Teacher Education Program (TEP)
Admission to the College does not assure admission to programs in teacher education. Formal application to teacher education programs should be made by November 15 or April 15 of the sophomore year. Application forms may be secured from the office of the Department of Education. Transfer students who enter after the sophomore year should make application by the end of their first semester at Blue Mountain College.
Requirements for Admission to the TEP
- Minimum of 44 semester hours of core curriculum credit.
- Cumulative GPA of 2.75 or above on pre-major course work of the institution’s approved teacher education program (required to be compliant with Mississippi Senate Bill 2188).
- Satisfactory scores on the ACT (Composite=21 or equivalent SAT score) OR satisfactory scores on the Praxis CORE (Core Academic Skills for Educators):
Reading=156; Writing=162; Mathematics=150.
(Minimum scores established by the Mississippi State Department of Education.)
- All scores on file in the Office of the Registrar and the Department of Education prior to the beginning of the semester in which the student expects to be admitted to the TEP.
At the end of the term in which the student applies for admission to the Teacher Education Program, applications are reviewed and the student is notified of the action taken. Admission may be approved or denied based on the requirements listed. Prior to formal admission to teacher education, students are limited in the number of education courses in which they may enroll.
Elementary Education (K-3-K-6) majors may take the following education courses prior to admission: ED 216, ED 217, ED 280, ED 340, ED 350, ED 364, ED 372, ED 400, ED 401, ED 424, and PY 260.
Secondary Education (7-12) majors and K-12 music, physical education, and Spanish majors may take the following education courses prior to admission: ED 216, ED 217, ED 350 (Physical Education majors need to take PE 412 instead), ED 400, ED 401, and PY 260.
Continuation in the TEP: Students must maintain a minimum 2.75 grade point average in all course work.
Admission to the Internship
- Meet all requirements for admission to TEP.
- Take Praxis Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT) and Subject Assessment prior to admission. Elementary Education majors must also take the Foundations of Reading test. If passing scores are not met, the student will enter into a “contract” stating what will be done in an effort to raise the scores(s). This contract must be approved by the Dean of the Department of Education and, for Secondary Education majors, by the department chair over major discipline.
- Attain a cumulative grade point average of 2.75, excluding repeated courses, AND a grade point average of 2.75 in the major at BMC, excluding repeated courses.
- Make formal application during the second week of the term preceding the term in which enrollment will be sought.
- Make formal application for the internship licensure with the Mississippi Department of Education during the second week of the term preceding the term in which enrollment will be sought. A notification from the Registrar will be sent to the student when the recommendation for internship licensure has been made and the application should be submitted.
- Order a Certified Background Check and be approved.
Blue Mountain College reserves the right to assign a student to a placement within a radius of 50 miles of the campus. Consideration will be given to students requesting a placement outside the 50-mile radius if extenuating circumstances exist. However, students placed outside a radius of 50 miles will be assessed an additional fee. No course work may be taken during the semester of Internship without permission.
Field Experience Hours. To ensure that candidates have had adequate practical experiences in school settings, the following structured field experience hours are included in education courses prior to participation in the Teacher Internship semester:
| A. Elementary Education |
160 hrs |
| B. Secondary Education |
100 hrs |
| C. Spanish Education K-12 |
100 hrs |
| D. Physical Education K-12 |
100 hrs |
| E. Music Education K-12 |
130 hrs |
| F. Instrumental Music K-12 |
130 hrs |