Planned Fifth-Year Program in Teacher Education

The purpose of the planned Fifth-Year program in teacher education is to provide an opportunity for candidates to further their own professional growth and career goals through planning processes and guidelines which allow for maximum flexibility and increased autonomy by candidates in program design. Candidates professional development goals may relate to:

  1. extending and refining their cognitive background and skills related to their current professional assignment,
  2. seeking improvement and/or modification in their professional career status (concept of career ladders) within a teaching staff or institution, or
  3. seeking an additional endorsement or advanced certification. Prospective candidates must:
  4. Possess a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution.
  5. Meet standard certification requirements in the area and at the level of their planned Fifth-Year program.
  6. Apply for admission to graduate study.
  7. Seek an advisor/sponsor as soon as possible, preferably at the time of application for admission to graduate study.
  8. Establish, with the advisor, a proposal for the planned Fifth-Year program that reflects the candidate's professional development goals and/or career ladder goals.
  9. Work with the advisor to submit the proposal to the proper department chair and gain approval of the proposal.
Requirements of the Planned Fifth-Year Program

  1. A minimum of 30 semester credits. At least 2/3 of the credits included in the program must be graduate level course work (500 and/or 600 level).
  2. A minimum of 15 semester credits to be taken following approval of the planned Fifth-Year program proposal.
  3. A maximum of 1/3 of the credits may be taken as undergraduate course work.
  4. A maximum of 10 credits of EDUC 397-597 courses may be used.
  5. A maximum allowance of 9 semester credit hours of transfer work (graduate transfer credits must meet requirements of the Graduate School).
  6. All course work must be completed with and eight-year period.
  7. The candidate must maintain an overall grade point average of 3.00 in the planned Fifth-Year program course work with a maximum of five credits of "C" allowed.
During the semester in which a candidate will complete all planned Fifth-Year program requirements, the candidate will apply for graduation.

The advisor, in consort with the candidate, will initiate a written recommendation to the department chair who will in turn transmit a recommendation to the Dean of the College of Education for issuance of the planned Fifth-Year program certificate.

The candidate is responsible for initiating any application to the Idaho State Department of Education for certification stemming from completion of the planned Fifth-Year program in teacher education.