School of Education Initial Licensure Programs

Office of Student Success

142 School of Education Building
336-334-3410

About

Teacher licensure in North Carolina and qualification for licensure in most of the other states may be earned at four UNC Greensboro professional schools and various departments within the College of Arts and Sciences. Students may select licensure programs in a variety of subject areas.

The School of Education offers programs in Elementary Education, Middle Grades Education, Interpreting, Deaf Education, and Advocacy Services, and Special Education; and jointly directs, with departments in the College of Arts and Sciences, programs for teacher licensure in core academic subjects at the secondary level.

The School of Health and Human Sciences, the College of Visual and Performing Arts, and the College of Arts and Sciences, in collaboration with the School of Education, offer teacher education curricula.

Graduates of approved teacher education curricula are eligible for initial licensure on the basis of UNC Greensboro’s recommendation to the State Department of Public Instruction. As requirements may vary among departments, students should check with their major advisor for specific information regarding their program.

Important information for all education students at UNC Greensboro can be found in the Teacher Education Handbook.

Admission to Teacher Education

All students who wish to be recommended for teacher licensure in any of the subject areas must be admitted to a specific Teacher Education Program. Students should apply for admission to Teacher Education at the end of their sophomore year and be admitted no later than the first semester of their junior year.

The following requirements must be met:

  1. Grade point average of at least 2.70 (some departments require a GPA higher than a 2.70 to be admitted to teacher education). To determine if students meet this standard, the grade point average (GPA) is calculated using all relevant undergraduate course work.
  2. Recommendation of the school or department where major is to be taken
  3. Achievement of minimum score requirements as set by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction on the Professional Assessment for Beginning Teachers (Praxis Core, ACT, or SAT)
  4. Completion of at least 12 credit hours at UNC Greensboro. The 12 credits shall be waived for any transfer student who meets ALL of the aforementioned requirements for admission to Teacher Education. The grade point average for transfer students will be the transferable GPA as computed by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.
  5. Background check requested through UNC Greensboro’s affiliated company as described in the Teacher Education Handbook.

For additional requirements specific to a program, students should check with their major school or department. Students should contact the Office of Student Success (located in the School of Education Building, 334-3410) for:

  1. Clarification of admission requirements.
  2. Appeal of the application of a rule or regulation.

More information on this topic can be found in the Teacher Education Handbook.

Admission to Student Teaching

During the junior year, students already admitted to the Teacher Education Program must apply for admission to Student Teaching.

Student Teaching admission includes:

  1. Grade point average of at least 2.70 (some departments require a GPA higher than a 2.70 for student teaching).
  2. Approval of the school or department in which the student is majoring.
  3. Completion of additional requirements specific to the major department or school teacher education program.

Application forms are available online from the School of Education Licensure Programs website. Forms must be submitted by November 1 for student teaching in the fall of the following year, and by February 15 for student teaching in the spring of the following year.

Student teaching assignments are usually made in schools within commuting distance of UNC Greensboro. Teacher education students are individually responsible for expenses incurred during student teaching, including transportation.

Student teaching in some subject areas is offered only in either the fall or the spring semester. Any student who plans to student teach should check with his or her major program about when student teaching will be offered in a particular subject area.

More information on this topic can be found in the Teacher Education Handbook.

General and Professional Education Requirements

Requirements for teacher licensure are specified in the respective program descriptions. Candidates should know program specific requirements. This information is available on the department websites, handbooks of their licensure programs, and/or in the University Catalog. Students should also speak with their advisors about admission requirements as all licensure programs rely heavily on early and adequate advising.

Second Academic Concentration Requirement

All students majoring in Elementary, Middle Grades, and Physical Education are required to complete an approved second academic concentration consisting of a minimum of 18 credit hours in a basic academic discipline or an approved interdisciplinary field of study. Depending on the academic discipline selected, a maximum of 6 credit hours may be counted toward General Education requirements and the second concentration. This requirement became effective for all students who entered the university in Fall 2005.  Students should check with the major school and/or department about this requirement or additional requirements specific to individual programs.

Teacher Licensure in Comprehensive Secondary Social Studies

Students majoring in geography, history, political science, psychology, or sociology, can seek teacher licensure in comprehensive secondary social studies. Students seeking social studies licensure must take a total of 18 credit hours in history and economics beyond their major requirements from the departments of political science, psychology, and sociology. Because history majors need to achieve breadth in social science content and methods, history majors must complete an additional 15 hours of social science electives. Courses must be selected from the following approved list. This list is also available from the School of Education Office of Student Success (School of Education Building), the student’s major advisor, or the social studies advisor in the School of Education. Substitution of any requirements needed for licensure may be made by the social studies advisor in the School of Education.

Application for Teacher Licensure

An application for licensure should be filed with the Office of Student Success within two weeks of graduation. Students should be aware that the licensure process will take six weeks or longer after graduation to be completed.

UNC Greensboro recommends for a teacher’s licensure those students who have completed the appropriate teacher education curriculum, attained acceptable competencies, submitted the appropriate state board licensure exams, and whose work has been approved by the appropriate department.  Meeting these guidelines will move students forward to attain licensure in the State of North Carolina.

Teacher Education Curricula

Programs in teacher education are offered at UNC Greensboro in the four broad areas listed below. Their description is found under the school and/or department listed beside each program. Requirements for teacher licensure are specified in the program descriptions under each respective department.

Birth–12 Licensure

 Interpreting, Deaf Education, and Advocacy Services—Specialized Education Services

Birth–Kindergarten, Elementary, and Middle Grades Licensure

Birth through Kindergarten (B–K)—Human Development and Family Studies
Elementary Education (Grades K–6)—Teacher Education and Higher Education
Middle Grades Education (Grades 6–9)—Teacher Education and Higher Education

K–12 Special Subject-Area Licensure

Art Education—Art
Music—Music Education
Physical Education and Health Teacher Education—Kinesiology
Interpreting, Deaf Education, and Advocacy Services—Specialized Education Services
School Social Work—Social Work
Second Language in French and Spanish—Languages, Literatures, and Cultures
Special Education—Specialized Education Services
Theatre Education—Theatre

Secondary Subject-Area Licensure (Grades 9–12)

Comprehensive Science—Biology
Comprehensive Science—Chemistry and Biochemistry
English—English
Mathematics—Mathematics and Statistics
Comprehensive Science—Physics and Astronomy
Comprehensive Social Studies—Teacher Education and Higher Education