We offer a Professional Studies Certificate (PSC) which leads to licensure in the areas indicated below. 

Note that Virginia Licensure Regulations changed as of Sep 07 and they will become effective for candidates entering the program after 1 Jul 08.  A graphic organizer is available which outlines the process for Route To Virginia Licensure.

Many of our students opt to also enroll in our Individualized Master's in Education program.  Students who complete their coursework through our professional studies certificate program in initial teacher licensure (PSC) may have up to 15 credits (secondary) and 18 credits (elementary and middle) of the professional course credit transferred into the 30 credit Master's program; if the courses are taken through Continuing Ed or Office of Education Outreach, there is a 9 credit limit for secondary transfers and a 12 credit limit for elementary transfers.

The PSC program takes approximately 3 semesters; completion of the remainder of the master's courses will take more time.  Most students opt to complete the licensure program, and then complete the master's once employed.

If you begin the PSC program in the fall, you will take classes in the fall and Jan term and then student teach in the fall of the following year.  If you begin the program in Jan, you will take courses that term and in the fall and then student teach the January term of the following year.  We do not offer professional courses in the summer since our courses all require a field experience in the schools and it has not been possible to arrange these experiences in the summer.  Some students opt to take some of the master's courses in the summer, depending on scheduled classes.

Our classes are offered  mostly Mon-Thur; classes generally begin at 5 PM and last until 8.30.

We have been graduating students from our program since 1999; read some of the comments of our graduates.

Upon entry into the program, students must complete the Criminal Backgrounds check.  Virginia Licensure requirements are outlined in a PDF booklet that you may download from the web.  For applicants who are not citizens, there are some special requirements.  If you graduated from a non-US institution of higher education, your transcript must be reviewed by an accrediting agencies; the Virginia Department of Education provides a list of acceptable agencies.

There are several licensure requirements,  including specific professional courses that a candidate must successfully complete. Specific tests are required for entry into the program; for complete information on course requirements and test scores, please download the Professional Studies Certificate information sheet.

Please review the Teach Virginia Website for some additional and interesting information about teaching.

Deadline for Applications:

For January Admission - 15 October
For Summer Admission - 15 February
For September Admission - 15 Jul

INFORMATION

For further information, please contact:

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updated on Tuesday, 21 October 2008