The College of Education and Professional Studies offers Alternative Class A Programs for students who completed a non-teaching degree or for students who want to change teaching fields. Completion of the Alternative Class A program leads to the Master’s degree and recommendation for Master’s-level Alabama Class A professional educator certification.
Application Deadlines
Applications for this program are accepted throughout the year in fall, spring, and summer.
Application Materials Required for the Alternative Class A MSE in Early Childhood Education P-3
Applicants for a master’s degree education program must submit all of the following documentation to Graduate Admissions to be considered for admission:
Graduate Admissions
Jacksonville State University
700 Pelham Road North
Jacksonville, Alabama, 36265-1602
- Completed JSU Graduate Application for Admission.
- Non-refundable $35.00 application processing fee.
- Official transcripts from the baccalaureate degree awarding institution and all transcripts from institutions where post-baccalaureate work has been completed. To be considered for admission, applicants must hold a degree from a institutionally accredited institution or its foreign equivalent. (Students who have previously attended JSU do not need to request a transcript from the university.)
Applicants must hold a 2.00 GPA1 on the most recent undergraduate degree or a 3.00 GPA on the most recent master’s degree. This GPA must be documented on the official transcript of the degree-granting regionally accredited institution and must be the GPA that was used as the basis for granting the degree. - If a degree was earned outside the United States, the student must provide a course-by-course and credit hour-by-credit hour degree evaluation prepared by a state-approved agency:
- Center for Applied Research, Evaluation and Education, Inc.
- Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc.
- International Consultants of Delaware
- International Education Evaluations, Inc.
- International Education Research Foundation, Inc.
- Josef Silny and Associates, Inc.
- World Education Services
- Please see the ALSDE website for full details.
- International student applicants must see the International Student Applicants section of this catalog for other application and enrollment requirements.
- Alternative Class A Transcript Evaluation. Once transcripts have been received, applicants must contact Teacher Education Services at (256) 782-5504 for an individual evaluation concerning undergraduate course deficiencies and teacher education program eligibility requirements prior to registration for coursework.
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Applicants with below a 2.50 GPA will have additional requirements that will be assessed at the Alternative Class A Transcript Evaluation.
Admission Requirements for the Alternative Class A MSE in Early Childhood Education P-3
Applicants are admitted on a selective basis upon review of the completed application package.
Admission to graduate studies is not equivalent to unconditional admission to an approved teacher education program. Graduate candidates in the Early Childhood Alternative-A teacher education programs may take up to two courses, or 6 hours, prior to meeting all criteria for unconditional admission to the program. Teacher Education Program eligibility requirements must be completed prior to unconditional admission to the Teacher Education Program. Requirements for unconditional admission to the Early Childhood Alternative-A program include:
- Completion of ED 5101 Introduction to Graduate Teacher Education (3), with a grade of C or higher (this course is one of the two courses candidates can complete prior to unconditional admission).
- Posting of a clear background check through the ALSDE Teacher Certification website that indicates the candidate is suitable to teach under Alabama is suitable to teach under state law.
- If required to meet undergraduate course deficiencies: Passing scores on all aspects of the Elementary Education Multiple-subjects Praxis exam (#5901). If taken separately, passing scores on each of the following Praxis subtest exams required to eliminate undergraduate course deficiencies: Mathematics subtest (#5903), Social Studies subtest (#5904), and Science subtest (#5905).
The full list of requirements for unconditional admission to the Early Childhood Alternative-A teacher education program, can be found at:
Minimum Requirements for the Alternative Class A MSE in Early Childhood Education P-3
An overall 3.00 GPA is required on all coursework attempted for the master’s degree. Transfer credit cannot be used to raise the GPA to the required 3.00.
Students pursuing the Master of Science in Education degree may not count graduate courses below 5100 level toward the degree. All coursework for the Master of Science in Education must be taken at the 5100-level or higher.
