Alternative Certification Program

Typically, the program takes one calendar year to complete. For students in the regular education program, there are six one-hour-credit courses to take. For those in the special education program, there are four courses (three one-hour-credit and one three-hour-credit). For those in the autism program, you complete the special education program, along with two other three-hour-credit courses.

The schedule is on a one-year rotation. You will complete registration forms each semester, along with a Memo of Understanding that you will pay for the courses after the semester. The schedule is not available on the Marshall website, as these courses are only available for those in the alternative certification program.

We try our best to offer one course at a time, whenever possible. We don’t want to overload you since you are beginning a new career and taking graduate level courses at the same time. You will typically take one eight-week course in the first half of a semester, and a second eight-week course in the second half of the semester for fall and spring. For summer, we offer one course in the Summer II semester and one course in the Summer III semester, which do not overlap.

You can begin the program in the spring, fall, or summer semesters. You should still finish the program in one year.

Yes, we send you the registration forms and Memo of Understanding form about 4-6 weeks before the semester begins. The deadline will be in the email before the semester begins to send in those forms. That window gives us enough time to solve any problems that may occur during the registration process.

If you apply after the deadline, you just start the program in the next semester. This should not affect your employment, but check with your county of employment for verification.
If you send in the registration and Memo of Understanding forms after the deadline, you will need to wait a year until those courses are offered again on the schedule. You will need to discuss missing the deadline with your respective county to determine if it affects your employment.

No. Due to an agreement with the SESC, students in the alternative certification program receive a substantial discount on tuition which makes it ineligible for financial aid.

Yes. All of the courses in the program are completely online. For those who take CIRG 644, there are mandatory online meetings in the evening hours. The others are asynchronous.

Yes, you can transfer to the MA in Education program, with an Individualized Plan of Study area of emphasis. You can transfer courses in blocks of three to get a head start on finishing the MA program. For example, three one-hour credit courses would equal one three-hour credit requirement for the MA program. After finishing the alternative certification program, the MA courses would cost regular tuition. The MA program is eligible for financial aid after you finish the alternative certification program.

Usually not. The West Virginia Department of Education decides which courses are acceptable for the teacher licensure and usually do not allow transfer credits.

No, the alternative certification program is not a degree program. It is a West Virginia Department of Education program, with the courses offered through Marshall University.

There’s not an actual certificate once you complete the program. If you need a transcript, you can contact the Registrars’ Office.

Since the courses are not part of the regular Marshall University courses, the textbooks can typically be found on Amazon, eBay, or other bookseller websites.