Program Description

In West Virginia the license to teach is granted by the West Virginia Department of Education and is typically issued upon the completion of a four-year undergraduate program of study that included content and professional education courses. The Post-Baccalaureate Teacher Certificate (PBC) program offers an accelerated route to teacher certification for persons who already have undergraduate degrees in content areas such as chemistry, music, and other liberal and fine arts, or professional fields. Using the previously completed content courses as a foundation, this program provides the required professional education courses at the graduate level. Additional undergraduate classes may be needed in the content area.

Upon successful completion of the PBC program, all content courses, and testing requirements, the candidate earns a recommendation to the West Virginia Department of Education for a teaching certificate at the secondary level and is eligible to apply for a certificate from the university. The PBC does not include Elementary Education or Special Education certification.

Post-Baccalaureate Teacher Certificate

Certification Options

• Art Education, grades PreK-Adult
• Biological Science, grades 9-Adult
• Chemistry, grades 9-Adult
• English, grades 5-Adult
• General Science, grades 5-Adult
• Mathematics, grades 5-Adult
• Music, grades PreK-Adult
• Physics, grades 9-Adult
• Social Studies, grades 5-Adult
• Wellness, grades PreK-Adult

Admission to PBC and Licensure Requirements

1. Candidates must request a transcript analysis through a certification officer either in Huntington or South Charleston. An unofficial copy of the transcript may be used for the analysis. The analysis will identify the courses that can be used to meet content licensure requirements and the list of additional courses needed. Candidates must have at least 90% of the required content courses.
2. Candidates deciding to apply to the program after reviewing the transcript analysis should follow the admissions process described in this catalog or at the Graduate Admissions website at www.marshall.edu/graduate/admissions/how-to-apply-for-admission. Students should apply as Certificate/Professional Development students and select the Post-Baccalaureate Teacher Certificate on the admissions form. Please note that all admissions documents must be submitted to Graduate Admissions before an applicant will be considered for admission.
3. In addition to university admission requirements, applicants must have an overall Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.80 or higher on a 4.0 scale for all previously completed coursework and a GPA of 2.80 in the content area, must meet the Praxis Core requirement. Applicants who have an overall GPA of 2.5 or above, but below 2.80, may be granted provisional admission. Provisionally admitted applications will be granted full admission upon successful completion of 12 hours toward the approved plan of study with a GPA of 3.25 or higher, assuming that all other admission requirements are met.
4. Applicants must take and pass all three subtests (reading, writing and math) of the Praxis Core prior to being admitted to the MAT program. The required Praxis Core scores are Reading = 156, Writing = 162, and Math = 150.

5. Individuals may be exempt from the WVBE‐required tests for pre‐professional skills (Reading, Writing, Mathematics), provided they meet one of the following criteria:

6. Holds a conferred bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution of higher education with an overall cumulative minimum GPA of 3.0; or

7. Holds a master’s degree from an accredited institution of higher education; or

8. ACT:​

   • Has attained a composite score from a single administration of 25 on the American College Test (ACT) (prior to 1989); or
   • Has attained a composite score of 26 from a single administration on the American College Test (ACT) (after 1989); or
9. SAT
   • Has a 1035 on the Scholastic Achievement Test (SAT) (prior to 1995); or
   • Has a 1125 on the re‐centered SAT (effective April 1995); or
   • Has a 1170 on the revised SAT using the combined Critical Reading and Math score (effective March 2005); or
   • has attained from a single administration a New SAT score of 480 using the combined Evidence‐ Based Reading and Writing and a score of 530 in Math (effective May 2016); or
10. ​​GRE

    • Has attained from a single administration a combined score of 800 verbal and quantitative (tested prior to November 2011) on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE); or

    • Has attained from a single administration at least a 286 (November 2011 or after) on the GRE; or

    • Holds or has held a West Virginia Professional Certificate;

For exemption from the Reading and Writing Pre‐Professional Skills Test only:

• Has attained a minimum combined score of 34 on the ACT enhanced exam (effective November 1989) in both English and Reading with a minimum individual score of 17 for each individual subject (English and Reading). Eligible scores for English and Reading on the ACT enhanced exam may be combined from multiple administrations of the exam; or
• Has attained from a single administration a New SAT score of 480 using the combined Evidence‐ Based Reading and Writing (effective May 2016)

For exemption from the Mathematics Pre‐Professional Skills Test only:

• Has attained a minimum individual score of 21 on the ACT enhanced exam (effective November 1989) in mathematics during any administration of the test; or
• Has attained from a single administration an SAT score of 530 In Math effective (May 2016).

Students may enroll in graduate courses only after they have been fully admitted to the PBC program. All students must maintain a cumulative Grade Point Average of 3.0.

In the last semester of the program students will be enrolled in EDF 677 MAT Level III Clinical Exper, a 15 week, full-time student teaching experience under the direct supervision of a certified teacher(s). Prerequisites for student teaching include the following:

• 3.0 GPA in all graduate PBC courses;
• completion of at least 90% of content courses (100% recommended);
• completion of EDF 537 MAT Level I Clinical Exper and EDF 637 MAT Level II Clinical Exper;
• completion of all PBC coursework and
• passing scores on the Praxis content test(s).

Before a candidate may apply for certification/licensure, he or she must take and pass the Praxis Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT) Grades 7-12. The PLT may be taken during or following the final semester in the PBC program.

Upon completion of the PBC program and all testing requirements, the student should apply for licensure. The teaching license is awarded by the West Virginia Department of Education; however, the candidate must be recommended for licensure by the institution.

Program Requirements

Post-Baccalaureate Teacher Certificate Program

Eligibility for Student Teaching: Students must successfully complete the courses listed above, the appropriate Praxis content knowledge test(s), and have 90% of their content requirements completed prior to enrolling for supervised student teaching.

Eligibility for Licensure: Students must meet content requirements, professional education requirements, and testing requirements. Testing requirements include the appropriate Praxis content knowledge test(s), and the Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT) Students who apply for licensure from the West Virginia Department of Education are required to submit to the department a fingerprint card for federal and state background checks.

Course Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Credit Hours
Foundations of Education
EDF 616	Adv Studies Human Develop	3
or EDF 619	Educational Psychology
EDF 612	Educational Evaluation	3
or EDF 636	Advanced Classroom Assessment
Curriculum and Instruction
CISP 510	Instructional Prac/Excep Child	3
CISP 520	Intro to Exceptional Child	3
CIRG 644	Literacy in the Content Area	3
EDF 537	MAT Level I Clinical Exper 1	0
CI 515	Int Meth & Mat: Sec Ed	3
EDF 637	MAT Level II Clinical Exper	0
Technology
Select one of the following:		3
CIEC 534	Appli Software Class Curr Area
CIEC 600	Instructional Design & Tech
CIEC 635	Using Internet in Classroom
Supervised Student Teaching
EDF 677	MAT Level III Clinical Exper 2	3
In addition to the preceding courses, students must also complete all courses in their teaching specialization.
Total Credit Hours		24

¹

Lab to accompany CI 515 Int Meth & Mat: Sec Ed

²

Requires minimum of 90% completion of content courses and passing score(s) on the Praxis content examination(s).