Please note:   Education courses are not currently available in the evenings.  Given this situation, we are not currently able to offer a Residency Program.   Our licensure only program is conditionally available if day time attendance is possible. 

State and College Requirements for Acceptance into Licensure Programs

Education Studies requires a second disciplinary major for Secondary Licensure Programs which include English and Secondary Social Studies. All Education Studies licensure majors will participate in a variety of intentionally sequenced and focused field experiences and clinical internships In addition, we encourage all of our students to study abroad as is feasible to fulfill the requirements of EDUC 302 Field Study in Cross-Cultural Education.

Students are encouraged to begin licensure programs by the time they have 16-20 credits. This is approximately the second semester of their first year. With careful planning and advising, students can meet the requirements for graduation and the State’s requirements for a Beginning Teacher License (BTL) (which includes maintaining at least a 2.75 GPA) in four years. Note: It is imperative that students interested in achieving a teaching license in their Education Studies major meet with an Education Studies adviser early in their academic career to ensure they may graduate in four years.

Admissions to licensure programs takes place in October prior to the Spring of the candidates’ internship semester. Students must be accepted into their teacher licensure program in order to begin the internship courses which are: 312 and 313 for secondary and 307, 308, and 309 for K-6, prior to enrolling.

In order to be accepted into any of the teacher licensure programs, Candidates for teacher licensure programs must:

Obtain three academic/professional recommendations mailed directly to the Education Studies Licensure Officer. One must be from an Education Studies professor one must be from a professor in their second major or from a professor in a department other than Education Studies. The third reference needs to be from someone – not a friend or family member – who can speak to the student’s potential as a teacher/learner/leader.

• Pass PRAXIS I prior to applying for the program of their choice. There are some exceptions to a passing PRAXIS I score for admissions. They are: SAT scores above 1100or ACT score 24 or above.  Licensure Only and Residential candidates are exempt from PRAXIS I if their cumulative G.P.A. from their first bachelor’s degree is 2.5 or above.
• Maintain an overall GPA of at least 2.75, as well as at least a 2.75 in the Education Studies Major and in the required second major for secondary education.  
• At the end of each program, other standardized, State-mandated tests are part of the licensure requirements These requirements change frequently. It is vital that students who are interested in earning a teaching license keep up with the requirements which are current during the time of their matriculation by checking in with their advisors and checking their emails. Guilford College Education Studies must comply with the State’s legislation that require benchmarks for acceptance to licensure programs and exit from licensure programs.  

Residential Program K-6

If a person is employed full time in a public school as a teacher-of-record they are required to enroll in a “Residential” program in an accredited, educational preparation program (EPP) in a four year accredited college or university. The  Residential program in K-6 at Guilford College includes the requirements that Education Studies has for all K-6 candidates. Residential candidates already have  four-year undergraduate degrees, and must meet the same standards for GPA and testing that all other candidates for licensure are required to meet  Teachers are accepted into the program with the approval of their school’s principal and the local superintendent’s office. 

Licensure Only

Individuals who hold a bachelor’s degree from a four-year, regionally accredited college or university may complete teaching licenses in any one of the three licensure tracks. Licensure Only students typically complete the courses listed for an education student’s major. In some cases, Licensure Only students may have some courses waived if they have equivalent courses on their transcript and those courses are approved by the Department. For Licensure Only in secondary licensure areas, if the first degree is not in the content area for that license, candidates will have to successfully complete content area requirements. This additional coursework may be extensive. Decisions about which content area courses are required are decided at the departmental level for each subject area, e.g. for English Licensure Only, the English department will make recommendations. All decisions about additional coursework or waivers of coursework are individualized based on each student’s academic transcript and North Carolina State Licensure Requirements.

Licensure Only and Residential students have the same requirements as other licensure candidates. Being accepted to Guilford College is not the same as being accepted into a licensure program. Students in all licensure programs must meet the same testing and GPA standards, as well as submit recommendations. One exemption to passing PRAXIS I that is available to Licensure Only and Residential students is having a GPA of 2.5 or above in their first degree.

