June, 2006

Dear Prospective Fall 2006 Interns:

As the Fall 2006 teaching internship nears, please note the pertinent information below relevant to starting and completing the internship year successfully.   If you are no longer planning to pursue the teacher certification program at Michigan State University or you are delaying your teaching internship, please communicate this intention to your teacher education team and to the Student Affairs Office, 134 Erickson Hall . If you intend to start your internship Fall 2006, please read the remainder of this letter for important information.   For a review of the complete standards that must be fulfilled prior to starting the internship, see the " Criteria for Progression to the Internship year" at  

http://ed-web3.educ.msu.edu/te/ele/criteria.htm

ADMISSION AND ENROLLMENT INFORMATION FOR THE FALL 2006 INTERNSHIP:

If you have not yet done so, apply for admission to MSU for Fall 2006, as a "Graduate Certification: Teacher Certification Intern Year" student. Graduate Certification students (enrollment level: GC) receive a special enrollment code that identifies them as part of the Teacher Certification Internship Year (TCIY) program. Graduate Certification applications for the TCIY admission status are available in 134 Erickson Hall or through your Teacher Education team.   Return the completed application to 134 Erickson for timely processing. If you were planning to apply for a graduate (masters) program for the internship year, check with the graduate department to which you are applying to find out about their application procedure and deadlines.   Most graduate programs had deadlines in February or March for Fall admission . Note that all prospective interns should apply for and be enrolled under the Graduate Certification (GC): TCIY status, even if they are dually enrolled in a masters program.   Contact Joella Cogan, head advisor, in 134 Erickson Hall if you have questions regarding your enrollment status for the internship year.

Enrollment for Internship Year Credits : You may enroll for the internship courses after your degree has been conferred in May or in the Summer. When you enroll, you will be able to register for both Fall 2006 (TE 501, 801 and 802) and Spring 2007 (TE 502, 803 and 804) classes. ASC and Music majors should consult with their major departments for appropriate course sequences.

Special Education students should register for TE 501 and the special education (CEP) versions of 801, 802, 502, 803 and 804. See the special education website for the CEP course numbers.

Tuition Rates for the Internship Year: Students who are coded in the Graduate Certification: Teacher Certification Internship Year (TCIY) status pay at the blended rate established by the Board of Trustees. The blended rate is calculated at the rate of one-half upper level undergraduate tuition plus one-half graduate tuition per credit, plus fees (but no taxes). In 2005 - 2006 the blended rate for 12 credits was $3,912 including fees (in-state) and $7,214 including fees (out-of-state). The tuition rates will increase for the 2006-2007 academic year. Students who have been admitted to graduate (masters) programs and are dually enrolled in the GC: TCIY level appropriate for interns pay the tuition rate plus fees established for the internship year.

Internship year and graduate credits: The internship year involves classroom observing and teaching experience (TE 501 and TE 502), as well as graduate level seminar courses (TE 801, 802, 803, and 804). The TE 801-804 classes (or the CEP versions for Special Education majors) are graduate courses and may be applied to various masters programs in the College of Education at MSU or at other institutions with the approval of the faculty advisor or masters committee .   Generally, 1-3 of these courses may be accepted toward education-related graduate programs at MSU if the candidate is approved for admission.   Note that admission to graduate programs requires a separate application and is competitive, with no guarantee of admission.   Students must meet all deadlines and requirements for the graduate program to which they apply. There is generally a 5 year time limit on completing any MSU masters program and the "clock starts ticking" with the first class taken (potentially during the internship year) which is later counted toward the masters program.

FINANCIAL AID:

Students who are coded as Graduate Certification: Teacher Certification Internship Year (TCIY) are eligible for aid as post-baccalaureate, graduate-professional students, utilizing the graduate level financial aid limits. Such students are not eligible for federal and state grants that are restricted to first time undergraduates. Graduate Certification: TCIY students may qualify for a variety of need-based awards including the subsidized Stafford Loan up to the graduate level maximum of $8500 annually, (2005 - 2006 limit) and the MSU Student Aid Grant (SAG). Graduate Certification: TCIY students do not qualify for Federal Pell grants, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity grants, Michigan Competitive Scholarships or for Michigan Educational Opportunity grants. See the following website for detailed information about financial aid for the internship year: http://www.finaid.msu.edu/teachcrt.asp .   Note that students must be coded at the graduate (masters) level to receive graduate assistantships or EOP Fellowships.

Students with financial need are encouraged to meet with a staff member in the Financial Aid Office, Room 259 Student Services Building, (phone: 353-5940) to determine the impact of their student level on financial aid eligibility.

ACADEMIC STANDARDS:

Be aware that for Graduate Certification: Teacher Certification Internship Year students or graduate students, the University holds to higher academic standards than for undergraduate students. Specifically, students must earn a 2.0 or higher in each course in order to earn credit for the course. A grade below a 2.0 is considered a failing grade for the internship. Furthermore, to be considered in "good standing", students must maintain a 3.0 grade point average each semester.

CONCLUSION:

Contact an advisor in 134 Erickson Hall if you have questions about any of these requirements. Note that the Graduate Certification application (for the Teacher Certification Intern Year enrollment status) and the Conviction Disclosure Form must be filled out and returned to 134 Erickson Hall ASAP if you have not already done so.

Sincerely,

Joella S. Cogan
Head Advisor, Teacher Certification
517 353 9680, coganj@msu.edu