Teacher Certification Program for Post-Baccalaureate Students with an Option to Earn a Master's Degree in Curriculum and Instruction

The Teacher Certification Program for Post-Baccalaureate Students with an Option to Earn a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction was established to provide an alternative certification route through Wyoming's Professional Teaching Standards Board for individuals who have already completed a bachelor’s degree. This on campus program is not a degree program; rather, it is an alternative avenue toward initial Wyoming teacher certification, with the bonus that it provides up to 12 hours of graduate credit that can be applied to a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction. The master’s degree requires a separate application and admittance. The actual certification courses encompass three full-time semesters: one summer and the following fall and spring semesters, including student teaching. However, there are prerequisite professional education courses, as well as possible content courses that must be completed prior to beginning the summer-fall-spring sequence. A transcript evaluation completed by the Office of Teacher Education (see Step 1, How and When do I Apply) will determine how much additional course work is required.

What Initial Teacher Certification is Available through the Post-Baccalaureate Program?

Academic Program Sheets (These are in either PDF Format download reader at: www.adobe.com)

Agriculture Education

Rangeland Ecology and Watershed Management

Secondary Science Education
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Earth/Space Sciences
  - Earth System Science
  - Geology
- Physics
Social Studies Education

Eligibility for initial Wyoming teacher certification through the post-baccalaureate program is available in the following areas:

Elementary (grades K-6)

Secondary (grades 6-12)

Agriculture Education (Agriculture Business or Agriculture Communications

or Animal and Veterinary Science or Agroecology or Rangeland Ecology

and Watershed Management)

Art Education (K-12)

English Education

Mathematics Education

Modern Languages Education (French, German, and Spanish)

Science Education (Biology, Chemistry, Earth System Science, Geology, and

Physics)

Social Studies Education (Geography, History, and Political Science)

Who is Eligible for the Post-Baccalaureate Program?

Successful applicants for this program will have:

Completed a Bachelor's degree prior to application, with a minimum 2.50 grade point average in content course work. A minimum UW Total Institution grade point average of 2.75 must be achieved and maintained through the summer-fall-spring sequence of classes.
Completed additional content courses, as required for the area in which certification is sought (i.e., Elementary, Secondary English, etc.). Specific course requirements for each certification area can be found in program sheets for each area, also available through the Office of Teacher Education's website: http://ed.uwyo.edu/postbac.asp
Completed prerequisite undergraduate courses, as follows:
- EDST 2450: Human Lifespan Development (3 credits)
- ITEC 2360: Teaching with Technology (3 credits)
A current Wyoming Substitute Teaching Certificate. Contact the Wyoming Professional Teaching Standards Board for information: http://ptsb.state.wy.us/

How and When do I Apply for the Post-Baccalaureate Program?

Step 1: Review the programs and decide which program you are interested in. For more information please see the following: http://ed.uwyo.edu/postbac.asp. Identify your program area of interest to the Office of Teacher Education when you move to step 2 for pre-admission transcript evaluation.

Step 2: Prior to admission, a transcript evaluation completed by the Office of Teacher Education will determine how much content area course work is necessary prior to entering the sequence of courses for the Post-Baccalaureate Program. In order to allow sufficient time for completion of any identified prerequisites, it is best to begin this process as early as possible understanding that it can take 2-3 semesters to complete the prerequisites depending on the credits you have and the program you choose. For more information on transcript evaluation, see the following: http://www.uwyo.edu/ted/transcript_evaluation.asp.

Step 3: Meet with an advisor if you have questions. Call the Office of Teacher Education (307-766-2230) to schedule an appointment.

Step 4: Apply for admission to the University of Wyoming as a Second Bachelor's Degree student in the College of Education. Application for admission can be found on the Admissions website: http://uwadmnweb.uwyo.edu/admissions/default.asp.

Step 5: Receive advising to complete your Education prerequisites and remaining elementary or secondary content. Call the Office of Teacher Education (307-766-2230) to schedule an appointment.

Step 6: Post-baccalaureate students should apply for Phase III: Methods and Residency by the 1st week of December to enter the program in the following May (summer semester). Application materials are available through the Office of Teacher Education website: http://www.uwyo.edu/ted/. Late applications will be considered, but options for Residency placement locations will be extremely limited.

What about the Option to Earn a Master's Degree?

Post-Baccalaureate Program candidates will complete up to 12 hours of graduate coursework, which MUST be RESERVED AND CAN THEN BE applied to a Master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Wyoming. Those wishing to complete the Master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction must meet the acceptance criteria for the Master's program and must apply to and be admitted separately from the Post-Baccalaureate Program. For more information about the Master's program in Curriculum and Instruction, as well as application information, please see http://www.uwyo.edu/c_i/.

What if I Currently Have Teaching Certification?