Add-on Licenses

ENDORSEMENTS: Currently, candidates who complete an approved teacher preparation program’s licensure requirements may have their initial licenses endorsed to teach in additional content areas. This is a North Carolina Only endorsement. Requirements for endorsements are 1) having earned a BTL  “teaching license from an approved EPP, and 2) completion of a minimum of 24 credit hours in a content area which is taught in the public schools with a grade in each course of at least a C (no C-s). The endorsement may be added to the BTL license at the time of application for the BTL license. Endorsements are for teaching at all grade levels, K-12, in the specific endorsement area.
For instance, if an individual was earning BTL Elementary License and had completed 24 credit hours in History with the grades of C or above in each of those 6 courses, they qualify for a K-12 History Endorsement. This type of endorsement would allow them to teach history content courses in middle and high school in North Carolina. These endorsements are for North Carolina licenses only.

ADD-ON PRAXIS II: Candidates who earn a BTL from an accredited, four year Education Preparation Program, may take PRAXIS II tests in specific content areas and add on to their original license. This type of add-on license is portable to many states. Check the state’s website for the most up – to – date criteria for reciprocity with NC.

RECIPROCITY: In order to ascertain if a NC Beginning Teacher License 1 can be transferred to another state refer to the “reciprocity” criteria on the other state’s web page. Most states have reciprocity with NC and accept NC Licensure.

Non-Licensure Track

The Education Studies Non-Licensure Tracks are meant for students who have an interest in Education, but do not wish to pursue a teaching license. Students in the non-licensure tracks complete the Education Studies core courses: (EDUC 201, EDUC 202,EDUC 203, and EDUC 302) to gain a broad foundation in educational philosophy, educational psychology, contemporary and historical issues, and cross-cultural/culturally-responsive education.

For students opting for the Non -Licensure Integrated Education Studies (IES):

This program is unique in its student-driven, interdisciplinary/interdepartmental, collaborative processes. Graduates from the non-licensure track may pursue careers in areas such as public policy, non-profits, leadership, youth mentoring, educational or workplace training, community education, private education, adult education, international education, or in government/policy agencies. Graduates may also pursue graduate degrees in Special Education, Environmental Education, Social Work, Educational Policy, Curriculum Studies, Multicultural Education, Education Law, and more.

Required Courses for Non-licensure IES: EDUCATION STUDIES CORE (20 hours):

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
EDUC 201	Philosophical and Ethical Reflection in Education	4
EDUC 202	Educational Psychology in Classrooms	4
EDUC 203	Contemporary/Historical Issues in Education	4
EDUC 302	Field Study in Cross-Cultural Education	4
EDUC 450	Special Topics (Educational Research)	4
Total Credits		20

EXPECTED ADDITIONAL HOURS FOR INDIVIDUAL PLANS OF STUDY

Credits in Focused Sequence Plan of Study (see below) NON-LICENSURE IES FOCUSED SEQUENCE (12-16 credits)

As Non-licensure IES students complete the Education Studies core, they meet with faculty to collaboratively determine a focus of study and a sequence of at least 3 courses (plus, the required EDUC450 research course) to meet that focus. Faculty from across disciplines will be involved for course approval and program design.

Non-licensure All But Student Teaching Track (ABS):

Students who opt to major in the Non-licensure All But Student Teaching (ABS) track complete all of the requirements for the program, except for the 16-hour student teaching requirement, in which they are interested. For example, if the student wishes to complete ABS for Secondary English, they would need to finish all the required courses for that program. They need to meet the GPA requirements of a 2.75 or above. They are not required to take and pass PRAXIS I. However, students in this track will need to have recommendations from faculty and to have achieved the minimum GPA of 2.75 overall.

Students in this track are approved to complete their internships, which require extensive work in either an elementary classroom or a high school classroom. This is determined by the Education Studies faculty.

This track allows students to explore teaching, but doesn’t require they meet all the State’s and College’s requirements for licensure. In addition, students who may desire to go on to graduate school in areas of pedagogy or curriculum will have the advantage of practical, first-hand experience in highly-impacted, under-resources schools with which to relate theory.