School of Teacher Education

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Post-baccalaureate Certification-only Program

Become a Teacher

If you already have a bachelor’s degree but not in education, and you want to enroll in a post-baccalaureate certification-only program:

Step 1
First, you’ll need to decide WHOM you want to teach and WHAT you want to teach. For descriptions of the certification areas available at WKU, please see the following:

• Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education (IECE)
• Elementary Education
• Special Education
• Middle Grades Education
• Science and Mathematics Education
• Secondary Education (high school)

Step 2
Consult a program advisor to review your transcripts and provide you with a list of the additional courses that you must complete in order to be recommended for initial certification. You may be required to take additional courses in the major as well as teacher certification requirements.

• For IECE, contact Dr. Sylvia Dietrich for graduate programs or Dr. Margaret Gichuru for undergraduate programs
• For Elementary Education, contact Ms. Denise Garner, denise.garner@wku.edu, (270)745-3928, or Ms. Deborah Sloss, deborah.sloss@wku.edu, 270-745-6572
• For Special Education, contact Dr. Gail Kirby, gail.kirby@wku.edu, 270-745-3746
• For Middle Grades Education (English/Communications and Social Studies), contact Ms. Denise Garner, denise.garner@wku.edu, 270-745-3928, or Ms. Deborah Sloss, deborah.sloss@wku.edu, 270-745-6572
• For Science and Math Education, either middle grades or secondary, contact Ms. Karen Long, karen.long@wku.edu, 270-745-3900.
• For secondary education, contact the content advisor in the subject you wish to teach. The content advisors may be found here. Scroll down the list to where the advisors for programs outside of the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences are shown.

Step 3
Finally, work with your advisor to complete all required courses for your major(s) (if any) and also the requirements for admission to teacher education and requirements for teacher certification:

In order to be recommended for initial certification as a teacher in Kentucky, a teacher candidate must document the following:

• Completion of an approved teacher preparation program in each desired certification area;
• Passing score(s) on the PRAXIS II specialty exams or other assessments required for each desired teaching area;
• Achievement of at least a 2.5 GPA overall, in each major(s) and minor(s), and in professional education courses; and
• Attainment of at least a “C” in all professional education courses, including EDU 489 and student teaching. (Some majors also require attainment of at least a “C” in required major courses; check with your advisor.)

Additional information about post-baccalaureate certification:
Depending on exactly what courses and how many hours you must complete to be eligible for post-baccalaureate certification, one alternative may be to seek a second baccalaureate degree rather than complete a certification-only program. WKU’s requirements for a second baccalaureate degree are as follows (see Undergraduate Catalog):

• An acceptable baccalaureate degree from a fully-accredited college or university.
• An approved program including a minimum of thirty (30) semester hours earned after completion of the first degree.
• Twenty-four (24) semester hours contained in the approved program must be earned at WKU.
• Fifteen (15) semester hours must be earned in completion of a new major.
• One-half of the new semester hours presented in completion of each major and minor must be earned at the upper division level.
• A 2.00 grade average must be earned for all coursework presented in completion of the program; in all coursework completed at WKU; and in all coursework in each major and minor.*

(*Note: other GPA requirements must be met by those seeking a recommendation for certification as a teacher. Please consult your advisor.)