You are here

Home

Program Requirements

You must meet the UL Lafayette admissions requirements set by the university prior to initially registering for courses in the College of Education.

Academic Advisior

Upon acceptance into the university, all students are assigned to a faculty member who acts as the student's academic advisor. All students are urged to consult frequently with their academic advisors. Academic advisors are assigned by the College of Education Office of Student Services located in Maxim Doucet Hall 105. In addition, the Academic Success Center located in Lee Hall Room 115 is available to assist you along your journey to graduation.

Learn how to prepare for advising each semester.

Policies and Procedures

All students must adhere to the College of Education's policies and procedures.

Teacher Certification Major

Declaring a major in the College of Education, does not imply acceptance into the Teacher Preparation Program. In order to be recommended for a degree in education and certification in an authorized teaching field, you must apply for and be formally admitted to the Teacher Preparation Program in teacher education at this university.

To prepare for formal acceptance into the Teacher Preparation Program, you must:

Learn more about additional requirements for all teacher certification majors.

Teacher Preparation Program

In addition to the university admission requirements, all students must apply for admission into the Teacher Preparation Program and be formally admitted into the program to continue to pursue a degree in teacher education.

The Teacher Preparation Program is a state-approved course of study in which the successful completion of the program signifies that an enrolled teacher candidate has met all state educational requirements and training requirements to be recommended for initial certification in an authorized teaching field. Our program is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Education Preparation (CAEP) and approved by the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE).

Admission Application

It is mandatory for all teacher certification majors (Art or Music Education, Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, Middle School Education, Secondary Education and Teaching, and Kinesiology-Health & PE) to submit the online admissions application for the Teacher Preparation Program no later than the posted deadline. All students must apply for admissions into the Teacher Preparation Program whether or not all admission requirements are met.

  • All students must apply no later than the semester in which the student will complete 45 credit hours attempted with the exception of change-of-major or transfer students who enter the College of Education with more than 30 credit hours may pursue 30 additional hours before the application is due.

Once the application is submitted, the Office of Student Services will verify that all information provided is accurate.

A student who has not fulfilled all admission requirements will not be allowed to schedule any 300-400 level professional education courses labeled EDCI, EDFL, IRED, READ, or SPED and will not be allowed to schedule any methods courses at the in HLTH or KNES which are all courses necessary to earn a degree and an initial teacher certification. Therefore, a student who does not make timely application or who fails to meet admission requirements may be counseled to change their major. EDCI 308 and SPED 391 are exceptions to this rule.

The Teacher Preparation Program application must include all of the following:

  • official copy of passing or failing scores for the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators- Reading Test, Writing Test, and Mathematics Test. An ACT composite score of 22 or higher or SAT (New SAT) combined verbal and math score of 1100 or higher may be submitted in lieu of the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators Tests.
  • unofficial transcript of all courses completed at the time of application.
  • official signatures page completed with all required signatures.
  • formal letter of appeal to request an extension (if applicable).

Admission Requirements

In order to be recommended for a degree in education and certification in an authorized teaching field, the student must apply for and be formally admitted into the Teacher Preparation Program at this university.

A teacher candidate is defined as a student who meets all admission requirements to be formally admitted into a Teacher Preparation Program by the Office of Student Services. Once accepted, the candidate may pursue degree requirements for the selected major by scheduling courses in accordance with the appropriate curriculum sequence as outlined in the appropriate university catalog.

A student who has not fulfilled all admission requirements will not be allowed to schedule any 300-400 level professional education courses labeled EDCI, EDFL, IRED, READ, or SPED and will not be allowed to schedule any methods courses at the in HLTH or KNES which are all courses necessary to earn a degree and an initial teacher certification. Therefore, a student who does not make timely application or who fails to meet admission requirements may be counseled to change their major. EDCI 308 and SPED 391 are exceptions to this rule.

NOTE: A teacher certification major from another university will be permitted to register for 300-400 level professional education courses in the College of Education at UL Lafayette after presenting acceptable proof that the student has been admitted to a Teacher Preparation Program at the home institution and that such credit may be applied toward a degree in the said institution.

Requirements for official admission into the Teacher Preparation Program include all of the following:

  • Satisfactory completion of all freshman courses with a minimum grade of "C" or better (where required).
  • Achievement of a minimum 2.5 cumulative overall GPA (includes the combined transfer and institutional GPA).
  • Official copy of passing scores for the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators- Reading Test, Writing Test, and Mathematics Test. An ACT composite score of 22 or higher or SAT (New SAT) combined verbal and math score of 1100 or higher may be submitted  in lieu of the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators Tests.
  • Timely submission of the Teacher Preparation Program admission application along with appropriate requested documents. All students must apply no later than the semester in which the student will complete 45 credit hours attempted with the exception of change-of-major or transfer students who enter the College of Education with more than 30 credit hours may pursue 30 additional hours before the application is due. NOTE: Application must be made whether or not all requirements have been met.

