Teacher Education at Bluefield State College is a restricted enrollment program. The College recognizes two levels of status in teacher preparation:

A Declaration of Intent to pursue Teacher Education is attained when the student declares his/her major in education and identifies the field(s) of specialization. Intent may be declared at any time.

Admission to Teacher Education will be attained when:

1. The student passes the Preprofessional Skills Tests in Reading Writing, and Mathematics.
2. The student has completed a minimum of 24 semester hours with a grade point average of 2.75 or better. The Director of Teacher Education may make exceptions if the student has a GPA of at least 2.70 and has met all other requirements.
3. The student has successfully completed two (2) semester hours in Education (Education 110 Foundations of Education). Only Education 110, 160 200, and 280 of the professional education sequence, READ 270, and SPED 310 and 311 may be taken before admission to Teacher Education.
4. The student has completed 60 hours of approved volunteer service, with a minimum of 30 hours completed in a public school classroom.
5. The student submits 2 completed Checklists for Admission from full-time faculty members of Bluefield State College and completes the formal application form.
6. The student completes an interview with a panel to present the first portfolio.

Students must meet all Admission to Teacher Education requirements and be accepted into the program prior to enrolling in any restricted courses. Application for admission will normally occur during the sophomore year. Students may take the Praxis I only after having successfully completed six hours of composition and three hours of mathematics. Deviations from the sequence may be approved by the Director of Teacher Education. The student is responsible for all costs associated with taking the prescribed tests. Students must take and successfully pass the reading, writing, and math parts of the Praxis I and have those scores reported to Bluefield State College Department of Education. Students may apply for admission to Teacher Education only after meeting the entire Praxis I requirement and other requirements listed above. Students with an ACT composite score of 26 or greater are exempt from the Praxis I requirement. Students must submit the complete application no later than August 10 for Fall admission and December 1 for Spring admissions.

All students must be formally admitted to Teacher Education before enrolling in 300 level courses in Education and Reading, and prior to enrolling in 333 courses in Mathematics, Fine Arts, Health, and Physical Education.