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Graduate/Non-Degree

• Pre-Admission Phase
  • Evaluation of Prior Coursework
  • Enrollment to Complete Content Area Coursework and/or Prerequisite Coursework
  • Advising for Pre-Admission
  • Advising Individuals Seeking Alternative Licensure
• Admission Phase
  • Online Graduate Application Process
  • Barriers and Roadblocks for the Admission Phase
• Program Phase
  • Advising
  • Plans of Study
  • Exceptions to Student Teaching
  • Applying for Graduation (for initial licensure programs resulting in a degree)
  • Barriers and Roadblocks for the Program Phase
• Program Completer Phase

Graduate/Non-Degree

Pre-Admission Phase

The College of Education, Health and Human Services offers a graduate pathway for degree holders, outside the field of education, to seek initial teacher licensure in the State of Ohio.  These programs are specific to license type with each licensure program having their own program format (degree, non-degree/licensure only), application requirements, admission review deadline, and required coursework. For those candidates who are uncertain of the age level/subject area/student population they wish to teach, it is recommended that they first explore teacher licensure through job shadowing and/or substitute teaching prior to initiating a teacher licensure program.

Evaluation of Prior Coursework 

We highly recommend that prospective graduate initial teacher licensure candidates request an evaluation of prior coursework before submitting an official graduate application for admission. This is done to pre-determine program eligibility for admission review (cumulative GPA and prerequisite coursework). Several initial teacher licensure programs require completion of content area (subject the candidate wishes to teach) coursework and/or prerequisite coursework at the undergraduate level prior to admission to the graduate teacher licensure program. 

Note: The exception to this is the Graduate Non-Degree Special Education Licensure Preparatory programs. These programs typically do not require an evaluation of prior coursework nor any undergraduate content area coursework and/or prerequisite coursework. Candidates for these programs can directly apply for graduate admission provided they meet the admission requirements to the program. 

Please keep in mind that non-completion of the required content coursework and/or prerequisite coursework can result in denial to admission to a graduate teacher licensure program.

To request an evaluation of prior coursework, please email transcripts (of all institutions attended) and indicate licensure area/program of choice to the Graduate Academic Advisor in the EHHS Office of Graduate Student Services (ogs@kent.edu). Please be aware that due to the high demand of transcript evaluation requests for teacher licensure programs, it can take 2-3 weeks to complete/return an evaluation upon receipt of transcripts.

Enrollment to Complete Content Area Coursework and/or Prerequisite Coursework

To enroll at 51���� to complete required undergraduate content coursework and/or prerequisite coursework, candidates to graduate teacher licensure programs must apply for admission as a “post-undergraduate non-degree” student or as an “undergraduate guest” student through the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.  Post-undergraduate non-degree candidates are required to submit official transcripts and an application fee but are potentially eligible for financial aid. Undergraduate Guest students are limited to a maximum of 18 undergraduate credit hours and not required to submit official transcripts nor an application fee for admission, however; students under this admission status are not eligible for any financial aid.

Advising for Pre-Admission 

It is recommended that candidates working on undergraduate content coursework and/or prerequisite coursework for a graduate teacher licensure program meet or communicate regularly with the Graduate Academic Advisor in the EHHS Office of Graduate Student Services to monitor content course progress, GPA, and to discuss application deadlines and the formal admission process to the chosen teacher licensure program. 

A minimum grade of “C” or better is required in each content area course applied (Secondary MAT and Graduate Non-Degree Middle Childhood Initial Licensure Preparatory program) and a minimum content area GPA of 2.6 (Secondary MAT) is required for admission to the teacher licensure program and for licensure in the State of Ohio. 

In addition, any teacher licensure candidate interested in taking content coursework/prerequisite at another fully accredited institution must seek pre-approval of coursework from the Graduate Academic Advisor in the EHHS Office of Graduate Student Services to ensure course equivalency and/or applicability to the chosen content area.

Advising Individuals Seeking Alternative Licensure 

The College of Education, Health and Human Services does not provide advising guidance for alternative licensure programs. Although ODE may refer candidates “to a University” to find coursework for your program, we (the Universities) are not the ones recommending you for the alternative licensure (SBOE is the recommending agency) and thus have no control over what SBOE will or will not accept as appropriate coursework for alternative licensure. Because of this, and our need to devote our resources to students enrolled in our State-approved licensure programs, KSU will not be able to provide advising guidance nor be able to assist alternative licensure candidates with selecting coursework. 

