Teacher Certificate Endorsement Programs in Education

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Admission Procedures
Admission Requirements
Academic Policies

University of North Georgia (UNG) offers three graduate level endorsement programs for teachers:

English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)

Gifted Education

Reading Education

The Teacher Support Specialist Endorsement Program is available on a contracted school-wide or district level basis.

The Georgia Professional Standards Commission has approved these endorsement programs. Upon acceptance in these programs and satisfactory completion of the required series of courses, students will be recommended for endorsements to their teaching certificates permitting them to perform special roles in these areas. In many cases, some or all of the endorsement course work may be used in graduate programs. In other cases, students may seek graduate-level endorsement course work outside of degree programs. Students seeking to enter endorsement programs for graduate credit must apply for non-degree admission through Graduate Studies. Students who may not want/need college credit for the endorsement courses should apply to the specific endorsement program through the Education Department for professional learning units. Details are available in both Graduate Studies and the Education Department

Endorsements are added to teaching certificates. They are not certificates in themselves. For additional program information, please visit the College of Education website, Gifted Endorsement and Reading Endorsement.

Graduate Studies’ Admission Procedures

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Application materials may be obtained from Graduate Studies or from the UNG website, www.ung.edu/Graduate. Applicants must pay a one-time, non-refundable application fee. Admission requirements are listed below. When all application materials have been received by Graduate Studies, notification will be sent to the applicant and a copy of all materials will be forwarded to the program. Subsequent notification will be mailed from the Education Department to the applicant verifying acceptance or denial.

Students who are admitted, but do not enroll by the academic year following the year of acceptance must reapply through Graduate Studies. Students who were previously enrolled but have not been in attendance within the last three terms must also reapply. All documents and materials submitted to fulfill the application requirements for entry to a program at UNG become the property of the university and will not be returned. These materials are kept for one year for incomplete application files and for three years for individuals who complete an application and are accepted, but do not enroll.

Teacher Certificate Endorsement Admission Requirements

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Individuals seeking certificate endorsements must apply to the specific endorsement program for professional learning units (College of Education website for a program application). The endorsement courses may be completed for graduate credit or for professional learning units.

Individuals seeking to receive graduate credit for endorsement courses must apply as a non-degree seeking student through Graduate Studies www.ung.edu/graduate/apply. The following documents must be received prior to admission:

Graduate Studies Application.
Non-refundable application fee.
Official transcripts from all institutions of higher education previously attended doumenting completion of a baccalaureate from a regionally accredited, four-year institution with a minimum grade point average of 2.50 calculated in accordance with Graduate Studies admission procedures. If an endorsement program applicant holds a master’s degree, only the transcript showing the master’s degree awarded is required for submission to Graduate Studies. Official international transcripts must have a foreign course-by-course credential evaluation by an independent evaluation service that is a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services, Inc. (NACES). Evaluations must include certification that the applicant has received a baccalaureate from a regionally accredited institution with a minimum grade point average of 2.50.
If checked in-state for residency on the Graduate Studies Application, proof of lawful presence in the United States.

A non-degree student is not eligible for financial aid.

Students seeking professional learning units should apply to the specific endorsement program only through the Education Department. Students seeking professional learning units (i.e. not graduate credit) will not be allowed to convert these units to graduate credit.

Teacher Certificate Endorsement Academic Policies

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Any teacher certificate endorsement student who receives a grade of B or below will subject to a program review to determine the student’s eligibility to enroll in coursework for the subsequent term. If an endorsement student is suspended from an endorsement program, the student must wait at least one year before applying for readmission. An endorsement student wishing to apply for admission to the MAT or M.Ed. degree program must notify the program coordinator, submit a new application, and meet all program admission requirements. No more than 12 hours of graduate credit earned while holding a non-degree status may subsequently be applied toward meeting the requirements of the MAT or M.Ed. graduate degree program. All credit to be applied toward a degree must be approved by the graduate program coordinator.

Academic Integrity

The University of North Georgia recognizes honesty and integrity as being necessary to the academic functioning of the university. UNG graduate students are expected to uphold the university regulations addressed in the Student Code of Conduct, Article 3, Rule 2.

Professional Integrity

The Teacher Certificate Endorsements program adheres to the university’s definition of professional integrity as described in the Academics portion of the Graduate Catalog.