FAQ
The Hanover College Education Department offers an Elementary Education Major, Certification for Elementary Education Teacher Certification for grades K - 6, nearly twenty Secondary Education Certification programs for Grades 5 - 12 and an optional Secondary Education Major, along with Dual Certification in Special Education for grades K-12 that can be completed along with either Elementary Ed or Secondary Ed.
WE ENCOURAGE ANY STUDENT INTERESTED IN TEACHER CERTIFICATION TO REQUEST A CHANGE OF ADVISOR TO ONE OF THE EDUCATION PROFESSORS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE - GOOD PLANNING IS CRUCIAL!
Change of Advisor Form (Registrar's Office Handouts)
When can I start taking Education courses?
EDU 172 - Exploring the Arts (for Elementary Ed students who have not taken EDU 171 or EDU 216)
EDU 221- Education & the American Culture
EDU 231 - Education Law & Ethics
EDU 240 - Children's Literature
EDU 260 - Special Topics Course offerings
EDU 306 - Technology in Education
EDU 252 should be the first of the special education courses - the others, EDU 253, EDU 254, EDU 255, EDU 256 may be tthen be taken in any order and without Program admission. Even if students do not plan to get the Mild Interventions dual certification, these courses are quite valuable as electives for any future teacher!
Other 300/400 level EDU courses may not be taken until admission to the Educator Preparation Program.
Application should be made by the November 15 deadline of the sophomore year. Later admissions are possible but could result in course sequencing issues, requiring an extra semester for Student Teaching assignment. Again - if you need advice or assistance with the best way to proceed in your goal to become a teacher - reach out to our Education faculty and staff. Please know that every effort to assist students in achieving their goal. See the Applying tab at left.
How and when do I apply to the Education program at Hanover College?
- Students should enroll in EDU 221 during the first year at Hanover if at all possible. 221 is usually offered in both Fall and Winter terms.
- All interested Sophomore students should apply by the November 15 deadline each year. While only applications that meet all the admission requirement go to TEC, the Education Faculty will have the data to advise you on your next steps to meet the remaining requirement(s).
- An aspiring applicant who needs to meet the scores for admission can choose from three options to meet the requirement including retaking of the SAT or ACT or taking the ETS' Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators exam. Additional information regarding registration, fee waivers, financial assistance, disability accommodations, and more is available in the Education Student Services Office and via the exam's website
ETS: https://www.ets.org/praxis/about/core/ - The applicant will complete the online Education Program Application Form which is found under the Academics tab on MY HANOVER. The essay is uploaded into the application and students chose two of their current or past professors to write recommendation on the student's qualifications.
- The Teacher Education Committee will conduct a Decision Point 1 interview with all applicants.
- Applicants must have a minimum of a 2.67 GPA to be admitted into the Educator Preparation Program.
This is non-negotiable.
*Students can be admitted after the deadline if they reach the admission exam score requirements and/or attain the required GPA of 2.67. Late applications are allowed with permission of an Education faculty member. Please meet with them to discuss your personal situation.
NOTE: Admitted students must achieve a 3.0 GPA by the time they are ready for student teaching.
How early in Education coursework am I exposed to a real classroom?
Our entry level courses, EDU 221 as well as EDU 252 have required field experience in real classrooms and/or with real children/adolescents. Students will have at least 100 hours of classroom experience within their course of study before going into 14 full weeks of student teaching for certification completion.
Do I have an opportunity to be in urban school setting?
Our teacher candidates can choose to do their 14 weeks of student teaching in an urban school in Louisville, Indianapolis, or via The Philadelphia Center or through Wartburg College West in Denver, Colorado. Ask you EDU faculty about this.
What is the Special Education (Teaching All Learners) Program?
Hanover now offers a dual certification program for P-12 Special Education (Mild Intervention) that is completed in conjunction with K-6, 5-12, P-12 teacher certifications. Indiana licensed teachers may also complete this coursework as classes are held in the evening during the academic year and online in Hanover's two summer sessions.
Note: Special Education certification fulfills the minor requirement for Elementary Education majors.
What is the placement rate for Hanover's certified graduates?
Of the licensed graduates from 2004-2019, more than 99% were hired to teach in public or private schools beginning the fall after their graduation. Other graduates have chosen graduate school or to work for entities like the Boys and Girls Clubs, Campus Crusade for Christ, our national parks, teaching abroad, working in education curriculum at museums and camps, teaching preschool, as well as a host of other opportunities.
If I decide classroom teaching is not for me, do I have to get a teacher's license?
We very strongly urge that all our certified program completers obtain Indiana licensing immediately following graduation. Licensing requirements do change frequently and at the time of your program completion you are qualified to obtain an Indiana teaching license after passing the Indiana CORE exams in Pedagogy and the Content Area. We have numerous grads who found licensing much more difficult to do later when their plans changed.
Can I teach outside of Indiana?
Most states have some form of license reciprocity with Indiana. Many require a license from the state in which one completed their training first, some require some additional coursework, and some require another set of licensing tests. Please discuss your concerns with our licensing advisors early in your time at Hanover so that we can best guide you for
a particular state's licensing requirements.
Please contact any Education faculty member for more information. Even if you are not sure that you want to teach or if you meet the requirements, our faculty and staff members will work with you to guide you through keeping your options open as well as the decision-making process and meeting admissions requirements!