Isabelle Farrington College of Education
JAMES “JIM” C. CARL, PhD
Dean
Phone: 203-365-4787
Fax: 203-365-7513
E-mail: carlj@sacredheart.edu
Mission
The faculty of the Isabelle Farrington College of Education at Sacred Heart University prepare “men and women to live in and make their contributions to the human community.” Our primary purpose is to develop the capacities, talents, and abilities of our teacher candidates through an integration of theory and practice in a performance-based program. Our candidates at initial and advanced levels possess the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to facilitate the learning of all students. The overarching theme of our conceptual framework is “Promoting a Culture of Excellence in a Changing World,” based on our belief that a culture of excellence is promoted through four underlying principles: the educational practitioner possesses a comprehensive, integrated, and context-dependent professional knowledge base; utilizes natural and acquired personal and professional skills; cultivates and consistently demonstrates professional dispositions and commitments; and is responsive to cultural and technological influences that effect change in the educational environment. The Farrington College of Education is committed to meeting the highest state and national standards for educator preparation. All degrees and certifications are approved by the Connecticut State Department of Education. The College follows state and national guidelines in all of its programs.
Horizons at SHU
JEFFREY RUMPF, MS
Executive Director
Horizons at Sacred Heart University is an affiliate of Horizons National, an organization that provides academic and cultural support to underserved children in urban areas. Horizons at SHU serves children and youth from the City of Bridgeport with the purpose of narrowing the academic achievement gap between city and suburban students. The program’s mission is to create a dynamic learning environment during the summer and on Saturdays during the school year. The children spend their time honing their literacy and math skills as well as enjoying cultural activities such as swimming, violin and guitar instruction, dance and gymnastics, gardening, science experimentation, martial arts, and more.
Graduate Education Certificate Programs
- Initial Teacher Preparation: Elementary (005) Certification
- Initial Teacher Preparation: Secondary English (015) Certification
- Initial Teacher Preparation: Secondary Math (029) Certification
- Initial Teacher Preparation: Secondary General Science (034) Certification
- Initial Teacher Preparation: Secondary Biology (030) Certification
- Initial Teacher Preparation: Secondary Chemistry (031) Certification
- Initial Teacher Preparation: Secondary Social Studies (026) Certification
- Initial Teacher Preparation: Secondary Spanish (023) Certification
- Adult TESOL (088) Certification
- Cross-Endorsement in Comprehensive Special Education K–12 (165) Certification
- Intermediate Administrator (092) Certification
- Reading and Language Arts Consultant (097) Certification
- Remedial Reading and Remedial Language Arts (102) Certification
- Speech-Language Pathologist (061) Certification
Graduate Education Degree Programs
- Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT)
- Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS): Administration (Sixth-Year Degree)
- Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS): Literacy Specialist (Sixth-Year Degree)
Application Requirements
Advanced Degree Programs (MAT, CAS in Administration, CAS in Literacy, and CAS in Teaching)
All applicants to graduate programs in Education must meet the same admissions standards as certification candidates, unless they hold a current teacher’s certificate.
Initial Certification Programs
Candidates must meet the following entrance requirements:
- Complete online graduation application form
- Complete Applicant Statement of Understanding
- Present transcripts demonstrating an undergraduate GPA of at least 2.67
- Pass the Core Academic Skills for Educators exam or qualify for Connecticut Department of Education waiver
- Provide evidence of having submitted a current state and national criminal history background check
- Present an essay (1–2 pages) discussing a recent experience interacting with children and/or youth and how this experience relates to expectations for a teaching career
- Meet with faculty advisor to complete a transcript review and preliminary plan of study
Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT)
Admission requirements for the MAT are the same as admission requirements to the initial teacher certification programs, with the following exceptions: for those who already hold teaching certification, upon presentation of the certificate, requirements for the Core Academic Skills for Educators Exam are waived; and for those who are not seeking teaching certification, an MAT-only agreement must be signed. All other requirements are the same as for initial certification.
Intermediate Administrator (092) Certification and CAS in Administration
To be eligible for admission, the candidate must meet these requirements:
- Hold a master’s degree from a regionally accredited institution with a minimum GPA of 3.0
- Hold or be eligible for a Connecticut teaching certificate
- Have completed five years of teaching experience before applying for certification
- Have completed a course in special education (at least 36 hours) before applying for certification
- Provide evidence of having submitted a current state and national criminal history background check
- Provide a résumé
- Complete an Applicant Statement of Understanding
- Complete a case study essay
- Meet with faculty to complete a preliminary plan of study
Remedial Reading and Remedial Language Arts (102) Certification, Reading and Language Arts Consultant (097) Certification, and CAS in Literacy
To be eligible for admission, the candidate must meet these requirements:
- Hold a master’s degree from a regionally accredited institution with a minimum GPA of 3.0
- Hold or be eligible for a Connecticut teaching certificate
- Have completed 30 months of teaching experience before applying for certification
- Have completed a course in special education (at least 36 hours) before applying for certification.
