Entry to Major Requirements:
Entry to the English major requires a 2.00 or higher cumulative grade-point average.

Special Admissions Information

Applicants should have completed most of their first two years of college with a cumulative grade-point average to meet or exceed the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s required minimum GPA of 3.0 (4.0 scale).  In addition, students must have a grade of "C" or better in six credits of college-level mathematics (MATH or STAT prefixes), three credits of college-level English literature, and three credits of English composition.

Candidates for the Teacher Education program must submit scores on any entrance testing requirements set out by the Pennsylvania Department of Education in force at the time of scheduling Teacher Education courses. Information about those tests and the qualifying scores is available by contacting the Teacher Education Certification Officer, Ms. Emily Lentz.

Students must also complete a minimum of 20 hours of prior work/observation experience (paid or volunteer) in an educational setting serving adolescents (ages 12-18), which could include public or private school classrooms, volunteer tutoring, summer camps, and other community youth programs. Documentation of the 20 hours of experience should be provided using the Pre-Major Observation Form and submitted to the Teacher Education Office in W331 Olmsted.

The Office of Enrollment Services at Penn State Harrisburg is responsible for evaluating prior college work.

Students accepted into the Teacher Education Program must show the certified results of “no record” from these clearances before being allowed to enter schools for observation and student teaching:

  • FBI Clearance Fingerprint check
  • Act 151 PA Child abuse history clearance
  • Act 34 Request for criminal record check

Please read the clearance information page for more details about the required clearances

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.