Students wishing admission to the program should complete the following steps:

• Have all official college transcripts sent to Mount St. Mary’s Division of Continuing Studies:

Mount St. Mary’s University
Frederick Campus
5350 Spectrum Drive, Suite A
Frederick, MD 21703

• Schedule an appointment with an advisor (301-682-8315) for an initial interview and review of transcripts.
• Complete an application for admission, available online at www.msmary.edu/adultapply

DIVISION OF CONTINUING STUDIES ADMISSION CRITERIA

• Prospective students must have completed 30 or more undergraduate credits from a regionally accredited (e.g., Middle States Association of Colleges) institution or its equivalent.*
• Prospective students must submit a 300-500 word (double-spaced) essay on the following topic: Effective interpersonal communication depends on many factors. In your experience, what are a few of the most important factors? These essays will be used to guide the Mount Seminar course content.
• Prospective students must have achieved a grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.0 on a 4.0 scale (2.75 GPA for education program).
• Prospective students must have three or more years of full-time work experience.

Prospective students with fewer than 30 transferable credits are encouraged to take lower-level core and major courses identified in consultation with a Mount St. Mary’s advisor.

Requirements for entering teacher education programs:

• Submit an Application for Admission to the Teacher Certification Program to the director of teacher education upon completion of the 200-level courses in education.
• Achieve a cumulative GPA of 2.75 or better. All courses prefixed EDUC or SPED must be passed with a minimum grade of C. Other courses taken as part of an approved program of study may be subject to this requirement, as determined by the education department.
• Demonstrate your communicative competence and professionalism during the admission interview, earning a rubric score of 2.5 or better from the evaluation panel (4-point rubric).
• Score 2.5 or better on the admission portfolio (4-point rubric).
• Meet or surpass Maryland qualifying scores for Praxis I (preprofessional tests in mathematics, reading and writing).  Students are encouraged to take Praxis I upon admission to the Division of Continuing Studies.  It is imperative that students designate Mount St. Mary's University and the Maryland State Department of Education as score recipients. Students may apply in writing to the director of teacher education for an extension, if special circumstances pertain. The Education Advisory Committee determines the acceptance or rejection of the application.

*For those students who have taken courses at institutions other than Mount St. Mary’s, it is required that official transcripts from all other schools be received in the Frederick office by the end of the 8^th course (24 credits) completed at Mount St. Mary’s University. Students who fail to submit relevant transcripts from other institutions by the end of the 8^th course will be unable to register for further courses.