Alternative licensure candidates are welcome to take coursework at 51����. However, these candidates are responsible for researching the University catalog and the Schedule of Classes to determine what courses are being offered and what coursework might match the needs for ODEW. Please be aware that many education courses are restricted to those enrolled in KSU teacher licensure programs. It would be the responsibility of the alternative licensure candidate to navigate this. Many programs have selective admissions for the advanced coursework.

Our programs of study are designed so that our teacher candidates are extremely well prepared to lead a classroom. Our initial licensure programs are rigorous and robust – including but not limited to multiple courses on how to teach, understanding students in the age range of the license, content as appropriate to the license, early field hours, and student teaching.

Admission Phase 

Graduate admission to all teacher licensure programs in the College of Education, Health and Human Services is selective and all applicants are evaluated based upon both past academic performance and potential for continued achievement. Applications are reviewed holistically and both academic and non-academic dimensions are assessed. All graduate applicants, including teacher licensure candidates, are required to have a minimum cumulative GPA (total undergraduate GPA) of 3.0 to be considered for unconditional admission. In addition, graduate teacher licensure programs assess candidates through written communication skills, recommendations from faculty and/or colleagues, relevant work experience, grades in content coursework/prerequisite coursework (if applicable) and in some instances, an in-person interview.

Program-Wide Graduate Teacher Licensure Minimum Admission Requirements: 

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university for unconditional admission
• Minimum 3.000 undergraduate GPA on a 4.000 point scale for unconditional admission
• Official transcript(s) from all institutions in which 8 or more semester hours were attempted
• Statement of Professional Goals or Admission Essay explaining desire to teach
• Questions in Anticipation of Licensure form
• Two letters of recommendation

Please consult the for additional program-specific admission requirements.  Program-specific application deadlines can be found on each program website.

Online Graduate Application Process

The graduate admission process is handled completely online. All graduate applications are processed by the Division of Graduate Studies, 51����’s centralized graduate admission office:

Cartwright Hall
650 Hilltop Drive
51����
Kent, OH 44242
Phone: 330-672-2661 | Toll Free: 855-277-6952
Fax: 330-672-6262 | Email: gradapps@kent.edu

Applications and all required admission documents should be completed and submitted at least 6-8 weeks prior to the program deadline to allow Graduate Studies adequate time to process the application and required documents. Please keep in mind that application files will NOT be forwarded to the College of Education, Health and Human Services for review until all outstanding application requirements have been completed and processed.

Barriers and Roadblocks for the Admission Phase

Conditional Admission 

Some graduate teacher licensure programs may consider candidates for “conditional admission” with cumulative GPA (total undergraduate GPA) of 2.75-2.99 if the rest of the application is strong, including an upward progression of academic performance on most recent transcripts. Conditional admission candidates are required to complete the first 9 hours of graduate coursework with grades of “B” or better in order to remove the conditions of admission for continuation in the program.

Non-Completion of Content Area and/or Prerequisite Coursework (if applicable) 

Applicants to graduate teacher licensure programs may be denied admission due to noncompletion of content area coursework and/or prerequisite coursework.  All required undergraduate content area coursework and/or prerequisite coursework (as determined by an evaluation completed by the Graduate Academic Advisor in the EHHS Office of Graduate Student Services) must be completed no later than term prior to the program start date.  Applicants may be in-progress with final content area coursework at the time of the application deadline.  The only exception to this rule is the Master of Arts in Teaching 2-year program.  Applicants with 30 or fewer hours remaining in their chosen content area are eligible for admission review to the MAT 2-year program. If formally admitted, these students can “carry in” any remaining undergraduate content hours into the MAT program, however, they are subject to graduate tuition rates for all coursework.

Content Area Coursework Grade Requirements and Content Area GPA (if applicable) 

A minimum grade of “C” or better is required in all applied content area coursework.  In addition, a minimum content area GPA of 2.6 is required of candidates of the Master of Arts in Teaching-Secondary Education program.  Please keep in mind that failure to meet this threshold may result in admission denial to the program.

Program Phase

Advising

The relationship between graduate students and their advisors is an important factor in graduate student success. The advisor provides academic and professional guidance to graduate students throughout their program of study.  

Once formally admitted to a graduate teacher licensure program, students will be assigned a faculty advisor who will inform them of program requirements during the first academic year of enrollment in graduate study. Faculty advisors acquaint students with the requirements and regulations guiding their program and help in developing a student’s Plan of Study (prospectus). 

