Department: Secondary Education and Educational Leadership

Accelerated Postbaccalaureate Program (APB): Initial Licensure for High School (Subject Areas: 8-12), Middle School (Subject Areas: 5-8) Teachers and PreK-12 Specialists

Graduate Program Coordinator: Dr. Sarah Thomas

The Accelerated Postbaccalaureate (APB) program is a rigorous, accelerated graduate level program of study (18 credits) that leads to initial teacher licensure. Recognizing the unique strengths of nontraditional licensure candidates, the APB program is designed for individuals who are committed to becoming outstanding teachers.

The APB program is designed for persons who have a bachelor’s degree and are seeking initial licensure in one of the following fields:

Teacher of Biology (8-12)
Teacher of Chemistry (8-12)
Teacher of Dance (all levels)
Teacher of Earth and Space Science (8-12)
Teacher of English (5-12)
Teacher of Foreign Language: Spanish (5-12)
Teacher of History (5-12)
Teacher of Mathematics (5-8)
Teacher of Mathematics (8-12)
Teacher of Music (all levels)
Teacher of Physics (8-12)
Teacher of Theater (all levels)
Teacher of Visual Art (PreK-8)
Teacher of Visual Art (5-12)

APB Admission Criteria

Candidates for the APB program will be admitted by the Office of Graduate Admission Enrollment Management based upon the recommendation of the APB coordinator. The coordinator will base the admission recommendations on the candidate’s potential to be an effective teacher based on multiple indicators. Additionally, each candidate’s transcripts will be reviewed by the APB program coordinator in collaboration with the appropriate departmental graduate coordinator for relevant content area course work. A list of required topics has been determined by the specialized professional associations. The result of this review may require courses to be taken in the content area in addition to the 18 core APB education credits. 

Evidence to be submitted by the program candidate includes:

• Completed online application, with application fee
• Resumé
• Official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate course work
• An undergraduate degree with a minimum GPA of 2.8
• MTEL^® scores – passing scores from the Communication and Literacy Skills test, both Reading and Writing subtests
• Subject MTEL^® scores – passing scores from subject matter test that corresponds to specific teaching license sought
• Personal statement – statement of desire to be a teacher, including descriptions of appropriate life experiences and experience with youth at the licensure level
• Three letters of recommendation

For APB application material and information, contact the Office of Graduate Admission.

NOTE: As an alternative to the APB program, the Department of Secondary Education and Educational Leadership will allow accepted postbaccalaureate students to follow the undergraduate course sequence listed for the Secondary Education, BA , with the exception that the cognate course, PSYC 336 , is not a requirement. Contact the program coordinator for details and the College of Graduate Studies for application information.