Teacher Education Program Prerequisites & Admission Requirements

Before you can apply for admission to the Teacher Education program, you must be admitted to the University. If you have not applied and been admitted to SVSU, please visit one of the following sites:

• Seeking a Bachelor’s Degree in Education at SVSU
• Seeking Post-Baccalaureate Teacher Certification at SVSU

The following requirements must be successfully completed prior to submitting an application to the Teacher Education Program:

Elementary & Secondary Education Applicants:

The following requirements must be complete prior to submission of the application:

• Attendance at a Pre-Education Seminar (undergraduate candidates) or Certification Seminar (post-baccalaureate candidates);
• All University Basic Skills requirements in mathematics, reading, and writing (undergraduate candidates);
• Minimum 3.0 grade point average based on the last 45 credit hours of university-level (credit earning) coursework for elementary applicants and 60 credit hours of university-level (credit earning) coursework for secondary applicants.  Letter grades associated with entry-level coursework will not be considered.

Elementary Education Applicants:

The requirements listed on the Teacher Ed General Education and Pre-Ed Requirements (109KB)

Secondary Education Applicants:

The following criteria must be successfully completed or in progress at the time of application:

• PSYC 100, General Psychology, or an approved equivalent, with a grade of “C” or better.
• TEMS 100 Exploring teaching, TE 100, Exploring Teaching:  K-12;  or TE 101, Exploring Teaching in Physical Education; or an approved equivalent with a grade of “C” or better.
• 72 credit hours (minimum) with a grade of “C” or better; the 72 credit hours must be applicable to the applicant’s College of Education certification program. It is recommended that applicants have 10 or fewer remaining credit hours of their content area majors and minors left the time of application.
• PSYC 315, Adolescent Psychology, or an approved equivalent a with grade of “C” or better (Note:  K-12 Music Education candidates are not required to take PSYC 315.)

Please note: Students who enter the Teacher Education Program after Winter Semester 2023, will no longer be required to take PSYC 317 as a prerequisite for admission into the program. Students should plan to take PSYC 317 and a new course, TEMS 334 Equity and Diversity in School, together during the first semester of the professional studies. 

Elementary and secondary undergraduate pre-education students must view a mandatory Pre-Education Seminar prior to applying to the Teacher Education Program (TEP).  

Elementary Pre-Education Seminar - Winter 2024 (33,233KB)

Secondary Education Pre-Education Seminar - Winter 2024 (21,137KB)

Students must apply and be accepted in to the College of Education Teacher Education Program prior to enrollment in 300-400 level professional studies courses. Applications are accepted online twice a year via Tk20.

The application for Fall Semester 2024 admission will open in Tk20 on Tuesday, January 16th and will remain open until Friday, January 26th at 4:30 p.m. Undergraduates who have not attended the mandatory Pre-Education Seminar must do so prior to submitting the application.

Accessing the Application

If you completed an application for TE 100/TE 101 or TE 120 in Tk20, you will use the username Tk20 assigned to you (e.g., msmith0000) and the password you created to complete the new application. When you log into Tk20, locate the Applications tab in the side menu and then click on +Create New Application. Use the drop down menu to locate the Teacher Education Program application form you need and select Next to begin.

If you do not recall your log in information, do not attempt to use your SVSU username and password used to log into the SVSU network (e.g., Cardinal Direct/mySVSU, SVSU email).  Please email us at coeconnect@svsu.edu to request a reset of your Tk20 log in credentials. If you did not take TE 120 or TE 100/TE 101 at SVSU, use these TEP Tk20 Application Instructions (817KB). Please read all of the instructions below before completing your application.

