UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN River Falls

Wyman Education Building 

Educator Preparation Program

Program Completion & Licensing

Professional Licensure


UW-River Falls offers several programs leading to professional licensure within the State of Wisconsin. States vary regarding the professions they require to be licensed and how licensure functions. Some states require an individual to graduate from an approved program. Others require an individual to meet certification requirements of a national organization. A specific amount of training can also be required as well as passage of an examination based on a state requisite exam score. Often, licensed professionals must complete continuing education on an annual basis.

If a student is planning to apply for licensure in a state other than Wisconsin after completion of their program, the student should refer to the information below or contact the other state's appropriate licensing board to determine whether UW-River Falls program meets licensure requirements in that state.

Please note that licensure requirements are always subject to change. Although UW-River Falls will confirm the licensure requirements on a routine basis, we strongly recommend that you inquire with the state board to confirm that you understand and will meet the requirements for licensure before enrolling in your program of choice.

Select programs at UW-River Falls are designed to provide the educational requirements for initial professional licenses in the State of Wisconsin.  For additional information, refer to the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification webpage: Information for Out-of-State Applicants - National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (nasdtec.net)

 

Program Completion

Please refer to the chart below to review the requirements of your program to be considered a "program completer" and eligible for an "institutional endorsement" for licensing.

Program Requirements for program completion and to be eligible for a "University Endorsement" for Licensing  

Undergraduate Teacher Certification

  • Art
  • Agricultural Education
  • Biology
  • Broad Field Social Studies
  • Broad Field Science
  • Chemistry
  • Elementary Education (EC, ECMC, MCEA)
  • English
  • English as a Second Language
  • Health Education
  • Mathematics
  • Music Education
  • Physical Education
  • Spanish
  • Physics
  • Awarded a Bachelor Degree and posted to official transcripts
  • No grade lower than a C in a content course unless previously approved by your department
  • No grade lower than a C in a teaching foundations course or methods course
  • Have an undergraduate cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least a 2.75 (including transfer courses) on a 4.0 scale
  • Successfully completed student teaching with a grade of "S"
  • Demonstrated Content Knowledge as outlined here
  • Programs in EC, ECMC, MCEA Regular Education must have successfully passed the Wisconsin Foundations of Reading Test with a qualifying score of 240
  • Completed your Teacher Certification Portfolio
  • Successfully completed the STPA with a qualifying score of 30
    OR
  • Successfully competed the edTPA with the following qualifying scores:
    • 38 for edTPA handbooks with 15 rubrics
    • 32 for edTPA handbooks with 13 rubrics
    • 45 for edTPA handbooks with 18 rubrics.
  
     

Post Bachelor Initial Teacher Certification

  • K - 9 Elementary Education
  • STEM Teach
  • Agricultural Education
  • TESOL
  • Speech and Language Pathology
  • Completed all content courses as identified by your content department with no grade lower than a C
  • EC -A, Speech and Language Pathology Teacher must have been awarded their Masters Degree and have it posted on official transcripts
  • Completed all Teaching Foundations and Methods courses with no grade lower than a C
  • A cumulative Grade Point Average of a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
  • Successfully completed Student Teaching with a grade of "S"
  • Demonstrated Content Knowledge as outlined here
  • ECMC, regular education  must successfully complete the Wisconsin Foundation of Reading Test with a qualifying score of 240
  • Completed your Teacher Certification Portfolio
  • Successfully completed the STPA with a qualifying score of 30 or higher
    OR
  • Completed[ the edTPA:
    • 38 for edTPA handbooks with 15 rubrics
    • 32 for STPA handbooks with 13 rubrics
    • 45 for STPA handbooks with 18 rubrics.
  

