Michigan Elementary or Secondary Provisional Teacher Certification Procedure for a Post Baccalaureate Student:
The "Policy regarding Teacher Certification and/or Endorsement for Post-Baccalaureate Students" is published in the CMU bulletin. On campus enrollment is required.
The post baccalaureate program at CMU is for those who already have a four-year degree. This is the same program followed by our traditional undergraduates, and all education courses are available only on campus in Mount Pleasant during the "traditional" class hours of a Monday-Friday schedule. Time required to complete the program is dependent upon an individual's goal, but will rarely be less than two years for Secondary and can exceed four years for Elementary, depending on your undergraduate programs, and the your choice of teachable specializations (major and minor) coursework still needed. It will also depend on the number of courses you would be taking per semester (full time of part time).
The evaluation process consists of our advisor looking over your transcripts and determining which credits we are able to accept from your undergraduate coursework that are equivalent to courses needed on our program. The advisor can discuss with you the option of your getting a second undergraduate degree, or pursuing the program as a non-degree certification only program. For either program you would need to have met all the competencies following CMU's BS in Ed degree standards and you would need to meet the minimum GPA requirements as well, which is at least a 2.70 in your undergraduate degree, or the last *45 graded credit hours completed (*cannot split credits within a semester, so more than 45 credit hours may be used).
Your transcripts will also be reviewed for credits that can be counted as courses needed to fulfill the core Teacher Education Program. That is divided into three sections:
- General Education Requirements. These are our "University Program" credits. Typically we assume you already have completed these credits since you hold your degree, but there are some degrees that require little or no General Education credits, so we do take a look at your transcripts just to make sure you have already fulfilled that section.
- Degree Requirements. Even if you are not going to be pursuing the Degree in Education, all Teacher Education students must fulfill the courses listed in this section. The courses required under this section will differ depending on whether you are pursuing Elementary or Secondary, or Special Education for Elementary or Secondary.
- Professional Education Requirements. These will be our professional (Education) sequence and the Student Teaching piece.
In addition to the above, the appropriate Department Academic Advisors are furnished your transcripts and will review your major and minor courses and will determine which, if any, prior courses may be used towards the major/minor you choose. The Faculty will write a program listing any courses still needed to complete the major/minor following CMU's guidelines. At least a 2.70 GPA is required in any major and minor in order to student teach.
If you are interested in additional information, please review the Post-Bac Admission ChecklistAdmission Checklist and Criteria specifically for a Post Baccalaureate student, which outlines the pre-admission requirements you will need to meet once you have been accepted to CMU. You must talk with our Academic Advisor prior to applying for the program. Call 989-774-3309 and request an appointment with the Post Baccalaureate Program Advisor.
You may also submit the Post-Baccalaureate Certification Post Bacc Certification Inquiry FormInquiry Form.