Undergraduate/Post-Baccalaureate Program

The Secondary Education Undergraduate/Post-Bac. (UG/PB) program is designed for candidates who wish to gain state of Washington residency certification to teach at the secondary level (middle and high school). Our comprehensive teacher program is firmly backed by current research of effective teaching and promoting student learning. The UG/PB program can typically be completed in four quarters, including the student teaching (internship)- SEC UG/PB Quarterly Course Sequence. 

For prospective applicant information, contact Woodring Admissions at TeacherEd.Admission@wwu.edu or 360-650-4630. Applicants seeking the Music Ed., Physical Education & Health, or Computer Science Ed. endorsements must have pre-advising with their academic advisor. Early advising is encouraged!

Undergraduate/Post-Baccalaureate Course Catalog

UG/PB Application Deadlines

Fall Quarter: February 15th
Winter Quarter: September 1st

Academic Preparation

• Endorsement - get an endorsement evaluation
  • Get copies of transcripts
    • Current WWU students should contact your academic department advisor.
    • Non-WWU Post-bac. and MIT applicants must include course descriptions and/or syllabi for relevant courses to your endorsement.
    • Post-bac. applicants, send materials to wce.teachered.admiss@wwu.edu.
    • MIT applicants request an evaluation in your online application.
• Transfer Course Equivalency Guide - self-check courses from other institutions to see if they serve as WWU substitute courses
• Academic department advisors
• Post-bac. or MIT- if you need to take WWU courses prior to applying to SEC program
  • WWU post-bac. admissions
  • Non-matriculated student application
  • Look for course equivalencies at other institutions and confirm with WWU faculty.

Pre-application Requirement

An endorsement evaluation is required with your application for all endorsements you may be earning. No more than 10 endorsement credits, limited to the content method course(s), may be outstanding once you begin the SEC program. The evaluation should indicate any courses that are in progress or planned at the time of application. To obtain an evaluation, undergraduates should take transcripts (and a transfer equivalency report) plus the endorsement form (found at wce.wwu.edu/cert/endorsements) to their academic endorsement advisor between October and May. E-mail TeacherEd.Admission@wwu.edu for assistance with the endorsement evaluation. Non-WWU post-baccalaureate applicants must also send course descriptions and/or syllabi for all courses relevant to their endorsement.

Applicants must meet the basic skills requirement in reading, writing, and mathematics. This may be met by: a) Taking the WEST-B exam, b) SAT scores, c) ACT scores. There is no minimum score requirement for admission. See the Woodring admissions website at wce.wwu.edu/admissions/basic-skills for details.

Applicants seeking a world language endorsement are required to submit ACTFL scores by the application deadline.

Application Criteria

• Endorsement evaluation.
• Post-baccalaureate applicants must also apply to Western Admissions by the application deadline.
• Cumulative grade point average of 2.75 or higher overall college-level work or over the last 45 credits for undergraduate and post-bac applicants.
• Meet the basic skills requirement.
• Submit ACTFL scores if seeking a world language endorsement.
• Completion of an English composition course with a grade of B- (2.7) or higher
• Experience working with youth in a school or educational setting.
• Experience with diverse communities.
• Essays responding to the prompts on the application.
• Two letters of reference.

• Interview by SEC faculty (details provided after application deadline).

  Application Essay Questions

  • ​​​We believe that effective teachers must possess the knowledge, skills and dispositions to successfully facilitate learning for students of diverse backgrounds and abilities. The essays are intended to reveal aspects about you as a person- including the knowledge, abilities and the personal experiences that you will bring into the complex demands of teaching.
  • The essays will be reviewed based on the following criteria: academic preparation, experience with youth, experience working with diverse populations, a commitment to social justice, and writing proficiency. Each essay should address the prompt, include your name, title of essay, and be 1-2 pages, 12pt, double-spaced.

    • Essay 1

      Tell us why you wish to pursue a career in teaching. How do your experiences and disposition prepare you to be successful in the Secondary Education program?

    • Essay 2

      How might an educator's unacknowledged biases or taken-for-granted assumptions affect their ability to create a safe, inclusive, and culturally responsive learning environment?

    • Essay 3

      Describe your experiences with youth and families in diverse socio-economic, cultural and linguistic settings. Comment on any experiences with academic courses that have provided you knowledge of multicultural and social justice issues and challenges. How does this knowledge and experiences prepare you to be an effective teacher?

General application information: TeacherEd.Admission@wwu.edu, 360-650-4630.