Post-Baccalaureate Teacher Certification Programs

Messiah College offers seventeen programs leading to Pennsylvania teacher certification. For a complete list of certification programs available through Messiah College, click here. For information about any of our certification programs, please contact the Admissions Office (717-766-2511).

If you already have earned a Bachelor’s Degree through an accredited college or university, you will not need to complete another degree to pursue teacher certification at Messiah College. You will be considered a “post-baccalaureate" certification student and only complete courses that are necessary to meet Pennsylvania certification requirements. Upon successful completion of all required courses, experiences, and Teacher Education Program requirements, Messiah College will recommend you to the Pennsylvania Department of Education in Harrisburg for certification.

If you would like to see the specific course requirements for your certifiication area, you can visit our Online Course Catalog.  In the list of majors, you will find all of Messiah's teacher certification programs.  Just click on the one that you are interested in and then look only at the courses that are listed under "major requirements."  As a post-baccalaureate student, the "general education requirements" will not apply to you. 

To apply for admission to Messiah College as a “post-baccalaureate” teacher certification student, you will need to submit the following materials to the Admissions Office:

1. Application form for post-baccalaureate teacher certification status. Contact the Admissions Office for this form.

2. Official transcripts for all undergraduate and graduate coursework.

3. PRAXIS I examination scores for Reading (Code 0710 or 5710), Writing (Code 0720 or 5720), and Mathematics (Code 0730 or 5730). Please visit the ETS website for information about test dates and registration procedures: www.ets.org/praxis. When you register, identify the college or university where you earned your Bachelor’s Degree as the attending institution and identify Messiah College and the Pennsylvania Department of Education as score recipients, using the following codes: Messiah College Code: RA2411 and PA Department of Education Code: R 8033

Note: The Pennsylvania Department of Education recognizes Praxis scores for five years from the exam date. Depending upon the timing of your application, Messiah College may require you to resubmit Praxis scores that comply with these guidelines.

4. Criminal History Clearances. You need to submit copies of the following criminal history clearance results to the Admissions Office at Messiah College:

• Pennsylvania State Police Criminal Records Check (Act 34)
• Child Abuse History Clearance (Act 151)
• Federal Criminal History Record (Act 114) - The FBI background check must be processed through the Cogent system.
  

For information about requesting these clearances, please consult the link on the Teacher Education Program website (www.messiah.edu/teacher/handbook/clearances.html).

5. Two letters of reference from faculty who are familiar with your academic abilities. At least one letter must be from a faculty member of the major department where you completed your undergraduate degree. If you are a Messiah College graduate, you are not required to submit letters of reference.

6. Written declaration of previous application for, or experience in, student teaching (if any).

When all of the preceding materials have been received by the Admissions Office, your file will be reviewed by the College’s Teacher Certification Officer, Dr. Kevin Zook, and the Department Chair of the certification program you wish to pursue. If you are accepted, a complete transcript evaluation will be performed, and a written list of specific required courses will be provided to you. Please be advised that this transcript evaluation will not be performed until all of the materials listed above have been received.  However, if you would like to get a general idea of the specific course requirements for your certification area, you can visit our Online Course Catalog.  In the list of majors, you will find all of Messiah's teacher certification programs.  Just click on the one that you are interested in and then look only at the courses that are listed under "major requirements."  As a post-baccalaureate student, the "general education requirements" will not apply to you. 

Before you apply, please be aware of the following policies and points of information:

1. If you are accepted to the College as a post-baccalaureate teacher certification student, you will need to apply for admission to the Teacher Education Program to be eligible for field experiences and upper-level Education courses. You must complete twelve (12) credits at Messiah College before you can be considered for admission to the Teacher Education Program. Admission to the College for the purpose of pursuing teacher certification does not guarantee that you will be admitted to the Teacher Education Program.

2. For admission to the Teacher Education Program, you must have an undergraduate GPA (both cumulative and in the major for which you will be certified) of at least 3.0. This is a state requirement that is common to all teacher preparation programs in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. If you have completed a Master’s Degree, your GPA from that program may be considered rather than your undergraduate GPA. If your undergraduate GPA is lower than 3.0, the following policies will apply:

● If you are admitted to the College to begin a post-baccalaureate teacher certification program, you may begin taking courses at Messiah College that are required for your certification program, with the exception of any courses that require admission to the Teacher Education Program. An aggregate GPA based on your prior undergraduate work and Messiah College courses will be calculated. When the aggregate GPA is 3.0 or higher, you will be eligible to apply for admission to the Teacher Education Program.

● If you take a minimum of 48 additional credits at Messiah College, only those credits will be used to calculate your GPA for the purpose of applying for admission to the Teacher Education Program. When your Messiah College GPA is 3.0 (based on a minimum of 48 credits), you will be eligible to apply for admission to the Teacher Education Program.

3. You will be required to complete a minimum of twelve (12) credits, including at least one field experience, in addition and prior to the Professional Semester. You will be required to complete the Professional Semester (including student teaching) at Messiah College.

4. If accepted as a post-baccalaureate teacher certification student, you will be required to enroll continuously each semester until your program is completed. The only acceptable waivers to this policy are (a) documented medical conditions or (b) unavailability of required courses.

5. Please be advised that Messiah College offers no evening or summer Education courses.

6. Messiah College does not award college credit for prior career or life experiences.

If you have specific questions about the Teacher Education Program, requirements for admission, or the application process, please direct them to the Admissions Office (717-766-2511) or the Certification Officer, Dr. Jennifer Fisler (717-691-6031).