Teacher Education Advising FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
What Can I Teach?
Woodring has a variety of programs at different levels.
Early Childhood Education (ECE) has certification and non-certification programs for people who want to teach Pre-Kindergarten to Third grade (P-3).
Elementary Education (ELED) has certification programs for people who want to teach Kindergarten to Eighth grade (K-8)
Elementary also offers a variety of majors and shorter add-on endorsements such as Bilingual Education (BE), English Language Learner (ELL), and Reading.
Education Leadership and Inclusive Teaching (ELIT) has certification and non-certification programs for people who want to teach Pre-Kindergarten to Twelfth grade (P-12) and offers dual and single endorsement options.
- Early Childhood + Special Education
- Elementary + Special Education
- Content Endorsement + Special Education
- Special Education
- Disability and Advocacy Major (Non-Cert)
Secondary Education (SEC) Is designed primarily for people who want to teach middle and high school and has certification programs for various content endorsements. Most endorsements are for teaching fifth to twelfth grade (5-12) but Art, Health and Fitness, and World Language endorsements are P-12.
If you want to teach at a public school in Washington State, you need to earn a teacher certificate by completing a teacher certification program. Private schools have their own rules and may not require teachers to be certified with the state.
Programs
Woodring College of Education offers some programs at locations outside of Bellingham. These include:
Bremerton
- Early Childhood Education
- Education for Inclusive Environments Teacher Residency Program
- Education Leadership
- Elementary Education Endorsement Program for Certified Teachers
- Special Education Endorsement Program for Certified Teachers
Everett
- Bilingual Teaching Fellows
- Education for Inclusive Environments Teacher Residency Program
- Education Leadership
- Elementary Education Endorsement Program for Certified Teachers
- Master in Teaching
- Master's in Rehabilitation Counseling
- Multilingual Education
- Special Education Endorsement Program for Certified Teachers
Renton
- Bilingual Teaching Fellows
- English Language Learner & Bilingual Education Endorsement Program
- Master in Teaching
- Multilingual Education
- Multilingual Special Education
All programs vary in length. It's important to meet with an advisor and create a plan of study EARLY to ensure you are meeting requirements. If you are completing a teacher preparation program your time to degree or completion may be longer than 2 years. This is because along with your bachelor's degree you are also gaining a teaching certificate. These additional requirements can add additional time onto your overall time in the program at WWU.
Woodring works closely with community partners to provide quality internship and student teaching experiences for students. Students completing a teacher preparation program will work with the Office of Field Experience for placement in a student teaching experience.
All programs vary in length. Each student will have a unique plan of study due to their personal circumstances, including number of transfer courses completed, major/minor/program choice and program level.
Undergraduate (UG), Post-Baccalaureate (PB) or Graduate (MIT)
Typical Program Completion Lengths
Early Childhood Education (UG and PB)
- Bellingham: 8 quarters
- Non-Certification program: 6 quarters
- Bremerton: 8 quarters
Elementary Education
- Bellingham UG: 7-10 quarters dependent on major
- Bellingham PB: 7 quarters
- Everett/Bremerton, Education for Inclusive Teacher Residency Program Elementary & Special Education: 7 quarters
Special Education (UG and PB)
- Special Education: 7 quarters
- Special Education & Early Childhood Education: 10 quarters
- Special Education & Elementary Education: 8 quarters
- Special Education & content endorsement: 7 quarter + endorsement coursework*
- Everett/Bremerton, Education for Inclusive Teacher Residency Program Elementary & Special Education: 7 quarters
*Length of endorsement-aligned major can vary from 4 to 8 quarters
Secondary Education
- Bellingham UG and PB: 4 quarters
- Bellingham: MIT: 5 quarters
- Everett: MIT: 7 quarters (Evening Classes)
*10 credits of teaching methods coursework from the endorsement-aligned major can be completed concurrently with the Secondary Education program.
The Masters in Teaching Program is only offered for the Secondary Education Program. However we do offer Post-Baccalaureate options for the Early Childhood, Elementary and Special Education programs. These Post-Baccalaureate programs lead to Teacher Certification.
The Educational Administration program is designed to prepare elementary and secondary school teachers and ESAs to assume leadership roles as principals, vice principals, program and department leaders, or instructional technology specialists. Candidates receive a master’s degree and/or are recommended for principal certification after completion of a year-long internship.
School counselors need to hold a Master's Degree in Counseling or complete a qualifying program. Visit WWU's Master's in Education: School Counseling for more information.
Majors
You will find detailed instructions for major declaration on each major's 'Program of Study' in the WWU catalog. The declaration process is different for every major. To declare a Special Education, Early Childhood, Language, Literacy and Cultural Studies or Human Services major you will need to be accepted to a program/department. Other majors aligned with our programs/departments can be declared through other colleges at WWU before applying to Woodring.
Education is not a major at WWU. Our teacher education programs either contain their own major or have a list of aligned majors. Many of these majors are Bachelors of Arts in Education (BAE), however there is no general "Education" major.
