Graduate School Admission

• Apply for admission to the UA Little Rock Graduate School.
• $40 non-refundable application fee paid via the link in the initial application email or by contacting the Cashier’s Office.
• Official transcripts from ALL previously attended colleges and universities (undergraduate and graduate).
• International students must have their transcripts articulated. Transcripts that have not been articulated can be submitted for the application process; however, if a student is granted admission, WES-articulated transcripts must be submitted to the Graduate School before he or she can register for classes.
• Proof of 2 MMR vaccines. Contact your program coordinator if you think you are eligible for a waiver. Students only in the UA Little Rock Online programs are exempt.
• Proof of a grade point average of at least 2.7 on a 4.00 scale, including post-baccalaureate hours.
• A copy of your government-issued photo ID.

International Student Admission

Required documents for international admission:

• Tuberculosis screening
• All applicants must provide proof of a Tuberculosis screening, which must be performed in the United States of America and can be done at the Health Services Center at UA Little Rock.
• Health and accident insurance
• All international students must purchase the health and accident insurance provided by UA Little Rock and maintain coverage year-round. Students will be billed at the beginning of each fall and spring semester. A student who enters in a summer semester will be billed for that semester as well, making the total number of times billed three instead of two. If you have any questions, please contact Health Services at 501-569-3188.
• Transfer forms
• Applicants transferring from another institution within the United States of America must also provide a Transfer and Visa form completed by the applicant’s International Student Services advisor from his or her current institution.
• Financial statement (students with F and J visas only)
• Before they can be accepted into the Graduate School, students must provide a financial statement showing that they are financially capable of pursuing a graduate education in the United States of America. For more information on this form, please contact the office of International Student Services at 501-683-7566.
• All applicants must submit a copy of their visa.

Program Admission

Regular Admission

• Baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution with at least 30 hours of content in the an approved content major.
• Successfully accepted into the UA Little Rock Graduate School.
• A cumulative grade point average of at least 2.75 (on a 4.0 scale) or grade point average of at least 3.0 for the last 60 hours of undergraduate courses.

Conditional Admission

• Baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution.*
• Candidates who have completed the baccalaureate degree and need less than 18 hours in an approved content major may be admitted to the program to complete deficiencies concurrently with the certificate program.
• A cumulative undergraduate GPA of no lower than 2.5; and a Graduate Record Exam (GRE) score of at least 141 on the Verbal Scale, 150 on the Quantitative Scale, and 4.5 on the Analytical Writing Scale, OR
• Completion of at least 12 semester hours of graduate coursework in another UA Little Rock graduate program or graduate program from another regionally accredited college or university with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 and no grade lower than a B.

Content Major Requirements

Completion of all coursework required by the Arkansas Department of Education or national accreditations agencies in one of the following teaching specialty areas:

• English Language Arts (7-12)*
• Speech (7-12)
• Drama (7-12)
• Drama/Speech (K-12)
• Art (K-12)
• Music (K-12)
• Spanish (K-12)
• French (K-12)
• Physics (7-12)
• Chemistry (7-12)
• Physics/Math (7-12)
• Life Science (7-12)
• Mathematics (7-12)
• P.E. & Health (K-12)
• Business Technology (4-12)
• Social Studies (7-12)**

Licensure and Field Placement Requirements

To be eligible for a provisional teaching license in Arkansas, students enrolled in the program must meet the following criteria:

• Be fully admitted to the UA Little Rock Graduate School and in good standing in an educational program of study.
• Continually be taking classes in their program of study.
• Pass the Praxis Core and Praxis Subject Assessments required for their licensure area.
• Complete and clear background checks (State Police, FBI, and Child Maltreatment Central Registry).
• Complete the application for the provisional license.*
• Receive a viable job offer to teach in their licensure area and grade level at a site approved by the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE)
• Meet any other licensure requirements for their chosen licensure area as required by the ADE

Students who do not meet the above criteria must complete traditional field placements and an internship in a cooperating teacher’s classroom during normal school hours, Monday through Friday 7:30am-4:30pm, during the K-12 school year (normally August to May).

Retention Requirements

Once admitted, students are required to meet the following criteria:

• Maintain a 3.0 grade point average with at least a grade of B in all education courses (TCED and/or SCED) including all courses associated with the licensure/degree plan.
• Demonstrate professional behavior, content knowledge, and classroom performance which will be evaluated throughout the program.

Successful completion of the licensure program is not based solely on the number of course credits but requires demonstration of specified professional knowledge, skills, behaviors, and dispositions. Once the student has begun the program, periodic evaluations will assess progress. Failure to progress satisfactorily might result in a student being removed from the program. While a student may require additional time to meet some performance expectations, the faculty may limit that time and reserves the right to drop a student from the licensure program should appropriate progress not be demonstrated.

Graduation Requirements

• Minimum of 21 graduate credit hours
• Minimum 3.0 GPA with no grade below B
• Passing scores on all Praxis Subject Assessment examinations required by the Arkansas Department of Education

Summer Term — 3 hours

• TCED 5383 Instructional Skills

Fall Term — 9 hours

• SPED 7301 Foundations of Special Education
• TCED 5321 Teaching Diverse Adolescents
• TCED 7103 Supervised Clinical Teaching
• TCED 7202 Specialized Instructional Methods

Spring Term — 9 hours

• SCED 7601 Internship*
• TCED 5330 Classroom Management

TCED 5321 Teaching Diverse Learners
Teacher candidates use basic concepts of learner development and cultural diversity to design lessons and to select and use teaching materials and techniques to meet the needs of students at different developmental stages and of different cultures.

TCED 5330 Classroom Management
Emphasizes creation of and fostering of classroom management techniques and strategies for the design of environments that are conducive to a safe place for teaching and learning. Includes connecting the school-home-community connections. Incorporates technology for learning and teaching. Candidates will have taken or passed Praxis Core prior to course.

TCED 5383 Instructional Skills
Students develop pedagogical techniques, activities, and assessments that encourage and promote learning. This course also includes the study, analysis, and development of teaching, human relations and management models, skills, and techniques, which are tested in the practicum.

TCED 7103 Supervised Clinical Teaching
Co-requisite: TCED 7202. Application of teaching skills and methods in area schools with special attention to adapting state curricula, teaching plans, and methods to multicultural and inclusive classes. Requires at least 30 clock hours in schools.

TCED 7202 Specialized Instructional Methods
Co-requisite: TCED 7103. Objectives, philosophy of the subject field as applied to secondary education; consideration of issues, research in the content areas; application of adaptive and unique instructional strategies, methods to specific areas.

SCED 7601 Internship
Students spend a full semester in a secondary school, under supervision of a secondary cooperating teacher or mentor and a University supervisor, observing, teaching, participating in activities involving the school, community.