Application Process
(Please contact the Office of Extension and Distance Education about applying for a new cohort. The application for admission for each off-campus cohort is made available only at selected times, and the application must be submitted directly to the Office of Extension and Distance Education. [At this time, the application for admission should not be submitted via Appalachian's online form.])

Part I: Admission to the University

Individuals seeking to enter an off-campus undergraduate program must present at least 30 semester hours of transferable work prior to entering the program. Transfer students are accepted based upon successful completion of college transferable credits. A cumulative grade point average of 2.0 (as calculated by Appalachian) on all transferable coursework taken within the three previous years is required to be admitted. All grades earned in transferable courses within the last three years, including repeated courses, are used in calculating the grade point average. (College course work taken in excess of three years ago will be considered for transfer, but the grades in this coursework are not used in determining the cumulative gpa for admission purposes.)

Students less than 24 years of age who have not completed the high school Minimum Course Requirements (MCR) must earn an Associate in Arts or Associate in Science degree or complete 6 semester hours in each of the following college level areas: English, math, science, and social sciences. Two units of a second language will be required of applicants who are high school graduates of 2004 and beyond.

For off-campus programs which fill early, applicants will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis according to the date the application and all supporting documents are received. For off-campus teacher-education programs priority consideration for admission will be offered an applicant who applies by the cohort application deadline and has successfully completed PRAXIS I.

Part II: Admission to Teacher Education

By the end of the first four terms of the off-campus program students must be admitted to teacher education. Admission into teacher education requires the student:

1. Complete of at least 45 semester hours of coursework

2. Earn a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.50 on Appalachian work; at least 15 semester hours of Appalachian course work must be presented at the time of consideration (and teacher education majors must maintain the 2.50 minimum gpa thereafter)

3. Attain acceptable scores on PRAXIS I, as set by the NC State Department of Public Instruction (i.e., reading = 176, writing = 173, math = 173)

4. Complete the Candidate for Professional Licensure (CPL)

5. Complete CI/SPE 2800 and ENG 1000 (or its equivalent) with a grad of "C" or better

6. Complete the speech clinical assessment

7. Ensure declaration of appropriate academic concentration/s

Career Options

Graduates of Appalachian's B-K program are currently employed in a variety of settings, both publicly funded and privately sponsored. They work with infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and older children. Some graduates work exclusively with children who have disabilities or developmental delays; some work in classrooms with children who are developing typically; many work in inclusive settings. Some of our graduates do not work directly with children at all; they coordinate research or provide support services for parents and child care professionals. Here is a partial list of job titles among our B-K alumni:

• Public School Teacher (Kindergarten, Pre-K)
• Family Counselor
• Early Head Start Teacher (Infant-Toddler)
• Special Education Teacher (Infant-Toddler)
• Preschool Handicap-Itinerant Teacher
• Infant Specialist-Developmental Day Center
• Parent-to-Parent Coordinator
• Provider Specialist, Child Care Resource and Referral Agency
• Coordinator, Family Resource Programs
• Early Interventionist
• Parenting Educator
• Education Specialist, Mental Health Agency
• Research Coordinator

B-K graduates with "A" licensure are, also, eligible to pursue graduate degrees in not only B-K but also elementary education or middle grades education. For more information about career opportunities contact:

Dr. Patricia Hearron, Coordinator of Appalachian's Birth through Kindergarten Program