Teacher Education

Please read the following information: Important GPA/C-Base update

Mission of the Teacher Education Program

The Missouri Southern State University Department of Teacher Education faculty and staff are dedicated to developing competent teachers who will incorporate into their classrooms a strong foundation of knowledge and pedagogy; a lifelong love of teaching and learning; and motivation to improve practice through reflection, self-study, and professional development. It is our goal to assure that all candidates become ethical classroom practitioners, cognizant of the need to help all students meet their full learning potential.

Philosophy Statement of the Teacher Education Program

The Missouri Southern State University Teacher Education faculty and staff realize we live and interact in a diverse and dynamic world. We believe that overall growth and learning is accomplished experimentally, through problem solving, evaluation, and reflection. We believe that the school is a diverse, democratic community, a microcosm of the larger society, so that the process of collaboration, problem solving, and reflection, characterize best practice in education. A new teacher must possess knowledge, skills and dispositions in order to assess problems, devise solutions, test those solutions, and make appropriate education decisions, to create a cyclical process that continually improves the learning environment of every student.

Admission to the Teacher Education Program

The following steps are required for tentative admission into the Teacher Education Program:

Declare your major as teacher education and successfully complete 55 semester hours of prescribed course work.
Submit a faculty recommendation form. (available on Lionet)
Pass all sections of the Missouri C-Base Test with a minimum score of 235. (exempt with BS or BA degree)
Have a cumulative GPA of 2.75 in all course work.
Have a composite ACT enhanced score of 20.
Complete and pass the required criminal background screening.

**See the catalog for requirements for formal admission


The MSSU Teacher Education Program is fully accredited and recognized by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education(DESE).