Each major has its own dedicated advisor. You will be able to find advisor information under the 'Contact Information' section of each major's 'Program of Study' in the WWU catalog. Woodring's College Advising provides general advising, can answer questions about Woodring programs and get you connected with the best advisor.
Registration
Students completing GUR courses at WWU may want to consider completing some of the Woodring recommended GUR courses. Students are not required to take these courses to complete GURs. This list should be used as a guide of suggested courses.
It's important to understand the math requirements for your program and/or for completing General University Requirements (GURs). Use Woodring recommended GUR course list to identify your math requirements. It's recommended that students complete the math requirements as soon as possible.
It's recommended that all students work on completing their General University Requirements (GURs) including English 101. It's also recommended to participate in our pathway programs including Compass 2 Campus (C2C), Family and Community Engaged Teaching (FACET) and the Education and Social Justice (ESJ) minor.
The Elementary, Early Childhood and Special Education programs have prerequisite courses. Students are encouraged to complete these courses before they start programs if possible. Carefully review program information early to ensure you are completing these courses. Take special care to complete any math or science requirements early.
To save a PDF of a website follow these steps (we recommend using a Chrome web browser):
- Open the page you want to save.
- To the right of the address bar, you will find three vertical ellipsis (three vertical dots). Click the dots and select "Print.."
- A new window will open. Under destination select "Save as PDF"
- Click save.
Apply
Yes, you will also need to apply to your program/major. Review your program of interest for details about when and how to apply.
In the event that you miss an application deadline, please contact Woodring Advising to find out if late applications are being accepted. If late applications are not being accepted you can work with Woodring Advising to develop a unique and meaningful schedule.
If you plan to apply for the PB program, are a current WWU student and are not taking any quarter off (except summer) you do not need to complete a WWU PB application. Students continuing from their Undergraduate program onto a PB program are considered to have continuous enrollment. For example, if you take undergraduate courses in spring quarter and start our PB Program in fall quarter, you will not need to apply to WWU as a PB student because you would have continuous enrollment.
The WEST-B is a basic skills test like the SAT and ACT. All students entering a teacher preparation program will need to complete a basic skills test in the area of Reading, Writing and Math. Woodring accepts SAT and ACT scores for this requirement. If you have not taken the SAT or ACT or are missing a score from one of the three areas, we suggest you take the WEST-B. Students can apply for a test voucher by completing a test voucher form.
The WEST-B is a basic skills test like the SAT and ACT. All students entering a teacher preparation program will need to complete a basic skills test in the area of Reading, Writing and Math. Woodring accepts SAT and ACT scores for this requirement. If you have not taken the SAT or ACT or are missing a score from one of the three areas, we suggest you take the WEST-B. Students can apply for a test voucher by completing a test voucher form.
The NES and WEST-E are content specific tests all students will take to qualify for their endorsement area.
No, you do not need to complete the NES or WEST-E test before applying to your teacher prep program. It is required for all students to attempt the NES or WEST-E test before their internship/student teaching and pass the NES/WEST-E before receiving certification.
Teacher Certification
- Schedule a Meeting with the Pre-Admissions Advisor.
Planning ahead can save time and money. The pre-admissions advisor will work with you to identify the programs and majors that align with your career goals, and can advise you around endorsement requirements, the application process, and connecting you with department faculty. - The Basic Skills Requirement is used as one of the multiple measures that gauge a candidate's basic skills upon entry. It is required by law for all teacher certification programs in Washington State.
To gain a Teaching Certificate all teacher candidates must complete a teacher preparation program. Woodring offers programs for Elementary, Secondary and Special Education areas.
Yes! Teachers and teacher candidates can add-on additional endorsements. Some endorsements must be added on through additional coursework and state testing. Other endorsements can only be added on through state tests.
Washington State test-in endorsements
Endorsements offered through Woodring
A Teaching Certificate is the primary document that indicates you are qualified to teach, obtained after completing a teacher preparation program and meeting state requirements. It is the "license" to teach, allowing you to enter the profession and is issued by the state or relevant educational authority.
Endorsements are added to a teaching certificate and indicate the specific subject areas and grade levels a teacher is qualified to teach. For example, an endorsement might specify "Elementary Education," or "Special Education,".
Endorsements can be obtained through additional coursework, exams, or experience in a specific area. Some, but not all states require a certificate to be issued with at least one endorsement. Endorsements can also be used to qualify for specific teaching positions. Learn more about the Endorsements Woodring offers.
Yes! Washington State Certificated teachers can transfer their certificate to most other states. Each state has different requirements, so look at the state you are interested in and what they have for ‘Out of State Applicants'. There may be paperwork that needs to be signed to prove internship or teacher preparation requirements were completed at Woodring College of Education. If so, email the Certification Office to get this arranged.
Sign up for the Compass 2 Campus Program
See all the Teaching Endorsements at Woodring.
Discover Woodring Scholarships.
To apply for scholarships, please visit the Scholarship Center Portal. Please be sure to allow plenty of time to complete the application; the more complete, the better your chances of being awarded. The deadline for submission is expected to be May 2, 2025.
Email the Certification Office if you are a former Woodring student and have questions about renewing a current teaching certificate.