Elementary Education

• Program Characteristics and Enrollment Limits
• Admission Requirements/Procedures
• Admission Decisions
• Program Costs
• School Placements
• Program Structure

Program Characteristics and Enrollment Limits

In accordance with Indiana law, following is information regarding the Purdue University Elementary Transition to Teaching (ET3) program. ET3 is a specialized program designed for individuals who have already earned a bachelor's degree and are interested in becoming elementary classroom teachers. This program is most appropriate for people who already have experience in preschool to grade six schools or other educational settings. The program consists of 24 credit hours of professional coursework that includes 6 credit hours of reading instruction. The focus of the program is on teaching methodology, theory-into-practice (TIP) experiences, and student teaching internship.

The applicant must commit to 16 months of continuous study in this full-time program.  During the initial fall semester and the spring semester, teacher candidates will spend time each week in a school and attend seminars and graduate classes.  Teacher candidates will complete experiences at both the lower and upper elementary grades. During the fourth semester, teacher candidates will complete a student teaching internship that also includes seminar sessions. If there is sufficient demand, cohorts will begin every two years.

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Admission Requirements/Procedures

An Elementary Transition to Teaching applicant must submit a Transition to Teaching Application (DOC), an application to the Graduate School (whether or not s/he intends to seek a graduate degree), and the following information and supporting documents to the College of Education Graduate Studies Office:

• Official transcript(s) indicating a bachelor's degree with a GPA of 3.0/4.0 OR a GPA of 2.5/4.0 and 5 years of related professional experiences with groups of preschool to grade six children, such as working as a teaching assistant, substitute teacher, and other experiences which will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis;
• Official transcripts indicating completion of content requirements in liberal arts, mathematics, social studies, and sciences at either the graduate or undergraduate level;
• Praxis I:  Pre-Professional Skills Tests at or above required state licensure scores;
• Proof of a substitute teaching permit (certificate) in the state of Indiana, which requires a limited criminal history report;
• Resume with supporting artifacts that indicate knowledge, dispositions, and performances according to the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC) principles and Indiana Department of Education developmental and content standards for teachers;
• Essay that outlines goals and reasons for pursuing a teaching career;
• Three letters of recommendation. At least one of these letters should support successful professional experience in preschool to grade six settings.

If the applicant also is pursuing a master's degree, any additional requirements for graduate admissions must be met for that degree. Applications are available through the College of Education Graduate Studies Office. The application deadline is April 15 before the starting fall semester.

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Admission Decisions

A faculty admissions committee will review and make decisions about entrance into the ET3 program by June 1 each year. New applicants will be admitted every second fall.

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Program Costs

Costs to complete the ET3 program include the following:

• Graduate School application fee.
• Standard university tuition and fees.
• Program fees to cover administrative and field experience costs. A fee of $1,000 is due at the time of acceptance in the TTT program, and $1,000 is due upon enrollment in the EDCI 694 Internship.

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School Placements

The Office of Field Experiences will place teacher candidates in appropriate school placements each semester. It is recommended that all teacher candidates obtain professional liability insurance through a professional organization or from a private insurer.

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Program Structure

ET3 is a four-semester program that can be taken independently or as a component of a master's program. Practica, seminars and some graduate level courses are offered in the day time, and some graduate courses are taken in the evening.

  
* Courses designated above may be considered for use on a plan of study for an advanced degree. In order to receive graduate credit for all six courses identified above, you must apply and be admitted to a master's degree program before beginning ET3 coursework.  No more than 12 credit hours taken while in postbaccalaureate (non-degree) status, teacher license (non-degree) status, or undergraduate excess credits, may be considered for use on a plan of study for an advanced degree if the course was a 50000- or 60000-level course and grade received was a B or better.
 
Please consult with your academic advisor and the Office of Graduate Studies for further details regarding applying to a Master's program. Additional application material and test scores may be required when applying to a Master's program. An additional $55.00 application fee will be required.

All Master's applications require an additional review process by a review committee which will make admission decisions. Admission into the TTT program does not guarantee admission into a Master's program.
 
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