Application for the Professional Semester must be filed with the School of Education during the designated spring semester prior to the term in which the student plans to student teach. Students must have been accepted into the teacher education program. General criteria for acceptance into the Professional Semester are the following:
- Senior standing as determined at Bellarmine University by satisfactory completion of 90 or more semester hours of course work.
- Required number of field experiences, and satisfactory completion of those experiences.
- Acceptable academic requirements including:
- Mandatory meeting(s) with education advisor at least once per semester.
- A minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.75.
- A minimum grade point average of 2.75 in the teaching major content area(s).
- A minimum grade point average of 2.75 in professional education courses, with a minimum grade of B- in all professional education courses.
- Completion of three-fourths of all required professional Education courses with an academic standing of at least B- in each course (with an overall grade point average of 2.75 in education courses).
- Completion of at least three-fourths of the course work for the teaching major and/or all of the course work.
- Approval of the Teacher Education faculty. This decision is based upon evidence that the student demonstrates maturity, interpersonal and communication skills, and the attitudes, dispositions, knowledge, competence and judgment necessary to be an effective teacher.
- Appropriate teacher dispositions as delineated by the School of Education.