The Graduate Academic Advisor in the EHHS Office of Graduate Student Services is a professional advisor but not a faculty advisor.  The role of the Graduate Academic Advisor is as follows: to assist candidates with exploration of EHHS teacher licensure program options; evaluate prior coursework and GPA to determine a candidate’s eligibility for a teacher licensure program; advise candidates on content coursework and/or prerequisite coursework (if applicable); inform candidates of program application deadlines, admission requirements and assist in the navigation of the online graduate admission process.  Once formally admitted to a graduate teacher licensure program, students should then meet regularly with the assigned faculty advisor (especially the term prior to the student teaching experience) until completion of the teacher education program.

Plans of Study

Once formally admitted to an EHHS degree program or EHHS non-degree licensure program, it will be your responsibility to make an appointment with your assigned faculty advisor to prepare a Plan of Study (prospectus) to be filed with the EHHS Office of Graduate Student Services, Room 418 White Hall, by the end of the second enrolled semester. Students will be blocked from course registration for the third semester after admittance (including summer) until this requirement is met. The Plan of Study document is available through the program area. If revisions are made to the Plan of Study after submission, it is advised that the student/faculty advisor submit a NEW Plan of Study to the EHHS Office of Graduate Student Services through the Plan of Study upload links available on the OGS Forms page (the student must initiate the request). The semester in which you plan to graduate or complete your licensure/endorsement program, your Plan of Study will be audited against your student transcript to clear you for graduation or program completion.

Exceptions to Student Teaching

To participate in the Student Teaching experience, you must have met all the program requirements in order to be fully eligible. This includes having a minimum graduate degree/licensure program GPA of 3.00 and having met the content GPA as required by individual programs (if applicable). Furthermore, you must have completed all required courses and have received a rating of “acceptable” on all program disposition assessments.  In rare circumstances, exceptions may be made with the approval of the Director of Education Preparation in the College of EHHS. Each program has identified these rare circumstances so please refer to your Program Coordinator for specific information on these exceptions. It is important to note that the Director of Educator Preparation will not approve any exception requests for taking more than one course during the student teaching semester or more than 2 courses after the student teaching semester. Students seeking approval for an exception must complete the appropriate Exceptions to Student Teaching Form (see Appendix G) and abide by the following:

1. We ask that you meet with your faculty advisor to review graduation and student teaching requirements. The faculty advisor or your professional advisor will provide you with a link to the ‘Exceptions to Student Teaching’ form. The advisor will review the directions of this process. On the electronic form, the faculty advisor will include comments and indicate whether they support the request for an exception to student teach on the Exceptions to Student Teaching Form.
2. The Director of Educator Preparation will review the request, make the final decision to accept or reject the request, and notify you, the faculty advisor, the professional advisor, and the Assistant Director of Clinical Experiences of the final decision.
3. The completed Exceptions to Student Teaching into your file in the Office of Graduate Student Services, 418 White Hall.

Refer to the Student Teaching Phase section for information on student teaching placements, overseas student teaching, on-the-job student teaching placements, professional conduct and expected behaviors, student teaching performance evaluations, and modules.

Applying for Graduation (for initial licensure programs resulting in a degree)

Students applying for graduation should complete the online graduation application available through FlashLine by published deadlines. 

To access the online graduation application: 

1. Log into , then click on the Student / Resources / Graduation.
2. Review and acknowledge the Important Information Concerning Your Graduation Application page. 
3. Select and submit your curriculum.
4. Select and submit your graduation term.
5. Review your information for accuracy and submit your request.
6. Print the Graduation Application Acknowledgment page for your records.
7. View submitted graduation applications by clicking on the link at the bottom of your acknowledgment page or from the link on the Student Category/Resources Page/Graduation Section.
8. Once the information has been submitted, it will be reviewed and acted on appropriately by the Office of Graduate Student Services, 418 White Hall.
9. Any questions about applying for graduation should be referred to the Office of Graduate Student Services, 418 White Hall. 

