Certificate Admission Requirements

Certificate in Advanced Graduate Study

Certificate in Adult Education and Training
Certificate in Content Area Instruction
Certificate in Higher Education (currently not enrolling)
Certificate in Instructional Coaching and Teacher Leadership
Certificate in Teaching English Learners
Illinois Certificate in English as a Second Language and Bilingual Education

Bachelor’s or Highest Post-Baccalaureate degree earned

2.50

2.00

Certificate in Transition to Teaching in Special Education

Bachelor’s degree

Cumulative 3.00 in bachelor’s degree

or 

2.50 in bachelor’s degree and at least five (5) years of documented professional experience in education.

or

Hold both a baccalaureate degree and proof of passing Indiana state-approved content area examination in Mild Intervention.

Provisional admission is not permitted.

• Pass criminal background check from Safe Hiring Solutions. Applicants are responsible for the fees required to complete the initial background check. For applicants with less than five years of US or US territorial residency status, an extended background check may be needed for at the applicant’s sole expense.
• Acknowledgment of field-based experiences and classroom access.

Certificate in Transition to Teaching - Elementary Education

Minimum Level of Education Required

Minimum Grade Point Average on a 4.00 Scale for Full Admission

Minimum Cumulative Grade Point Average on a 4.00 Scale for Provisional Admission

Bachelor’s degree 

Cumulative 3.00 in bachelor’s degree

or

2.50 in a bachelor’s degree and at least 5 years of documented professional experience.

or

Hold both a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution and proof of passing state approved content area assessment in the subject area.

Provisional admission is not permitted.

• Pass criminal background check from Safe Hiring Solutions. Applicants are responsible for the fees required to complete the initial background check. For applicants with less than five years of US or US territorial residency status, an extended background check may be needed for at the applicant’s sole expense.
• Acknowledgment of field-based experiences and classroom access.

Certificate in Transition to Teaching - Secondary Education

Minimum Level of Education Required

Minimum Grade Point Average on a 4.00 Scale for Full Admission

Minimum Cumulative Grade Point Average on a 4.00 Scale for Provisional Admission

Bachelor’s degree earned in the subject area or related field the person wishes to teach.

or

Bachelor’s degree in any field and proof of passing Indiana state-approved content area examination(s) in the 5-12 subject area the applicant wishes to teach.

Cumulative 3.00 in bachelor’s degree

or

2.50 in bachelor’s degree and at least five (5) years of documented professional experience in the subject area or related field in which the person wishes to teach.

or

Hold both a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution and proof of passing Indiana state-approved content area examination(s) in the secondary 5-12 content area assessment in the subject matter.

or

Hold a graduate degree from an accredited postsecondary institution in the subject area or related field in which the candidate wants to teach. 

Provisional admission is not permitted.

• Pass criminal background check from Safe Hiring Solutions. Applicants are responsible for the fees required to complete the initial background check. For applicants with less than five years of US or US territorial residency status, an extended background check may be needed for at the applicant’s sole expense.
• Acknowledgment of field-based experiences and classroom access.

Texas Educational Leadership (Certification-Only) 

Master’s degree 

2.50

Provisional admission is not permitted.

Applicants for the Texas Educational Leadership (Certification-Only) program must:

• Provide documentation of a valid teaching certificate and a school service personnel record indicating at least two (2) year’s teaching experience in an accredited P-12 setting. 
• Submit a current curriculum vitae (preferred) or resume. 
• Submit an Educational Leadership essay describing what you view as the biggest challenge for school principals in your state.
• Complete an Interview and gain approval for acceptance into the program. 
• Have their school district submit a sealed and signed Texas Teacher Service Record indicating two (2) years of teaching experience in a P-12 setting.  If Texas Teacher Service Record cannot be provided, an applicant can submit proof of employment in a Texas school and service record from previous state of employment showing two years of service.  
• Have on record the College’s approval of the internship site and mentor/site supervisor prior to the start of the student’s first term.
• Acknowledge the requirement of having two years of creditable teaching experience as a classroom teacher under a valid classroom teaching certificate to be eligible for Texas principal licensure. 
• Acknowledge the review of College Catalog policies related to dismissal or administrative withdrawal including Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy (SAP), maximum time to completion policy, good financial standing or violations of academic integrity policies.

Texas applicants whose first language is not English must submit scores from the Internet-Based TOEFL (IBT). A minimum scaled score of 24 for speaking, 22 for listening, 22 for reading, and 21 for writing from the Internet-Based TOEFL (IBT) or evidence of an undergraduate or graduate degree earned at an institution of higher education in a country outside of the United States listed in Figure: 19 TAC §230.11(b)(5)(C).

Additional evidence may be required to fulfill state requirements, including verifying professional experience, test scores, or an interview.

