Teacher Candidacy

The Pennsylvania Department of Education requires that undergraduate students in teacher certification programs meet specific requirements in order to take upper-level education courses. At Kutztown University, we refer to these requirements as teacher candidacy or candidacy. For questions about candidacy, please contact the COE Support Center at COEsupport@kutztown.edu.

Requirements for Candidacy

All of the following requirements must be met for candidacy approval:

  • Minimum 48 credits completed. Can be KU credits and/or transfer credits. 
  • Minimum 3.0 GPA. The KU GPA is used if a student has been at KU for at least one semester. The GPA from a previous institution is used for students transferring in 48+ credits who do not have an established KU GPA.
  • A grade of C or higher in the following courses:
    • 1 English composition course
    • 1 English literature course (see qualifying courses below)
    • 2 Math courses
  • Qualifying literature courses
    Subject Number Course Title Gen Ed Category
    ENGL 101 World Literature I D
    ENGL 102 World Literature II  B
    ENGL 105 Experiences in American Literature B
    ENGL 106 Experiences in British Literature D
    ENGL 109 Rebel Hearts: Explorations of Irish Literature D
    ENGL 110 Introduction to Literature D
    ENGL 116 Weird Fictions: Ten Cent Plagues, Video Nasties, and Other (Un-) Popular Cultures D
    ENGL 126 American Sports & Contemporary Texts A4
    ENGL 127 Current Themes in English: Ghost Stories D
    ENGL 132 Contemporary Gay and Lesbian Literature D
    ENGL 137 Experiences in African American Literature
    ENGL 141 Literature and Film D
    ENGL 142 Gothic Literature D
    ENGL 145 The Fairy Tale B
    ENGL 155 Disabilities and Literature B
    ENGL 171 Friendship in Western Cultural Texts A4
    ENGL 175 Archetypal Women in Myth and Literature D
    ENGL 223 Games and Literature A4
    ENGL 229 Literature and Psychology B
    ENGL 238 African Diasporic Literature
    ENGL 244 Nineteenth Century Studies: Prose 1840-1890
    ENGL 249 Edgar Allan Poe: Gothic Horror, Detective Fiction, & Journalism D
    ENGL 254 German Literature in English Translation II
    ENGL 271 Native American Writing and Rhetoric B
    ENGL 272 Women and Violence in Contemporary World Texts
    ENGL 274 Women, Writing, and Rhetoric
    ENGL 278 Women Writers Around the World
    ENGL 317 From Science to Séance: Pseudoscience & Spiritualism in 19th Century Literature
    ENGL 323 Native American Women Writers
    ENGL 331 Shakespeare's Earlier Plays
    ENGL 332 Shakespeare's Later Plays
    ENGL 339 New Media, Story, Change
    ENGL 340 Romantic Movements
    ENGL 341 Introduction to Afro-Caribbean Literature
    ENGL 368 Postmodernism

Notes:

  • A course towards candidacy must receive a grade of C or higher. A C- grade cannot count.
  • Any two math courses can count toward candidacy. However, be sure to check for any math requirements that are specific to your major. For example, some majors require two math courses numbered 17 or higher. See your major's checksheet for details.
  • The above list of qualifying literature courses consists of ones commonly or recently offered at KU, but it is not an exhaustive list. The general rule is that any course with the word "literature" in its title and/or course description can count.
  • Some literature courses can double-count towards Gen Ed requirements. See the above list.
  • The COE Support Center reviews students for candidacy each semester after grades are posted.