Individuals entering the program must meet the minimum requirements of the Academic Affairs Division of Global, Interprofessional, and Specialized Programming (see Admissions Requirements) and the Pennsylvania Department of Education requirements, which must be met for certification in Pennsylvania. These requirements depend upon whether the individual already holds a teaching certificate in another area, or wishes to earn his or her initial certificate. Those applicants who enter the program without any teaching certificate are considered “initial certificate” applicants. Those applicants who enter with an additional certificate already in hand are considered “advanced certificate” applicants.
In order to obtain a Pennsylvania certificate as a TVI, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has established requirements (listed below) for teacher certification in visual impairment.
A candidate who does not hold a teaching certificate in the Commonwealth is considered an applicant for Initial Certification.
A candidate who already holds a teaching certificate is considered an applicant for Advanced Certification.
Candidates for both initial and advanced certification must have an undergraduate degree with a minimum GPA of 3.0.
Upon completion of the program, Pennsylvania requires that the applicant take the appropriate PRAXIS 2 examination in Visual Impairments. These change from time to time and should be verified with the Educational Testing Service as to requirements in Pennsylvania at the time of completion of the program. Students who reside in another state must follow that state’s requirements for licensure and certification.
Applicants to the Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments program must submit copies of current state and federal background clearances at the time of application to the program.
Applicants who do not have certification in Special Education may have to take additional courses to obtain their master’s degree or certification.