Post-baccalaureate Program Leading to an Initial Teaching License
Westfield State University has a history and abiding commitment of preparing educators who serve the educational needs of prekindergarten through secondary school students in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The shared vision of Westfield’s education programs is articulated as “Educators as Leaders Building Learning Communities.” Themes that support this vision are community building, reflective practice, diversity, and social justice.
Westfield is fully accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), and all licensure programs are approved by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Post-baccalaureate programs leading to teaching licensure are offered through the Department of Graduate and Continuing Education, and are designed for individuals holding a baccalaureate degree who wish to obtain an initial teaching license, without obtaining an additional degree. Post-baccalaureate initial licensure programs are offered in
Biology 8-12, Initial Post-baccalaureate Licensure
Early Childhood PreK-2, Initial, Post-baccalaureate Licensure
Elementary 1-6, Initial, Post-baccalaureate Licensure
English 5-8, 8-12, Initial, Post-baccalaureate Licensure
General Science, 5-8, Initial, Post-Baccalaureate Licensure *
History 5-8*, 8-12, Initial, Post-baccalaureate Licensure
Mathematics 5-8 or 8-12, Initial, Post-baccalaureate Licensure
Moderate Disabilities PreK-8, Initial, Post-baccalaureate Licensure
Moderate Disabilities 5-12, Initial, Post-baccalaureate Licensure
Music Education, All Levels, Initial, Post-baccalaureate Licensure
Physical Education PreK-8 and 5-12, Initial, Post-baccalureate Licensure
Visual Arts Education, Initial PreK-8 or 5-12, Post-baccalaureate Licensure *
*Programs marked with an asterisk are not accepting new candidates as of spring 2016.
Applicants may be required to take additional courses and/or document professional experiences in the cognate area of the license, in addition to the pedagogical and professional courses required for licensure. See Programs of Study for individual programs.
Students who satisfactorily complete program requirements leading to a teaching license are recommended for licensure to the Massachusetts Department of Education. Program requirements include completion of all coursework, passage of Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTELs) and completion of a practicum experience.
Program Description
The post-baccalaureate General Science 5-8, Initial licensure program leads to initial licensure to teach middle school general science, but does not confer a degree. Applicants to this program must have:
- a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college of university with a GPA of 2.6 or greater;
- passed the MTEL Communications and Literacy test; and
a 2.7 GPA in undergraduate English courses, including English Composition I & 2 or equivalent.
A. Prerequisite coursework or experience
Content knowledge in the following areas must be documented in the student’s undergraduate academic record. Any gaps in coverage must be fulfilled as determined by the student’s graduate advisor. Courses referenced below are from the Westfield undergraduate program, but equivalent coursework from another institution will be accepted.
General curriculum coursework meeting subject matter outcomes:
- BIOL 0128 Introduction to Organismal, Ecological, and Evolutionary Biology
- BIOL 0129 Introduction to Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology
- GARP 0230 Meteorology
- MATH 0104 Pre-Calculus
- GEOL 0101 Physical Geology with Lab
- GEOL 0106 Historical Geology
- ASTR 0101 Astronomy
- CHEM 0109 General Chemistry I and Lab
- CHEM 0111 General Chemistry II and Lab
- PHSC 0115 General Physics I and Lab
- PHSC 0117 General Physics II and Lab
- GNSC 0239 Current Topics in Science Seminar
- GNSC 0330 Science, Technology and Society
- GNSC 0383 Senior Seminar in General Science
- Two additional courses at the 200-level or above in biology or physical science, with at least one from PHYS (PHYS 0347 and/or PHYS 0349 strongly recommended)
Additional Requirements
A 30-hour diversity experience is required before or during practicum.
Students must pass the required MTEL subject matter test (General Science) and have a GPA of 2.8 for admission to practicum.
Practicum placements are generally within a 30-mile radius of the university unless otherwise specified and approved.