- All candidates for reading certification must earn a minimum of 12 credits from Sacred Heart University to be eligible for certification recommendation
- Provide evidence of having submitted a current state and national criminal history background check
- Provide a résumé
- Complete an Applicant Statement of Understanding
- Meet with faculty to complete a preliminary plan of study
Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS): Teaching (Sixth-Year Degree)
This certificate focuses on special education. To be eligible for admission, the candidate must meet these requirements:
- Hold a master’s degree from a regionally accredited institution with a minimum GPA of 3.0
- Hold or be eligible for a Connecticut teaching certificate
- Have completed 30 months of teaching experience before applying for certification
- Provide evidence of having submitted a current state and national criminal history background check
GPA Guidelines
Candidates applying to a graduate teacher certification program must hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution of higher education and have a minimum undergraduate cumulative GPA of 2.67 (with the exception of the Intermediate Administrator Certification, Remedial Reading and Remedial Language Arts Certification, and Reading and Language Arts Consultant Certification, all of which require a 3.0 GPA, as outlined in the previous section). Graduate candidates who apply for entrance into the Intermediate Administrator Certification program must hold or be eligible for a Connecticut teaching certificate and hold a master’s degree from an approved institution having achieved at least a 3.0 GPA. Applicants for entrance into the Remedial Reading and Remedial Language Arts Certification program must hold or be eligible for a Connecticut teaching certificate.
GPA Waiver
Graduate applicants who apply for admission to a certification program but who do not qualify because their undergraduate cumulative average falls below a 2.67 may ask for consideration under the Farrington College of Education’s GPA Waiver Policy. To qualify for consideration for a GPA waiver, applicants must submit materials (transcripts, letters of recommendation, personal statements of extenuating circumstances, and other relevant information) to the GPA Waiver Committee. The committee may then recommend the following to the chair:
- waive the 2.67 GPA requirement;
- reject the request; or
- invite the candidate to take a specified number of undergraduate courses as described below.
Candidates who choose to take additional coursework must demonstrate “B” level achievement in the courses, and upon completion of the courses, reapply for a waiver. The waiver policy on additional coursework is as follows:
All courses required for achieving an acceptable standing for a GPA waiver must be from the following disciplines: English literature, history, mathematics, social sciences, natural sciences, linguistics, philosophy, and religious studies. All courses must be taken at the junior level or higher.
Courses selected for fulfilling the cognate area requirement must be approved in writing on the GPA Waiver Course Approval Form before the courses are taken. Copies should be given to the candidate and placed in the candidate’s file.
All courses required for achieving acceptable standing for the GPA waiver must be taken at accredited four-year colleges and universities.
To achieve acceptable standing and further consideration for a waiver, the candidate must earn a minimum grade point average of 3.0 or better.
Registration Limits
The graduate Education program offers courses during the following terms: Fall and Spring semesters, Summers I and II, and intensive sessions (late spring and winter). To ensure appropriate academic standards, permit field experience, and facilitate reflective engagement in the education process—and recognizing that most of our graduate candidates are fully engaged in internship or other work responsibilities—the Farrington College of Education has established parameters for appropriate courseloads during these terms. A graduate candidate is permitted to take three 3-credit courses in each 13-week term, two 3-credit courses in each 6-week term, and one 3-credit course in each intensive session. Permission to take more than these limits may be given by Dean of the College of Education after receipt of written request.
Transfer Guidelines
A candidate may request to transfer up to 6 graduate credits of coursework completed at another regionally accredited university. Only graduate-level courses in which a candidate has received a grade of B or better and that were earned within six years prior to the request and are not part of a previously earned degree will be considered. Transfer of credits to apply to a planned program of study leading to recommendation for certification may occur when an institution whose planned program is similarly approved or which otherwise meets the particular learning objectives and assessments required by the Sacred Heart University planned program. Requests for transfer of credit should be made to the Dean of the College of Education in writing and should be accompanied by official transcripts and supporting documentation (e.g., catalog descriptions or syllabi).
Application for Degree Completion
All candidates for graduate degrees are required to complete an online application for graduation via WebAdvisor.