Undergraduate Teacher Candidacy Admission

Undergraduate Teacher Candidacy Admission

All residential and working adult undergraduate students must apply for admission to the Teacher Education Program. Admission to the University does not constitute admission to a Teacher Education Program. With specific sequencing of courses and prerequisites for admission, students should confer with their academic advisor upon declaring a major to become aware of teacher education requirements, policies, and procedures.

Admission Criteria for Teacher Candidacy

Macon Campus

To be fully admitted to teacher candidacy, a student must:

  1. Have a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 2.5
  2. Have taken and have earned no grade below a “C” in INT 101
  3. Have taken and have earned no grade below a “C” in the math core class
  4. Have passed any education courses taken and have earned no grade below a “C.” Students must earn a grade of B or higher in EDUC 283.
  5. Have passed all courses taken for areas of concentration in middle grades or for certification in secondary and P-12 content areas and have earned no grade below a “C.”
  6. Have completed the GACE Georgia Educator Ethics Assessment (test code 360)
    How to create a MyPSC account
    How to login to your MyPSC account
    GACE Georgia Educator Ethics Assessment Instructions
  7. Have declared a major in teacher education. Foreign Language certification (P-12) students need to declare the appropriate major in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and need to declare the intent to seek Secondary Education Teacher Certification (see major-minor form). Those students seeking P-12 certification in music should declare Music Education as a major in the School of Music (see major-minor form).
  8. Have submitted an application for admission to Teacher Candidacy in the semester prior to registering for any field placement courses or restricted 300 and 400 level education courses
    Apply for Teacher Candidacy

Regional Academic Centers (Douglas County, Henry County, Macon, and Atlanta)

To be fully admitted to teacher candidacy, a student must:

  1. Have a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 2.5
  2. Have taken and have earned no grade below a “C” in LBST 175 and LBST 180
  3. Have taken and have earned no grade below a “C” in the math core class
  4. Have passed any unrestricted education courses taken and have earned no grade below a “C” in any courses required for the major, including courses required for areas of concentration in middle level education. Students must earn a grade of B or higher in EDUC 283.
  5. Have completed the GACE Georgia Educator Ethics Assessment (test code 360)
    How to create a MyPSC account
    How to login to your MyPSC account
    GACE Georgia Educator Ethics Assessment Instructions
  6. Have declared a major in teacher education
  7. Have submitted an application for admission to Teacher Candidacy prior to registering for any restricted 300 and 400 level education courses
    Apply for Teacher Candidacy

Even though all application supporting materials are submitted online, you may contact our office at:

Mercer University
Tift College of Education
Office of Undergraduate Teacher Certification
1501 Mercer University Drive
Macon, GA 31207

Once a student is admitted to the Teacher Education Program, that student must continue to make satisfactory progress. The College of Education reserves the right to periodically review the progress of each student and to remove any student from a Teacher Education Program for failing to continue to meet the established criteria and policies in effect at the time of admission and/or for demonstrating conduct that has been judged unethical or illegal based on the Code of Ethics, on the Mercer University Honor Code, or on the Standards of Conduct published by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC).

If a student is denied admission to Teacher Education, that student must meet any revised admission requirements in effect at the time of re-application.

Contact information

Carlene-RussellCarlene Sherman
Director of Candidate Program Progression
478.301.2575
sherman_cs@mercer.edu