Program Requirements for Admission

Entry to Major Requirements

Entry to the Elementary Education major requires the completion of 57 or more credits in required courses and the state's minimum cumulative GPA criteria of 3.0. Candidates must complete, with a grade of "C" or better, six (6) credits of college-level mathematics (MATH prefix), three (3) credits of college-level English literature and three (3) credits of college-level English composition.

Candidates must submit scores on any entrance testing requirements set out by the Pennsylvania Department of Education in force at the time of application for entrance to major. Information about those tests and the qualifying scores is available by contacting Joel Geary, Teacher Education Certification Officer. Candidates thinking seriously about education should plan their freshman and sophomore years carefully. 

Special Admissions Information

Applicants should have completed most of their first two years of college as well as the Entry to Major Requirements listed above with at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA (4.0 scale). The evaluation of prior college work is done on an individual basis by the Office of Enrollment Services at Penn State Harrisburg.

July 15th is the expected date for an applicant to have all clearances into the teacher education office. We will consider an application without these clearances incomplete. Additionally, candidates applying after July 15 must provide clearance form receipts showing submission of the forms prior to July 15.

These clearances include the following:

1. FBI Clearance Fingerprint check
2. Act 151 PA Child abuse history clearance
3. Act 34 Request for criminal record check

For more details, please see the clearance information page.

Test Requirements: Applicants must pass required Basic Skills testing prior to formal admission to the program. Review this page to see what tests you need to take.