Education

There are multiple paths to teacher licensure for students at Mary Baldwin University and they are outlined below. 

Undergraduate students preparing to teach must complete all requirements for the bachelor’s degree, which includes a major. They must also complete professional studies requirements and any additional requirements particular to the area of licensure. Students pursuing Elementary Education PK-6 or Special Education General Curriculum K-12 licensure are encouraged to pursue the Elementary Education or Special Education major. Students seeking licensure to teach at the middle or secondary level must major in the content area in which they intend to teach and should minor in their discipline-specific education minor.

Undergraduate students may also minor in one of the education minors without pursuing licensure. There are additional options for individuals who already hold a baccalaureate degree and for undergraduates who wish to obtain their undergraduate degree, master’s, and licensure in as little as four or five years.

Through the Post-Baccalaureate Teacher Licensure Program, (PBTL) students who already have a bachelor’s degree can pursue initial licensure. This is a licensure program, which takes into account all of the credits a student has already earned and applies those toward the goal of obtaining a Virginia teaching license. This program does not lead to a graduate degree. All students enrolled in the program must devote their final semester entirely to student teaching. For more information on PBTL, please contact the School of Education.

Students seeking both initial licensure and a graduate degree do so through the Master of Arts in Teaching program.

Undergraduate to Graduate Education Course Permitted Substitutions

For the purposes of the Elementary Education, Special Education, and LAIS majors, and education minors, the graduate courses listed below may count as acceptable substitutes as long as the minimum credit hours needed for the major or minor are accrued.

Note: Undergraduate students not admitted to BA/MAT can only take two graduate-level courses; however, exceptions may be made with School of Education approval for students completing certificates or special course sequences.