Admissions Information

Admission Requirements

Admission to the Professional Program in Secondary English Education is possible twice a year: the first application deadline is September 10, and the second is February 10. You will be notified about your admission decision before course registration for the following semester opens.

Note that you must gain admission to the program during the semester before you intend to begin taking any of your initial upper-level pedagogy-specific courses. Those courses include ENG 402, 406, 407, and 408, as well as EDTE 316 and SPED 315 and all other courses listed on the bottom right of the curriculum sheet for the program. Please consult your program of study and your advisor to plan accordingly.

Admission to any professional program for Teacher Certification at Central stipulates the following criteria

1. Completion of at least 45 credits, 15 of which have been earned at Central for secondary and all-level programs. Graduates of Connecticut community colleges may have this requirement waived; contact the Office of the Dean of Education for details.
2. A minimum of 2.70 cumulative GPA at Central and a minimum 2.70 cumulative GPA including all undergraduate coursework taken at all institutions (including Central). Students may appeal for a waiver of the GPA requirement based on demonstrated academic ability and intervening life experience. Some programs have additional GPA requirements, including English, which are listed below.
   NOTE: Due to pending modifications in Connecticut state teacher certification requirements, the GPA requirement for teacher certification is subject to change. Although it is ultimately the student’s responsibility to be aware of Professional Program requirements, the School of Education will do their best to notify students of any future modifications to the program.
3. Documentation of completion of state-required basic skills testing in reading, writing, and math through submission of scores on the SAT, ACT, or Praxis Core Academic Skills Test or an official waiver letter based on the GRE or PAA. Get further details about the basic skills testing requirement, and contact the School of Education Undergraduate Student Services Center if you have further questions about basic skills testing.
4. Competence in writing as evidenced by an essay demonstrating a command of the English language, describing why you want to teach and enroll in the professional program and emphasizing experiences relevant to teaching. A successful interview demonstrating an acceptable standard of knowledge, skills, and professional dispositions important to effective teaching performance.
5. Satisfactory completion of or, in some cases, enrollment in, prerequisite courses and additional departmental requirements.

Specific Requirements For Admission To The Professional Program In Secondary English Education:

• A minimum GPA of 3.00 in all ENG and LING courses.
• Successful completion of LING 200, ENG 203 or 204, ENG 205, ENG 210, ENG 211, ENG 220, and ENG 298. Students may be enrolled in 1 course at time of application, but it must be completed satisfactorily before full admission. Students who achieve lower than a grade of "B" in any of these prerequisite classes are better positioned for successful admission if they repeat them ahead of applying for the program to strengthen their knowledge and skills.
• Two letters of recommendation. At least one must come from a Central English faculty member and must speak to the candidate's ability to understand and articulate responses to challenging literary works and their ability to write thoughtfully and clearly. Candidates who are ready to apply to the program before completing a full semester of study at Central may petition the Program Coordinator for permission to substitute a letter from an instructor of English at another college or university. Because the application deadline for the professional program is early in each semester, we suggest you respect the time it takes for your recommenders to write on your behalf and query them several weeks, if not months, prior to your deadline.
• Successful completion of an interview with designated English faculty. In the case of English Education, the interview is the final stage of your admission process, and it focuses on your English content knowledge, your discipline-specific skills and processes, and your ability to converse about them clearly and thoughtfully. A department contact person will reach out to you to schedule your interview once your application package is complete and reviewed favorably by the School of Education and the Coordinator of the Professional Program in Secondary English Education. You can read more about the interview on our FAQ page.

Application Package Submission Info and Checklist

All certification program applications must be submitted through the School of Education. You can find logistics information on their Teacher Preparation page. The application period is open for at least several weeks prior to both the September 10th deadline and February 10th deadline. You must submit the following:

1. Application form, located in the application interface.
2. 2.    Documentation of completion of state-required basic skills testing in reading, writing, and math through submission of scores on the SAT, ACT, or Praxis Core Academic Skills Test or an official waiver letter based on the GRE or PAA. Get more details on how to meet this requirement. Documentation of scores includes credible evidence of the basic skills test(s) taken, the testing date(s), and the scores earned. We will accept any combination of the following forms of evidence: 
   • official test score report(s) showing test, score(s) earned, and date of testing;
   • a WebCentral printout showing SAT or ACT scores and test date; or
   • a copy of the high school transcript showing SAT or ACT scores and test date.
3. Two letters of reference from those who can best assess your potential as a teacher. As stated above, at least one must come from a Central English faculty member and must speak to the candidate's ability to understand and articulate responses to challenging literary works and their ability to write thoughtfully and clearly. Candidates who are ready to apply to the program before completing a full semester of study at Central may petition the Program Coordinator for permission to substitute a letter from an instructor of English at another college or university. Letters of recommendation are to be submitted by you with your application package, so your letter writers should provide you a copy.
4. An official transcript from Central and every other college/university previously attended. Transcripts should be obtained directly from the college/university previously attended. Official transcripts marked “Issued to Student” are acceptable. When possible, it is best to request e-transcripts. You will upload these transcripts yourself.
5. An essay, demonstrating a command of the English language, describing the reasons for wanting to teach and enroll in the Professional Program. Be specific about your intentions to teach English Language Arts.
6. Graduate/Post-Baccalaureate Students Only: Copy of the Graduate Studies admission letter.

Note: We recommend that transcript requests and waiver/ testing requirements be done well before the application deadline to allow time for processing. Electronic transcripts are best; please make sure the transcript goes to you rather than Central since you will need to upload them into the application interface yourself.

Other options for certification in Secondary English/Language Arts

There are alternative routes to the English/Language Arts classroom aside from undergraduate studies for certification, most notably a B.A. followed by our Post-Baccalaureate Certification Program or a Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) degree, both of which are offered at Central. We also have an allied program with our Master of Arts in English that allows Post-Baccalaureate Certification Program students to count some of their English Education courses into the MA track for English teachers and complete a significant portion of their MA studies as they prepare for certification. Please contact the Coordinator of the Professional Program in Secondary English Education for further information about any of these routes.