The College of Education also offers the Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) major, which is a non-licensure major designed for students who do not want ot become traditional classroom teachers, but whose skills and interests involve working with children, adolescents, teens, and families. Read more about the HDFS major or speak with an advisor in the College of Education for more information.

When admitted to the University, you are a "pre-major." You apply to one of our teacher education programs after completing at least 30 credits in core and pre-major courses. Teacher Education Application Packet.

Drop by the College of Education Advisement Center, the William Raggio Building, room 2005; 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. We are happy to answer quick questions if an advisor is available. If your quick question actually needs a long answer, we will make an appointment for advising.

Call the Advisement Center for help finding your new advisor, 784-4684.

For secondary education majors, it is possible to receive a degree in a major from another college or department while simultaneously completing the Bachelors degree in education. Admission to the teacher education program is required to complete the upper division education courses for licensure. An internship semester, at the graduate level, is also required. 

Another option for those who have a degree outside of education is enrollment, at the graduate level, in a master's degree program or a professional licensure program.

You should meet with an advisor here at least one semester before you transfer. Please bring all of your transcripts When you apply to the University, your transcripts will be evaluated by Admissions and Records.  For more information on transferring, check out the Transfer Center website. You may also want to familiarize yourself with the document entitled "NSHE Transfer Rights and Responsibilities for Students and Institutions" website. The website is intended to inform students of their rights and responsibilities and affirm institutional responsibilities to students.

Students may take any of the core curriculum courses at Nevada community colleges (e.g. BIO 100, MATH 120, etc).  Also, many of the introductory education courses are offered at the community college level, such as those with EDU prefixes; EDU 201 (Intro to Elementary Education) and EDU 202 (Intro to Secondary Education). Complete transfer guides. 

Transfer students want to talk to their advisor as soon as possible to evaluate the classes they've already taken, decide which classes to take, and learn more about the College of Education. If you're planning on spending your first year or two at another college, come see us early so that we can help you make efficient plans.

If you come in each and every semester to plan your classes and talk about where you are in the program, we'll do our best to keep you on track. You won't be taking unnecessary classes, looking at old or outdated details, or relying on second hand information to plan your schedule.

We can help you decide on the best time to apply to the program. We'll go over the application process and make sure you don't miss important deadlines. Come in to see us well before you're thinking of applying. We can also tell you how and when to take the PPST or CBEST.

Come see us as soon as possible to talk about your options.

We'll go over it with you and make any necessary changes.

As you get closer to graduation, the more often you come to see us the better we'll be able to help make sure you get your diploma on time.

Advisement is provided by a full-time professional advisor (the Coordinator) and two half-time graduate assistants who are trained for their advisement role. You're not assigned an advisor, so you can pick who to see based on your schedule. Then, you have the choice of seeing the same advisor each time and developing a relationship, or seeing someone new each time to make sure we're all double checking your plans and progress.

We suggest that you see your advisor at least twice a year to be sure you are on track toward program completion. It is particularly helpful to check with our academic advisors as you prepare your applications for a) admission to the program, b) internship, and c) graduation. A record of each advising appointment will be kept in your file, which will follow you throughout your college career. 

Your questions, and your ideas/plans/concerns about the coming semester(s).

You are eligible to substitute teach when you have acquired 62 credits, with at least 6 credits coming from the loosely defined area of "education." Courses in education-related areas such as psychology, sociology, and human development count toward the 6 credit requirement. Visit the Advisement Center to pick up an application, visit the Washoe County School District or the Nevada Department of Education.

You may add an additional teaching major or minor before you graduate from the University, or you can take additional courses after graduation to meet the requirements for an additional endorsement on your teaching license. To see the requirements for additional endorsements, check the website of the Nevada Department of Education. 

You should consider what age of student most appeals to you (e.g. "big kids or little kids"). The elementary program requires a higher minimum GPA (3.00), has less room for electives, and you will receive training in a wide variety of subjects (Math, English, Social Studies, etc).  The secondary education program includes a specific emphasis on teaching one or two subjects (e.g. teaching major and/or minor).  Those wanting to teach middle school have the option of majoring in elementary education and taking enough courses in their chosen field to permit them to pass the Middle School PRAXIS as well as the Elementary School PRAXIS Exams. Please see an advisor if you are undecided regarding which route to take.

The PPST (Pre Professional Skills Test) is required by the State of Nevada for licensure, as well as a majority of states. The CBEST is required only by California and Oregon, and is also accepted by the State of Nevada in lieu of the PPST. Both the PPST and CBEST test on the subjects of Reading, Writing, and Mathematics. Passing scores are a requirement for admission into our teacher education program. The PPST is also called the Praxis I. You will take the Praxis II during your student teaching.

No. Undergraduate students are usually first admitted to the College of Education as pre-majors. During this period they don't need to declare their interest in any program in order to take the core, college, and introductory education courses. When they have made the decision to pursue a degree in education, formal admission to teacher education is required to enroll in upper-division courses and to graduate from our programs. Find out more about the admission process.

Refer to individual program manuals for specific admission criteria for each program. You may apply anytime you meet the following minimum requirements:

• Satisfactory GPA
• Minimum required credits completed
• Passing scores on the PPST or CBEST test.

Yes, the Independent Learning Program offers several classes that may apply to the different education programs. The classes are taught via the internet on a semester basis, they are taught via the internet for registration anytime during the year, and finally, traditional print based, open enrollment, courses are offered to serve students anytime, anywhere. For example, Math 122 and 123 (Teaching Math to Elementary Students) has been offered via traditional correspondence. For more information regarding scheduling and policies contact the Independent Learning Program directly at (775) 784-4658 or 1-800-233-8928.