Teacher Education Admission Process

The following information is for undergraduate programs only.


Gate 1: Approval To Enroll in Professional Education Courses

Candidates seeking admission into the teacher education program will initiate the process for admission in the Office of Candidate Services (OCS) in Mashburn 119 upon completion of minimum requirements established by the University of Central Arkansas College of Education. Admission is required for enrollment in designated upper division professional education courses.


▢  1. APPLY TO TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAM

This first step should be done as soon as possible without regard for the other requirements.

As soon as you know you want to be in teacher education, submit the application. By submitting this application, we can begin to track your completion of the remaining admission requirements.

Click Here for the Application

▢  2. CLEAR BACKGROUND CHECK

All candidates must clear both parts of this background check process.

  1. Child Maltreatment Central Registry Check
  2. State and Federal Criminal Records Check

Do not assume previous background checks meet this requirement!  
Only background checks completed through the Arkansas State Police specifically for the Arkansas Department of Education will meet the background check requirement.  To see if you have an approved background check, follow these directions.

Click Here for the Background Check Process

Background checks may take 4-6 weeks to complete, so candidates are encouraged to begin this process early.


▢  3. TAKE FOUNDATION COURSES

Before admission, complete these five courses (or equivalents) with grades of C or better.

  • WRTG 1310 – Introduction to College Writing
  • WRTG 1320 – Academic Writing and Research
  • MATH 1360 – Quantitative Literacy OR MATH 1390 – College Algebra (as determined by your program)
  • COMM 1300 – Principles of Communication
  • EDUC 1300 Education as a Profession OR STEM 1301 Knowing & Learning (STEM Education minors)

▢  4. EARN GRADE POINT AVERAGE

Candidates must meet a minimum grade point average for admission to teacher education.  This GPA is established after at least 45 credit hours with a minimum of 12 credit hours from UCA. This minimum may be met by either:

  • Cumulative 2.70 GPA or better
  • Cumulative 2.50 GPA or better with at least a 3.00 GPA  in the previous 30 credit hours

NOTE:  Even if the minimum GPA is met, candidates who do not show academic progress or who show an inconsistent academic record may be denied admission as a part of the candidate review process detailed below.


▢  5. RECEIVE APPROVED CANDIDATE REVIEW

During the semester that all requirements are met or will be met, candidates will be reviewed by their program coordinator, faculty, and/or others in their academic department.  The purpose of this review is to determine the academic and dispositional readiness for the teacher education program.

For more information about dispositional readiness, click here and look for the document titled Initial Programs Disposition Rubric.

Each licensure program determines its review process, which may include recommendations, interviews, or other activities.  See your program coordinator for more details about this process.

If you have met requirements 1 through 4 above, contact your program coordinator for information about the program review.


CHECK YOUR PROGRESS

Click Here to Check Your Progress

Your account is created 24-36 hours after you submit the application from #1 above.  You will need to create an account the first time you visit this site. Your username is your UCA email address in all lowercase letters (for example, hbear1@cub.uca.edu).