Students not enrolled for a one year period must receive department head approval before continuing coursework in the program and be re-evaluated by Teacher Education Services.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Requirements | ||
| ED 5101 | Introduction to Graduate Teacher Education | 3 |
| RDG 5520 | Teaching Reading | 3 |
| RDG 5540 | Early Literacy | 3 |
| RDG 5546 | Multicultural Literature | 3 |
| RDG 5547 | Diagnosing Reading Abilities | 3 |
| RDG 5840 | Practicum in Teaching Reading | 3 |
| ED 5900 | Reflective Practices in Education | 3 |
| ED 5950 | Internship in Education 1 | 3 |
| Teaching Field Requirements | ||
| ECE 5500 | Materials and Methods | 3 |
| ECE 5501 | Behavior and Development in Early Childhood | 3 |
| ECE 5507 | Assessment in Early Childhood Education | 3 |
| EED 5509 | Advanced Twenty-First Century Teaching and Learning | 3 |
| EED 5511 | Mathematics for Children | 3 |
| EED 5512 | Science for Children | 3 |
| EED 5513 | Curriculum Integration in Teaching Social Studies | 3 |
| EED 5530 | Methods for Language and Literacy Development | 3 |
| Diversity Requirements | ||
| SPE 5100 | Survey Course in Special Education 2 | 3 |
| Total Hours | 51 | |
51 Graduate Semester Hours Required for this Degree.
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ED 5950 Internship in Education (3) is equivalent to undergraduate student teaching and requires a semester long internship in the public schools. This must be scheduled during the last semester of coursework.
- 2
SPE 5100 Survey Course in Special Education (3) is required unless SPE 300 Survey of Exceptional Children and Youth (3) has already been taken. This course may not be older than 10 years unless the candidate has teaching experience within the last five years, or the course was used for prior certification. If the course is older than 10 years and the candidate does not have prior-level certification, the EPP must provide experience documentation (EXP) to support the candidate's use of this course. If a student has already met this requirement, they will need to take an advisor approved graduate level elective.
Undergraduate Requirements1,2
- 6 hours of Laboratory Science
- 6 hours of English/Language Arts
- 6 hours of Social/Behavioral Sciences
- 6 hours of Math
- 1
Or pass the appropriate Praxis Subject Assessment.
- 2
If a candidate is deficient in the area of English Language Arts, undergraduate coursework must be taken to cancel any deficiencies.
51-99 Total Undergraduate and Graduate Semester Hours Required for this Degree
Graduation and Comprehensive Exam
No comprehensive exam is required for this degree. All students must apply for graduation by the given deadline of the semester in which they plan to graduate. Please see the Graduation and Comprehensive Exam section of this catalog for more information.
Completion of this program and all state required testing leads to eligibility for Master’s-level professional educator certification in Early Childhood Education P-3.
Please Note: Teacher education programs are approved by the Alabama State Board of Education and are, therefore, subject to periodic revision resulting from changes in State certification requirements. Subsequently, modifications in students’ programs may become necessary. Students in all graduate level teacher education programs must schedule their coursework each semester with approval of their faculty advisors. Successful completion of this program includes meeting all requirements including earning a passing score on the edTPA portfolio during the internship semester. Upon completion of this program and any state-required Praxis Subject Assessments, a student will be eligible to apply for the Master's Level Professional Certificate which provides teacher certification for early childhood education (P-3). Teacher Education Programs may be altered to meet changes in Federal and Alabama State Department of Education regulations.
Alabama Class A Professional Educator Certification Requirements
Issuance of Alabama professional educator certificates is the legal responsibility of the Alabama State Department of Education. Universities cannot issue a professional certificate. To be eligible to apply for certification, a student must complete an appropriate program of study at a college or university which has been approved by the State Board of Education to offer a program leading to the desired certificate. When a student completes the program of study, the institution recommends to the State Department of Education that the appropriate certificate be issued.
- Alabama State Department of Education regulations are subject to change; therefore, it is recommended that students apply for certification upon graduation. During their last semester of coursework, students should contact the Certification Office of the Department of Accreditation, Certification and Partnership Initiatives, CEPS Complex, Pod 4, Room 405, for information about this process. The university cannot recommend any student for certification who has not satisfied all state and university requirements for admission to and completion of an approved program.
- Recommendation for certification must be made within 60 months of program completion. Recommendation after 60 months requires completion of current program requirements.