To comply with the Texas Education Agency requirements, applicants who have been admitted must confirm, in writing, their acceptance of the admission offer.

Notes for Texas Educational Leadership Students:

• Information about ACE’s Educational Leadership program performance over the past five years is available on the Texas Education Agency’s (TEA) Educator Preparation Compliance Reports website. 
• Information about the effect of supply and demand forces on the educator workforce can be found from Texas Workforce Commission.
• Information about ACE’s Educational Leadership program accreditation status is available on the EPP website and on the TEA Educator Preparation Data Dashboard.
• A criminal background check is required prior to employment as an educator (Per Texas Education Code (TEC), §22.083), and candidates must undergo a criminal history background check prior to clinical teaching or practicum (Per TEC, §22.0835).
• Individuals who have been convicted of an offense as listed in Section 249.16. Eligibility of Persons with Criminal History for a Certificate under Texas Occupations Code, Chapter 53, and Texas Education Code, Chapter 21, may be ineligible for issuance of a certification on completion of an educator preparation program. An individual has the right to request a copy of the criminal history evaluation letter as provided in Chapter 227, Subchapter B (relating to Preliminary Evaluation of Certification Eligibility).
• Texas Educational Leadership Students who wish to seek principal licensure in Texas will need to achieve an 80% or better on a practice examination within six months of testing approval request as outlined in the Texas Approval to Test Policy.

Texas Principal Completion Requirements

• You must successfully complete a minimum of 200 clock hours of coursework and/or training in an approved principal educator preparation program.
• Complete 160 hours of a practicum
• Complete (3) 45-minute formal observations demonstrating Texas Principal Standards
• A criminal background check is required prior to employment as an educator (Per Texas Education Code (TEC), §22.083), and candidates must undergo a criminal history background check prior to clinical teaching or practicum (Per TEC, §22.0835).

Texas Certification Requirements

Please refer to the Map for Texas Principal Certification Requirements.

Principal Preparation Certificate (Certification-Only) 

Master’s degree 

2.50

Provisional admission is not permitted.

• Applicants for the Principal Preparation Certificate must provide documentation of at least an initial teaching license, school service personnel license, or a school services certificate. If applicants to the Educational Leadership programs do not have a state-recognized certificate, the student may provide evidence of full-time PK-12 teaching or school service personnel assignment, where applicable, from an individual in a supervisory capacity or from a human resource official of the school at their current employment.
• Have on record the College’s approval of the internship site and mentor/site supervisor prior to the start of the student’s first term.
• Additional evidence may be required to fulfill state requirements, including but not limited to verification of credentials, professional experience, test scores, or an interview.

Illinois Applicants:

In addition to the general requirements for the M.Ed. In Educational Leadership, the following are required:

• Must hold a valid Illinois Professional Educator License or
• A valid Career and Technical Education License, if the below standards have been met through verified coursework*
  1. Methods of Instruction of the exceptional child in cross-categorical special education
  2. Methods of reading and reading in the content area
  3. Instructional Strategies for English Language Learners
• Submit proof of at least two years of teaching experience under a valid and current license in a public or non-public school recognized by the Illinois State Board of Education or in a regionally accredited and state-recognized out-of-state public school or out-of-state nonpublic school; or
• Two years of Support Personnel experience in one of the following capacities in a public or non-public school recognized by the Illinois Board of Education or in a regionally accredited and state-recognized out-of-state public school or out-of-state nonpublic school:
  1. School Counselor
  2. School Psychologist
  3. Speech Language Pathologist
  4. School Nurse
  5. School Social Worker
  6. School Marriage and Family Counselor

*Courses may be taken with ACE as a provisional student at large but must be completed before approval to move the Educational Leadership Program.

Ohio Applicants: 

In addition to the general requirements for the Principal Preparation Certificate, the following are required:

• Ohio standard or professional teaching license or professional pupil services license.
  or
  4-year Alternative Resident Educator Designated Subject Grades K-12 or a permanent nontax certificate. (Only for applicants pursuing the Alternative Principal Licensure Pathway directly with Ohio State Board of Education. American College of Education cannot recommend or approve this Pathway for licensure.)
• Submit an Education Leadership essay describing what you view as the biggest challenge for school principals in your state.
• Submit two (2) letters of professional recommendation.
• If the applicant does not have three (3) semester credits in a master’s level research course, completed with a B or better, RES5173 must be taken as part of the program.
• Acknowledge the requirement of two years of successful teaching experience under a standard or professional teaching license or work experience under a professional pupil services license for the ages and grade levels for which the principal license is sought.

Certificate in Professional Skills in Travel Nursing

Associate degree or Diploma in Registered Nursing

2.25

2.00

• Applicants for the above program must provide documentation of an active, unencumbered RN license.
• Additional evidence may be required to fulfill state requirements.