Barriers and Roadblocks for the Program Phase

Degree/Licensure Program GPA 

As a graduate student, you will be expected to maintain a minimum 3.00 grade point average (GPA); please keep in mind that falling below this threshold could subject you to dismissal from the program.  Any graduate student who receives more than 8 credit hours of grades lower than B (3.00) or who receives more than 4 credit hours of grades lower than C (2.00) is subject to dismissal. Please note that courses taken for satisfactory/unsatisfactory (S/U) grades are counted toward completion of degree requirements. Grades of S (satisfactory) are awarded credit hours, but do not affect the GPA. Grades of U (unsatisfactory) are recorded as attempted hours and are counted as F (0.00) grades in computing GPA. Grades below C (2.00) are not counted toward completion of requirements for any advanced degree but are counted in computing GPA. Courses taken for audit (AU) are not counted toward fulfilling minimum degree requirements, and do not affect GPA. Grades of IN (Incomplete), IP (In Progress) and W (Withdrawal) are not used in computing GPA. Undergraduate course credits are not counted toward completion of any advanced degree.

GPA for Student Teaching 

Before being approved for student teaching, you must have a 3.00 cumulative GPA and a 2.60 major/content GPA (where applicable) that is required for graduation/program completion as listed in the catalog. If you do not meet the minimum GPA for student teaching, you will be required to retake courses and reapply for students teaching for the next semester in which student teaching is offered for that program.

Incomplete Requirements Before Student Teaching 

Unfortunately, you will not be permitted to student teach until you have completed all required courses for your program except for ADED 68198: Research in Secondary Education (MAT students), and Inquiry Seminar. It is your responsibility to meet with your assigned faculty advisor the semester prior to student teaching to ensure that all program requirements have been satisfied or in-progress. 

If you are missing requirements, you will have your student teaching placement on hold and will not be permitted to student teach until the missing requirement(s) has been resolved and addressed. If the remaining requirements are not completed prior to student teaching, you will need to delay student teaching until the following semester. If who wish to have an exception granted to be allowed to student teach with missing requirements, you will need to submit a petition for exception to this policy called an ‘Exception to Student Teaching’ after meeting with your faculty advisor. Note that approval of these exceptions is extremely rare and only granted for extenuating circumstances.

Professional Dispositions for Teacher Candidates  

You must have satisfactory disposition assessments on file to pass Student Teaching. If at some point you were required to complete a Professional Development Plan (PDP), you must have this resolved and signed before you are able to pass Student Teaching, graduate, and apply for a license.

Incomplete Student Teaching 

On rare occasions, students who start a student teaching placement are unable to complete student teaching. There are a variety of reasons for this and can range from medical or personal circumstances to performance in student teaching. Each situation is reviewed and evaluated on a case by case basis and there is the potential for a variety of outcomes.  

In Progress (IP) 

University policy on IP Grades: The mark In Progress (IP) may be given to students to indicate that work is in progress toward a thesis, dissertation, research, individual investigation or a similar effort that requires additional time beyond a semester. A grade will be given when the work is completed. The IP mark can be utilized only in designated courses and remains a terminal mark if the student does not complete the requirements for the course. For courses required for a degree or certificate, a grade must be given before the credential may be granted. The IP mark is not counted in grade point averages. An IP is granted when the student needs additional time to complete the requirements for a course but has otherwise been making progress toward completion and is in good standing in the course. Assignment of this grade is at the discretion of the instructor of the course and is not guaranteed. If an IP grade is submitted, the student will need to complete the remaining requirement in a subsequent term before a grade and credit can be earned.

Withdrawal 

University policy on W grades: The mark W (Withdrawal) denotes that the student has withdrawn from the university or from any individual course without evaluation. The W mark is not counted in grade point averages.

A student may elect to withdraw from Student Teaching if they are within the withdraw period. In this case, a student will not earn a grade or credit for Student Teaching. If approved, the student will need to register and pay for student teaching the second time. The decision to withdraw within the timeline allowed is up to the student but communication with the instructor is critical. The student should talk with their faculty advisor about the potential for returning in the future to retake student teaching. Students may also want to consider Professional Studies or another degree.

Failing Grade in Student Teaching 

An instructor may assign a grade in student teaching of F (as well as SF, and NF) indicating that student teaching was not successfully completed. The F grade counts into the major and cumulative GPA. A student who fails student teaching is not able to graduate with a degree program in teacher education. Students should communicate with their instructor and faculty advisor to see whether the possibility of returning in a subsequent semester for student teaching is possible. If approved, the student will need to register and pay for student teaching the second time.

Program Completer Phase 

Refer to the Program Completer Phase section for information on applying for licensure, assessments required for licensure, letters of completion, student surveys, and out of state verification.

Last updated July 23, 2025