours.
- An overall grade point average of 2.75 in all college or university course work that meet degree program requirements.
- Completion of all Professional and Teacher Education courses and practica with a 3.0 GPA with no grade lower than C. Student may retake blocked methods courses one time only.
- Demonstrate the standards and dispositions defined in our Conceptual Framework.
- Teaching as a Career, Core Teaching Skills, and Methods courses must be taken at KSU.
- Verification of a negative tuberculosis (TB) test.
- Completion of the Professional Hour requirement. By November 1 or April 1 of the semester prior to student teaching, documentation must be submitted concerning the completion of 20 hours of professional growth/service to the profession and 20 hours of educational service to youth and families. Guidelines can be found at the website for Professional Development Hours Requirements.
Additional requirements for secondary majors
A grade point average of 2.75 is required in all teaching fields based on all teaching field courses attempted at K-State and at all colleges or universities attended.
Student teaching assignment request
Student teaching requires a special application called the Student Teaching Assignment Request (STAR form).
The deadlines for submitting the STAR form are:
- September 1 for those student teaching in the spring
- February 1 for those student teaching in the fall
Verification of Red Cross first aid training (or an approved equivalent) and CPR certification (or an approved equivalent) must be submitted prior to completion of the STAR form.
Professional Licensure
Initial Licensure
The College of Education serve as the recommending agent for all K-State graduates who wish to apply for Kansas licensure. Early childhood, elementary, and secondary teaching licensure may be accomplished through the completion of the approved program and the appropriate degree. Additional testing is required by the Kansas State Department of Education.
Students must meet the requirements for licensure in all areas requested at the time they apply for that licensure or endorsement.
The State of Kansas will issue initial teaching licenses only to individuals who have completed an approved teacher education program, received the recommendation of their college or university, and successfully passed the pre-licensure examinations (Principles of Learning and Teaching and content assessments). These tests are administered at several times each academic year. Anyone applying for initial licensure in a state other than Kansas is recommended to also apply for Kansas licensure.
The State of Kansas may not issue a teaching license to any applicant who has been convicted of a felony, signed certain diversion agreements, or who has had a teaching license revoked in another state.
People seeking initial licensure who present degrees from other accredited institutions must meet all requirements of the teacher education program. For additional information, these individuals should contact edcatslicensing@ksu.edu, 13 Bluemont Hall.
Approved programs
All students preparing to be licensed to teach in preschool, elementary, or secondary schools must fully complete the approved teacher education program regardless of which college awards the degree. The approved program consists of: general education studies, a major or specialization, and professional education studies.
The curricula in elementary education and in secondary education fulfill program requirements for recommendation for teacher licensure in the state of Kansas. Both degrees offered through the College of Education are four-year programs.
Non-licensure program:
Certificates:
- K-12 Online Undergraduate Teaching and Learning
- Sports Performance Coaching
- Rual Education
- Urban Education
Education Programs Outside the College of Education:
The curricula in agricultural education, family and consumer sciences education, early childhood education, and music education fulfill program requirements for recommendation for teacher licensure in the state of Kansas.
Display courses for College of Education.