1. Log in to Tk20 and complete the correct application in its entirety.
 
2. Be prepared to upload the following documents into your application (MS Word or PDF are acceptable):

• If you are currently enrolled in any prerequisite course(s) another institution at the time of application, you must submit evidence of enrollment (class schedule) in the class(es). SVSU class schedules should not be submitted;
• Provide the name, title, and telephone number of three individuals who have agreed to serve as references for you in your online application.  If possible, at least one reference should be from a full-time or part-time faculty member from a two- or four-year college/university. Other acceptable references could be individuals with whom you have had interaction through educational preparation in the last year; e.g., school administrators, teachers, etc.;
• Letters of recommendation are not required. However, if you would like to attach any letters with your application, you are welcome to do so;
• If you answered yes to any of the criminal conviction questions, a copy of the court document, called Court of Action, Register of Action,  or Register of Deed, which describes the crime of which you were convicted, dates, and sentence(s) imposed must be attached in the application at the time of submission. (Please see additional information in Step 6).

• As part of your application to the Teacher Education Program, you must complete a background check using the Internet Criminal History Access Tool (ICHAT).  

  Please go to https://apps.michigan.gov/, login as a guest user, select the Background Search button and fill in the required information and submit. I highly suggest using your, first, middle, and last name to avoid any errors. Select "Student" for the reason for the search. Once you have made payment, you can view your search results by clicking on your name. An example report is pasted below for your reference. 

  Save the report as a PDF and attach the file. ICHAT Example Report (92KB)

3. Once your application is complete and all your documents are uploaded, "Submit" your application for processing.

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After you have completed the application, uploaded all required documents, and submitted your application in Tk20, contact the College of Education at coeconnect@svsu.edu to confirm your application is complete and ready for processing. Please do not make any changes to the application once you have confirmed completion of your application. If you have changes you would like noted, please email us at coeconnect@svsu.edu with the changes you need us to be aware of.

A criminal background check is required of all candidates who submit an application and are accepted to the SVSU College of Education Teacher Education Program. This process is required by the school districts, public and private, to allow program candidates to participate in the fieldwork component of the program. 

ICHAT PROCESS:

Candidates will be required to complete the ICHAT process upon notification of acceptance to the Teacher Education Program. Detailed information will be provided in the letter of admission.

If you have been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor or have any outstanding criminal charges or warrants pending against you in Michigan or any other state or jurisdiction, you will be required to submit court documents indicating the crime of which you were convicted, dates and sentences imposed with your application materials.  If criminal charges are pending, you will be required to submit a statement from the issuing court indicating court date and offense.
 
Admission to the Teacher Education Program does not guarantee certification by the State of Michigan. The SVSU College of Education cannot guarantee approval of any recommendation made to the State of Michigan for any type of certification. Final approval of a recommendation is granted only by the Michigan Department of Education, based on the policies and procedures current at the time the recommendation for certification is made.
 
Any candidate admitted to the Teacher Education Program, is required to notify the Chair of the Admissions and Transitions Committee, should s/he be convicted of a crime in any state or jurisdiction after the initial background check is completed. Court documents indicating the crime for which a candidate is convicted, dates, and sentences imposed, and any information on pending criminal charges must be supplied by the candidate and will be reviewed by the SVSU Admissions & Transitions Committee.  Based on a review of the conviction or pending criminal charges, the candidate may be subject to dismissal from the Teacher Education Program.

If you have general questions regarding the Teacher Education Program's prerequisites and/or the application process, please email your questions to us at coeconnect@svsu.edu.

If you would like to schedule an appointment with a College of Education advisor, please email us at advisingcoe@svsu.edu to request an appointment. Please be sure to include in your email, days/times that work best for you during the week for an appointment. You can also schedule an appointment by calling 989-964-4057 option #1.

Music Education majors should schedule an appointment to meet with a faculty advisor in the Music Department and Physical Education majors and minors should schedule an appointment to meet with Dr. David Berry, Professor of Kinesiology, at 989-964-4504. All other secondary education majors should schedule an appointment to meet with an academic advisor in the Academic Advisement Center, Wickes Hall, 117 prior to meeting with a certification advisor.