Selective Admissions

A student who fails to meet all admission requirements will not granted acceptance into Teacher Preparation Program by the Office of Student Services. If a student does not meet all requirements, their application must be evaluated by the College of Education Committee on Selective Admissions.

Under no circumstances will a student be admitted into the program unless all admission requirements are met. However, all students are given the opportunity to request an extension when completing the admission application. The Committee on Selective Admissions may grant extensions regarding timely application (including cases in which extenuating circumstances have caused students with demonstrated potential to fall below the minimum 2.5 overall cumulative grade point average) or may grant extensions to a student who is making satisfactory progress toward completing the admission requirements.

Extensions are not granted automatically. A student must formally request an extension. The purpose of the request is not to request an exception; there are no exceptions for admittance into the Teacher Preparation Program in the College of Education. The purpose of the request is to request an extension to remain in the College of Education while you pursue the admission requirements. An extension request must also be submitted for each additional extension needed to complete admission requirements. However, all students should be cautioned that additional extensions are rarely granted.

A student who has not fulfilled all admission requirements will not be allowed to schedule any 300-400 level professional education courses labeled EDCI, EDFL, IRED, READ, or SPED and will not be allowed to schedule any methods courses at the in HLTH or KNES which are all courses necessary to earn a degree and an initial teacher certification. Therefore, a student who does not make timely application or who fails to meet admission requirements may be counseled to change their major. EDCI 308 and SPED 391 are exceptions to this rule.

Any student who is either denied admission or removed from the Teacher Preparation Program will be reconsidered for the Teacher Preparation Program in education after having earned a non-education degree with a minimum 2.5 overall cumulative grade point average from a regionally accredited college or university. A student may request such reconsideration into the program by 1) submitting an official transcript which notes the awarding of the degree earned, and 2) obtaining an official prescription of courses required to complete a certification area and possibly a second undergraduate degree.

Selective Retention

The Selective Retention commitee is responsible for monitoring the progress of each candidate admitted into the Teacher Preparation Program in the College of Education. The committee urges all faculty members to submit, at any time, the name of any candidate who they believe should be evaluated by the committee to determine whether the candidate should continue to pursue a degree in Teacher Education. At the end of each regular semester and summer session, the Selective Admissions committee examines records for all candidate to assure that each candidate is making satisfactory progress toward a degree and possesses the dispositions (personal and social qualities) that are necessary for effective teaching. Learn more about Selective Retention.

Block Courses

To provide a seamless progression through the skills of teaching, most methods (as well as other courses that support or provide foundations for the methods courses) are sequenced in a developmental manner. To accomplish these goals, certain courses are scheduled in blocks, with each block course requiring at least ten hours of field experience outside of class time. Students are required to adhere to the block scheduling of these courses and to the sequence in which the blocks (Block I, Block II, and Block III) occur in each curriculum.

Students are urged to check with their advisors to plan well in advance for the scheduling of the course blocks.

Degree Audit

All students are required to request a degree audit or a review of their degree works audit at least two semesters prior to graduation by completing the online application for degree audit.

Teacher Residency Requirements

You are required to complete a year-long Teacher Residency which consist of two consecutive semesters of Residency I and Residency II under the direct supervision of the Office of Teacher Clinical Experiences. Learn more about the teacher residency requirements and school and cooperating teacher assignments.

Teacher Certification Meeting

As a teacher candidate, you are required to attend the teacher certification meeting at the begining of the semester you are Residency I of the Teacher Residency.

Graduation Requirements

In addition to the Teacher Preparation Program requirements, all candidates must also meet the following requirements to graduate:

  • Earn a minimum 2.5 major cumulative GPA. In addition, you must earn a "C" or better in all major courses (includes all professional education and teaching speciality area courses).
  • Earn a minimum 2.5 overall cumulative GPA (includes both transfer and institutional GPA).
  • Successfully complete all degree requirements set by the university as outlined in the catalog.
  • Apply for graduation by completing the online "Application for Degree" for degree candidates either one semester prior to the expected graduation semester or no later than the semester of graduation by the posted deadline for degree candidates as indicated on the academic calendar.

Teaching Certificate

Learn how to print your teaching certificate.