Academic Policies & Regulations

Students are responsible for complying with all university-wide academic policies that apply to their individual academic status. Additional and unique policies related to state requirements for teacher certification are aligned with the Pennsylvania Department of Education (P.D.E.) and College of Education requirements.

Temple University Requirements

• All students must complete Temple University's General Education (GenEd) curriculum. 
• All students must take a minimum of two writing-intensive courses at Temple University (including transfer students).

College of Education Requirements

All Teacher Certification Education Programs

(Early Childhood Education, Middle Grades Education, Secondary Education, and Business Education)

Students receive a Bachelor of Science in Education degree by meeting the following minimum College requirements:

• Completion of program requirements as detailed on the 8-semester matrix.*
• Earn a "C-" or above in all required Education Courses.
• Earn a "C-" or above in all required University General Education Courses.

*The required total credit hours vary depending on the course of study.  These credit hours are satisfied by taking courses in four categories:

(1) University General Education requirements

(2) Foundational Education courses

(3) Teacher Education Certification Courses (i.e. methods and student teaching)

(4) Elective courses, as noted in each program of study.

All students seeking to graduate with the recommendation for Pennsylvania teacher certification (Instructional I Certification) must successfully complete their program requirements with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 or must meet the Pennsylvania Department of Education Bureau of School Leadership and Teacher Quality GPA Qualifying Praxis Score. 

All students must meet the following requirements: 

• Must complete the minimum number of credits at Temple as specified by the University.
• Earn a "C-" or above in all required Education Courses.  (Students must be aware, that the State of Pennsylvania requires a minimum cumulative GPA for teacher certification (see above); obtaining the minimum grade of "C-" in multiple courses will not create a cumulative GPA sufficient to obtain certification.)

• Earn a "C-" or above in all University General Education Courses.
• Pass all three sections of PAPA (reading, writing and math) and pass either PECT (Early Childhood Education majors) or PRAXIS II (all programs other than Early Childhood Education) exams.
• Complete six credits of college-level math as specified by your program.  Developmental, Pre-College and Courses at the Mathematics 0702 level or below are not applicable to this requirement.
• Complete six credits of college-level English, specifically 3 credits of composition and 3 credits of literature.  Developmental, Pre-College and Courses at the English 0xxx level are not applicable to this requirement.
• Pass a speech screening assessment conducted by an Academic Advisor.
• Secondary Education students: earn a minimum cumulative 2.0 GPA in the content area.  Students must earn a minimum of "C-" (or higher, where stipulated by the program) in all content area courses.
• Middle Grades students: earn a minimum cumulative 2.0 GPA in the concentration area.  Students must earn a minimum of "C-" (or higher, where stipulated by the program) in all content area courses.
• Pennsylvania requires students to have valid clearances prior to entering a school or other setting where children are present. This applies to ANY student who is taking ANY course with a field experience component.  See more about clearances on the College of Education's web site: http://education.temple.edu/services/clearances.

Courses Not Applicable to Certification/Degree Program

Specific courses are required in order for students to be endorsed for Pennsylvania teacher certification and complete their program of study. Just because a student has reached the minimum credits required for a degree does not mean they have completed the degree as the student may have taken additional courses that are credits not applicable to the program. Students should meet with an Academic Advisor once per semester to ensure they are on track for completing all degree requirements.  

Courses Not Able to be Counted in the Minimum Credits Needed for Graduation

Some credits from ROTC and preparatory courses do not count towards the total number of semester hours needed to graduate. Please see an Academic Advisor for more information.

Courses Over Five Years Old

Courses over five years old are subject to review to fulfill certification requirements.   

Courses over ten years old will not count toward a degree nor certification requirements in the College of Education.

Dean's List

Each fall and spring semester those undergraduates who have met the credit hour and academic criteria for their school or college are placed on the Dean's List. See the Dean's List policy for specific GPA and credit-hour requirements for each college.

Graduation without Certification

In rare instances, a student who is unsuccessful in meeting certification program requirements or who has less than the required GPA(s) may be petition to Graduated Without Certification. The petition is submitted by scheduling an advising appointment. After the student submits a petition to Graduate without Certification, the petition is reviewed by the Director for Undergraduate Academic and Student Affairs and the student is notified of the decision. If approved, the student must complete additional course requirements as advised.

Permission to Take Courses At Another Institution

Consistent with University Policy, students will not receive transfer credit for courses taken at another institution while they are matriculated (Degree Seeking) at Temple University unless prior permission has been obtained.  Permission forms are available on the Senior Vice Provost for Undergraduate Studies web site (www.temple.edu/vpus), under Forms.  Students should carefully review the criteria on the form and must make an appointment with an Academic Advisor to review and submit the form.  Students should allow at least two weeks for review and processing of these forms.

Change of Program to The College of Education

Students wishing to change their major to any teacher certification program (Early Childhood, Middle Grades, Secondary Education or Business Education) must register for and attend a Change of Program (COP) workshop at the College of Education.   After attending this workshop, students can then schedule an appointment to meet with an Academic Advisor before officially being transferred into the program of study. Students seeking to transfer into a certification program in the College of Education must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0.*  Students should call 215-204-8011 to schedule their COP workshop.

Students wishing to change their major to Adult and Organizational Development (AOD), a non-certification major, do not have to attend a Change of Program workshop. They can schedule an appointment with an Advisor.  Students interested in AOD are also advised to contact Cynthia Belliveau, Ph.D. at cynthia.belliveau@temple.edu to schedule a meeting during which a plan, goals and the AOD program are discussed.  Students wishing to change their program to AOD must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0.* Students should call 215-204-8011 to schedule their advising appointment.  Students must identify themselves as a student changing his/her major to AOD and should request a one hour appointment.

*Students who are in their first semester at Temple University who have not yet established a GPA are eligible to begin the Change of Program process.

Change of Program within the College of Education

Students must be in good academic standing in their program to change their major into another program within the College of Education. To change majors within the College of Education, a student must schedule a one hour Change of Program appointment with an Academic Advisor.  Call 215-204-8011 to schedule.