Endorsement programs for teachers who already hold initial Wyoming certification are available in the following areas:

Early Childhood Education (Birth-5): http://www.uwyo.edu/elemed/ec/

Literacy (K-6, 7-12, & K-12): http://www.uwyo.edu/elemed/literacy.asp

English as a Second Language: http://www.uwyo.edu/esl/

Middle Level Mathematics: http://smtc.uwyo.edu/info.asp?p=4219

Middle Level Science: http://smtc.uwyo.edu/info.asp?p=4219

Teachers of American Indian Children: http://www.uwyo.edu/tac/

Who Can I Contact with More Questions?

If you have further questions, contact the Office of Teacher Education: 307-766-2230; Department of Elementary Education: 307-766-6366; or Department of Secondary Education: 307-766-3275.

What Coursework will I Take in the Post-Baccalaureate Program?

The post-baccalaureate program is designed to be completed in one academic year, beginning with foundations courses taken during the summer, followed by methods courses taken during the fall semester and residency (student teaching) completed during the spring semester. The actual certification courses encompass three full-time semesters: one summer and the following fall and spring semesters, including student teaching. However, there are prerequisite professional education courses, as well as possible content courses that must be completed prior to beginning the summer-fall-spring sequence. A transcript evaluation completed by the Office of Teacher Education will determine how much additional course work is required. A complete listing of all courses is available on program sheets for individual content areas. http://ed.uwyo.edu/postbac.asp. The table below indicates courses required for secondary and for elementary certification, when courses are offered, and whether they are designated as undergraduate (U) or graduate (G) credit.

SECONDARY	Summer Foundations Courses	Fall *Methods Courses	Spring **Residency
Courses Taken	EDEX 2484 (3U) Introduction to Special Education EDST 4000 (3U) Foundations of Education for a Diverse Society EDCI 5500: (4G) The Art and Science of Teaching	EDSE 42xx (3U) Methods II EDCI 5250 (3G) Advanced Topics in Pedagogy EDST 3550 (2U) Educational Assessment EDCI 5560 (1G) Seminar in Assessment	EDSE 4500 (11U) Residency in Teaching EDCI 5990 (4G) Internship
ELEMENTARY	Summer Foundations Courses	Fall *Methods Courses	Spring **Residency
Courses Taken	EDEX 2484 (3U) Introduction to Special Education EDST 4000 (3U) Foundations of Education for a Diverse Society EDCI 5500: (4G) The Art and Science of Teaching	Elementary Methods EDEL 4109 (5U)- Humanities EDEL 4309 (2U)- Literacy EDEL 4409 (5U)- Science EDCI 5250 (3G) Advanced Topics in Pedagogy EDST 3550 (2U) Educational Assessment EDCI 5560 (1G) Seminar in Assessment	EDEL 4500 (11U) Residency in Teaching EDCI 5990 (4G) Internship

* Course numbers for methods courses vary by level and by content area. Specific course numbers for each level and content area can be found on program sheets, available through the Office of Teacher Education: http://ed.uwyo.edu/postbac.asp.

** Candidates in the Post-Baccalaureate program will complete the residency semester in one of the designated partner districts.

Option for Master of Arts degree in Curriculum & Instruction

The Post-Baccalaureate Teacher Certification Program includes an option to earn a Master of Arts degree in Curriculum & Instruction. Twelve graduate-level credits are included in the sequence of courses leading to certification [EDCI 5550 (4 credit hours), EDCI 5250 (3 credit hours), EDCI 5560 (1 credit hour), EDCI 5590 (4 credit hours)]. STUDENTS MUST RESERVE THESE CREDITS IN ADVANCE TO APPLY THEM TO THE MASTER’S PROGRAM. Students finishing the certification sequence must ALSO apply for, meet admissions criteria, and be admitted into the Curriculum & Instruction Master’s program in order to work toward this graduate degree program. Students may apply for graduate program admission during their student teaching/residency semester (please refer to the Overview Packet for details: http://www.uwyo.edu/c_i/). Teaching experience is not required for students to be admitted into this particular Curriculum and Instruction Program. Once admitted, students’ accrued 12 graduate credits are applied toward the Master’s degree. In addition to these 12 hours, students are required to successfully complete the following courses/requirements to finish the Master’s degree.

Subject to requirements at time of graduate admission:

EDCI 5270 (3G) Seminar for Early Career Teachers
EDCI 5650 (3G) Early Childhood, Elementary, Middle and Secondary School Curriculum
EDCI 5790 (3G) Advanced Instructional Strategies
EDRE 5550 (3G) Action Research
EDCI 5400 (1G) Midpoint Portfolio Reflection
5XXX Course # (3G) Elective (To be determined in consultation with advisor and committee)
EDCI 5890 (4G) Directed Professional Study/ Plan B Project

Total semester hours: 20

NOTE: Master’s candidates have six calendar years to complete their degrees from the beginning of the first course taken and listed on the program of study (normally EDCI 5550).