Single Subjects Credential Program [SED] Entrance Requirements

Are you ready to enter Humboldt's Single Subjects Credential Program?

_____ Have you submitted a CSU postbaccalaureate application and official transcripts directly to Humboldt's Admissions office? Submit this application as soon as possible after November 1. (This is in addition to the application packet you submit directly to the SED office.)

There are two exceptions to this requirement:

1. If you won't have a completed baccalaureate degree by the time you enter the SED program, you must register for the fall semester as an undergraduate, petition Admissions to count your fall SED courses as graduate work, and, in August, reapply as a postbaccalaureate student for the spring semester.
2. If you are already an HSU graduate or postbaccalaureate student, make certain the Admissions office changes your objective to "Single Subject Credential."

_____ Will your cumulative grade-point average (GPA) meet or exceed the standard for your subject area at your university, as determined by the CSU chancellor's office? Our office can tell you the required GPA. Generally, you must be in the top half of graduates from your subject area at your university.

If your GPA falls short, you have two options: (1) wait until you have brought up your GPA before applying to our program, or (2) file a low-GPA appeal. Only a few appeals candidates can enter the program each year.

_____ By the time you apply, will you be able to document at least 45 hours of early fieldwork (observation and participation) in a grade 7-12 classroom? You can meet this requirement through Humboldt's SED 210 course, through a comparable course at some other university, or through a privately arranged experience (approved by the fieldwork coordinator) in an accredited school with a credentialed teacher.

_____ Will you have passed all three sections of the CBEST (California Basic Educational Skills Test) by the time you apply? Depending upon your chosen subject area, you may or may not be able to enter our program before passing the test, but you can't receive a credential without passing.

_____ By the time you apply, will you have completed at least four-fifths of an undergraduate subject matter program major (also called a waiver major) approved by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing? At Humboldt, these majors are labelled Art Teacher Preparation, Business Teacher Preparation, etc. Other schools have comparable programs. If you won't complete such a body of course work, you must take the tests described below.

_____ Have you passed all applicable sections of the SSAT and Praxis subject matter exams? (The SSAT Registration Bulletin has a table which tells you which tests to take.) Depending upon your chosen subject area, you may or may not be able to enter our program before passing, but you cannot begin student teaching without passing all the required tests. (Note: for students in certain subject areas, such as biology, these tests may not serve as acceptable substitutes for the required course work. Be sure to contact the appropriate person, listed below, concerning competency assessment in your subject area.)

_____ Will you be able to meet the Subject Matter Competency Assessment requirements established by the appropriate HSU subject area committee? SMCA requirements could include tests, specific course work, portfolios, oral exams, interviews, and more. For details, call the appropriate departmental office listed below and ask for the single subject credential advisor. (All phone numbers begin with area code 707, 826-exchange):

Art, 3624	              Music, 3531
Business, 3224	              Physical Educ, 4536
English, 3758	              Science (biology), 3245
French, 3226	              Science (other), 3276
German, 3226	              Social Science, 5770
Industrial Arts, 4281	      Spanish, 3226
Math, 3143

If you are unable to meet one or more of these requirements, please consider further preparation before applying to our program.

If you can answer YES to these questions, you are ready to submit an application for admission to the Single Subjects program, described on the next page. (Please note: this is in addition to your application to HSU as a postbaccalaureate student, which you send directly to the Admissions office.)

After you have submitted a SED application to our office, your packet will be assessed by a committee of professors in your chosen subject area at HSU. They will conduct subject matter competency assessment and rank the candidates.

If selected by this committee, you must then interview with local school district administrators and teachers and be accepted by them for a student teaching placement. Not until such a placement is confirmed will you be officially admitted into our program.

Over the summer, you will receive a letter welcoming you into the program and informing you of the SED orientation, held during the week before classes start.

Direct any questions regarding Humboldt's SED requirements and procedures to:

Contact Persons