Certification Only Program (For Candidates with Completed Prior Baccalaureate Degrees)

USD may recommend candidates for certification to the South Dakota Department of Education in all teaching programs as listed in ARSD 24:16:08 Requirements for Basic Teaching Programs.

Unique Admission Requirements for Program

The teacher candidate must have completed a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution of higher education to be eligible for this program. In order to be admitted to the certification only program, the candidate must meet teacher education program admission requirements. In addition, the candidate must pass the Praxis II content exam in his/her major as specified by the SDDOE and the candidate must meet or exceed the minimum score required for certification in South Dakota. A 2.6 cumulative GPA (beginning summer 2015, 2.7 cumulative GPA) and a 2.7 major GPA, faculty interview, completion of an oral communication course, passing scores of 172 on the Praxis I Pre-Professional Skills Tests in reading, writing, and mathematics, or passing scores on the Core Academic Skills for Educators tests with cut-off scores of Mathematics-150, Reading-156, and Writing-162 and a faculty recommendation are required for admission.

1. Candidates will complete all other teacher education requirements as specified by the School of Education and pass the Praxis II Principles of Learning and Teaching exam. All certification courses must be completed prior to or concurrently with student teaching. The normal order of courses may be altered for students in this program.

2. Candidates will complete all teacher certification courses as identified by the institution, including the appropriate special methods course but not to include other content major courses.

3. When the candidate meets the minimum required score on the Praxis II Principles of Learning and Teaching exam for certification in South Dakota and all other program completion requirements set forth by USD, the institution will recommend the candidate for teacher certification to SDDOE.

Certification Only Program

38 Credit Hours Required