Pupil Services Programs

  • School Counseling
  • School Psychology
  • Awarded advanced degree per program requirements and posted to official transcripts
  • A cumulative Grade Point Average of a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale in the candidate's graduate program.
  • Demonstrated Content Knowledge as outlined here.
  • Successfully competed pupil services portfolio
  

Administration Programs

  • Principal
  • Reading Specialist
  • Director of Instruction
  • Holds or is eligible to hold a tier II, III, IV license in in K - grade 12 or has completed a program which leads to a license to teach in K - grade 12.
  • Holds or is eligible to hold a Tier II, III, or IV license as a school counselor, a school psychologist, or a school social worker or has completed an approved program which leads to one of these licenses.
  • Awarded an advanced degree per program requirements and posted to official transcripts
  • A cumulative Grade Point Average of a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale in the candidate's graduate program.
  • Demonstrated Content Knowledge as outlined here.
  • Successfully competed portfolio
  • PreK - 12 Reading Specialists must complete the Wisconsin Foundations of Teacher Reading Test for an initial administrator license.
  • Completed six semesters of successful classroom experience teaching in any grade
  • The applicant has 6 semesters of successful experience as a school counselor, school psychologist, or a school social worker, and the applicant has at least 540 hours of successful classroom teaching experience.
  

Supplemental Licenses

  • Athletic Coaching
  • Adaptive Physical Education
  • Reading Teacher
  • Holds a Tier II, III, or IV teacher license
  • Completed all coursework required for the license area
  • A cumulative Grade Point Average of a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale in the candidates content area.
  • Successfully completed a certification portfolio
  • EC - A, Adaptive Physical Education candidates are required to hold a Physical Education Teaching license
  • EC-A, Reading Teachers who do not hold a WI teaching life license must complete the Wisconsin Foundations of Teacher Reading Test with a qualifying score of 240
  • EC-A, Reading Teachers are required to have completed two years of regular classroom teaching experience
  

Undergraduate Post Bachelor Degree Initial Licensing Programs

  • Art
  • Agricultural Education
  • Broad Field Social Studies
  • English
  • Health
  • Mathematics
  • Physical Education
  • Spanish
  • Completed all requirements as outlined in the students Memo of Understanding.
  • No grade lower than a C in a content course unless previously approved by your department
  • No grade lower than a C in a teaching foundations course or methods course
  • Have an undergraduate cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least a 2.75 (including transfer courses) on a 4.0 scale
  • Successfully completed student teaching with a grade of "S"
  • Demonstrated Content Knowledge as outlined here
  • Completed your Teacher Certification Portfolio
  • Successfully completed the STPA with a qualifying score of 30
    OR
  • Successfully competed the edTPA with the following qualifying scores:
    • 38 for edTPA handbooks with 15 rubrics
    • 32 for edTPA handbooks with 13 rubrics
    • 45 for edTPA handbooks with 18 rubrics.
  

 

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction no longer accepts paper applications for Wisconsin Educator Licenses.
 

Educators apply for Wisconsin Initial Licenses and Renewal Licenses in teaching, pupil services, administrator, and other license categories using the Educator Licensing Online (ELO) system. ELO allows educators to provide the information, supporting materials, and payment needed for DPI to process their license applications. The system streamlines the application process and allows the applicant to manage their own licensing information, including printing a copy of their license certificate and renewing their licenses when applicable.

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Educator Licensing Online - (ELO) System.  https://elo.wieducatorlicensing.org/

  • If you completed your program between 9/1/2004 and  12/31/2013. Please complete the form at the bottom of the page to request your information be submitted to DPI.

General Information

Carefully read all directions for the specific state and license you are applying for before beginning the application process. 

UWRF State Licence Reciprocity Information

If you have questions about completing the application please contact the college's Certification Officer,  Mr. Tyler Koepke.

 

UW River Falls, Teacher Certification Officer:

Tyler Koepke
Student Services Coordinator 
University of Wisconsin River Falls, College of Education, Business and Allied Health 
410 South 3rd Street
River Falls, WI 54022
tyler.koepke@uwrf.edu
Phone: (715) 425-3708
 

Contact Us

Education Preparation Program
203 Wyman Education Building
Phone: 715-425-3774

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