Admission and Registration

Upon successful program completion, graduates receive a Washington State Residency Teaching Certificate. 

Program options are:

• Elementary Education Professional Program & program-aligned major (see list below)

Undergraduate & Post-Baccalaureate Professional Program

Note: For safety reasons, particular courses in this program have received authorization to require that all students registered in the identified courses must be vaccinated for COVID-19. Unvaccinated students may need to arrange accommodations.

Applicants must meet the following:

• WWU student or WWU applicant

• Minimum of 75 college level credits completed by the application due date, or anticipated DTA-AA degree by admissions quarter start date. AP and IB credits can count towards the 75 required credits. For a list of acceptable tests and scores, see Western's Transfer Credit Policies. 

• 2.75 GPA (cumulative or last 45+ graded credits). Transcripts will be reviewed for purposes of GPA calculation. Email unofficial transcripts to TeacherEd.Admission@wwu.edu.

  • Does not include S/U graded credits or a repeated course. 

  • Does include failing grades. 

  • GPA is calculated using the WWU grade point system.

  • NOTE: Upon request, we will evaluate GPA prior to applying to the program

• West-B requirement (submitted SAT/ACT/West-B scores to WWU); applicants may not be admitted without meeting this requirement.

• English composition course (ENG 101, COMM 101, JOUR 106) with minimum grade of B-.  For other courses, check with Teacher Education Admissions. Exams that meet this requirement:

  • AP English Literature or Language, minimum score of 4.

  • IB English, minimum score of 4

• Completion of program prerequisites

  • MATH 112/MATH 111

    • Minimum grade of C, OR ALEKS Math Placement Assessment with a minimum score of 45 required

    • Course more than 5 years old will not be honored

    • For non-WWU students this is an intermediate college Algebra course (e.g. MATH 99 at Whatcom CC or Skagit Valley College)

  • SCED 201

    • Required for all program options

    • MATH 112/MATH 111 is a pre-requisite for SCED 201

    • Minimum grade of C

    • WWU students must request an override code for SCED 201 - contact Lori Torres

    • WWU students are encouraged to also take SCED 202, 203, and 204 for remaining Natural Science GURs

    • Community College equivalents = Everett CC NAT S 107, Skagit CC PHYS 111, Whatcom CC PHYSC 104
       

Completing the program pre-requisites listed below before applying will expedite your time to program completion:

• MLE 441

  • MLE 441 is also a requirement for the English Language Learner/Bilingual Endorsement Program, the Multilingual Education Minor, and the BAE in Language, Literacy and Cultural Studies

  • Minimum grade of C

  • LING 201 or ELL 431 completed with a minimum grade of C prior to Fall 2022 will be accepted in place of MLE 441

Program-Aligned Majors

The undergraduate Elementary Professional Program is a teacher preparation program that leads to certification, but is not a major. Students who desire to pursue this program, must choose and pursue an acceptable program-aligned major. In most cases, students are able to begin completing major coursework prior to being admitted into the ELED Professional Program. 

Post-baccalaureate applicants are not required to complete a new major, but must request a review of their transcripts to determine if previous course work is program aligned. Email unofficial transcripts to TeacherEd.Admission@wwu.edu

Additional majors may be possible through advisement. Please contact the ELED Department Manager for more information.  

First Quarter Course Requirements

Students are required to take the following courses during their first quarter in the program unless already completed:

• EDUC 311 – 1 credit
• ELED 305 – 5 credits
• ELED 310 – 5 credits
• ELED 460 – 5 credits