Certification Eligibility

Undergraduate and Graduate

To be eligible for recommendation by Columbus State University for a Georgia Professional teaching certificate, students must complete an approved program at CSU and meet the following criteria:

• Hold an appropriate education degree from Columbus State University
• Obtain a 2.5 grade point average on all work attempted, and a 2.75 institutional grade point average
• Obtain no less than a grade of "C" in all professional and field courses presented for graduation
• Provide proof of successful completion or exemption of GACE I
• Provide proof of successful completion of all parts of the GACE II exam appropriate for the field in which the individual is seeking recommendation for certification

Post-Baccalaureate Teacher Certification

The College of Education offers initial teacher preparation programs for qualified students holding non-education baccalaureate degrees in a major similar to the requested post-baccalaureate teacher certification program. Each post-baccalaureate program is equivalent to the institution's program approved by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (PSC). Upon completion of a post-baccalaureate program, the student earns an institutional recommendation for a teaching certificate subsequently issued by the PSC, which is identical to the certificate earned by graduates of the baccalaureate teacher education program.

Upon completion of the approved program, the student must apply for certification from the Georgia Professional Standards Commission. If the applicant meets all certification requirements, s/he will be recommended for certification by Lisa Shaw, the authorized certification official.

The Office of Student Advising and Field Experiences (SAFE) will process applications for Georgia certification and will assist in the processing of applications made to other states. Applications for Georgia certificates are normally distributed and collected during a certification meeting that takes place during the end of the semester in which students are involved in the student teaching experience. Applications for certification are also available in the SAFE Office, Jordan Hall Room 107, or can be downloaded from the Georgia Professional Standards Commission's website, http://www.gapsc.com/.

An applicant can check his/her certification status on-line. Your social security number without hyphens is the certification code.

For more information on certification, contact us at 706-568-2191.