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Frequently Asked Questions

Admission Requirements

Teacher Assistant Program (TAP) Eligibility Information

If you are employed as a full-time Teacher Assistant in a public or private school accredited by the State Department of Education in the state where the school district is located, you may qualify for our program. The following information is provided to clarify eligibility based on your employment:

• Must be employed full-time as a Teacher Assistant in a general education, k-6 classroom at an approved school.
• If you are employed as a Teacher Assistant in any setting other than a k-6 elementary education classroom, you are not eligible for TAP.  Ineligible placements include, but are not limited to, special education, inclusion, middle school or high school, computer laboratory, library, physical education, music, and art.
• If you are employed as a Teacher Assistant in a state other than Mississippi, you will be responsible for verifying that your program of study meets your state’s licensure requirements.  Our programs are designed to meet licensure requirements in the State of Mississippi.  We do not guarantee to meet the licensure requirements of other states.  If you need assistance in verifying that your program of study meets your desired state’s licensure requirements, please contact Jennifer Wild.
• USM teacher candidates in good academic standing who wish to transition between the TAP and traditional program may join either program at any time throughout their course of study as long as all program and university requirements are satisfied and departmental consent is granted.  Typically these decisions should be made before the university drop date.
• Your principal or official designee must verify your employment as a full-time Teacher’s Assistant in a k-6 classroom annually by sending a letter on school letterhead to Michelle Dawson at michelle.dawson@usm.edu.  The letter must contain the following information:  student id number, district name, academic year, and your position with grade placement.
• Prior to being admitted, discuss your goals with your principal to obtain support and to clarify expectations for your clinical labs and student teaching experiences.

FRESHMAN ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS 

 Students planning to enter the university as freshmen must complete the College Preparatory Curriculum (CPC) listed below and submit a composite ACT or combined SAT (verbal/quantitative) score. Please note that the writing components of the ACT and SAT are not used in evaluation for admission. Full admission will be granted to the following: 

1. All students completing the College Preparatory Curriculum (CPC) with a minimum of a 3.2 high school GPA on the CPC and a submitted ACT (composite) or SAT score 
2. All students completing the College Preparatory Curriculum (CPC) with a minimum of a 2.5 high school GPA on the CPC or a class rank in the top 50 percent, as well as a score of 16 or higher on the ACT (composite) or a combined score of *770 or higher in critical reading and math on the SAT 
3. All students completing the College Preparatory Curriculum (CPC) with a minimum of 2.0 high school GPA on the CPC and a score of 18 or higher on the ACT (composite) or a combined score of *860 or higher in critical reading and math on the SAT 
4. Students who satisfy the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) standards for student-athletes who are full qualifiers under Division I guidelines 

*Based on any SAT taken before March 2016 

The University of Southern Mississippi accepts scores from both the old SAT (any SAT taken before March 2016) and the newly redesigned SAT. If you have taken the SAT after March 1, 2016, use College Board’s SAT Score Converter to compare your SAT scores to old SAT scores. 

TRANSFER ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS 

 A transfer applicant can be admitted to Southern Miss through several different routes.  Please note that admission to some academic programs may require students to meet additional requirements. 

Students must have either an associate degree intended for transfer from a regionally accredited institution or have completed the 30 semester hours of designated coursework outlined below with a minimum 2.0 cumulative grade point average for admission. 

• 6 semester hours of English Composition (English Composition I and II) 

• 3 semester hours of mathematics (college algebra, quantitative reasoning, or higher mathematics) 
• 6 semester hours of natural science (courses must be laboratory-based, with the lecture courses accompanied by the respective lab course) 
• 9 semester hours of humanities and fine arts (common examples of acceptable coursework are history, philosophy, religion, world literature, art, music) 
• 6 semester hours of social or behavioral sciences (common examples of acceptable coursework are anthropology, geography, sociology, psychology, social work) 

ADMISSION THROUGH FRESHMAN REQUIREMENTS 

Students must meet freshman admission requirements and have earned a minimum 2.0 cumulative college grade point average for admission. Please note that transfer students admitted through this route must submit transcripts from all colleges/universities attended after high school and that transfer credits will be applied toward their degree at Southern Miss.  

CONDITIONAL ADMISSION THROUGH ADULT STATUS 

An applicant who is at least 21 years old and does not meet any other admission requirements may apply for admission as a non-degree-seeking student, which is commonly referred to as the conditional status.  Students seeking admission through this route must have a minimum cumulative college grade point average of 2.0. Students with this status may enroll in no more than 12 semester hours and must a minimum 2.0 grade point average during the first 12 hours of enrollment at the university.  Once these requirements are satisfactorily met, all restrictions are lifted and the student is considered degree-seeking.  Students admitted on this status may experience financial aid restrictions, including Pell Grant ineligibility. Once conditional status requirements are satisfied, all financial aid restrictions will be lifted.

GoldCard

To receive your GoldCard, you must meet the following criteria:

• GPA of 2.75 or better on the 44 hour core coursework
• ACT composite of 21 or higher with no scale score below 18
  • OR an SAT of 860 (verbal and quantitative) upon entrance into college
  • OR -PRAXIS Core info:Reading- recommended passing score is 31 out of possible raw-score points. The scaled score associated with raw score of 31 is 156 on 100-200 scale.Writing- recommended passing score is 44 out of possible 70 raw-score points. 44 is 162 on 100-200 scale.Math- recommended passing score is 29 out of 50 raw score points. 29 is 150 on 100-200 scale.The new tests are titled “Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators”. The codes are Reading (5712), Writing (5722) and Mathematics (5732) and these tests are computer based.
    • www.ets.org
    • Please keep a copy of your PRAXIS scores for your record
• TK20 Subscription
  • The Professional Education policy at Southern Miss requires all teacher education candidates to subscribe to the Tk20 Assessment System, an electronic portfolio and storage system for teacher candidates which tracks, stores, retrieves, and analyzes candidate data to maintain program excellence for accreditation. The subscription will be active for seven (7) years from the date of purchase. Two options for payment are:
  • A one-time subscription payable through the Tk20 Web site (https://usm.tk20.com) using a debit or credit card.
  • The purchase of an access kit from the University Bookstore at an increased price which may be charged to your student account.
  • Any questions regarding to TK20 access or any technical problems, contact Dr. Debbie Stoulig, Coordinator of NCATE Assessment, at 601-266-4539 or email: Deborah.Stoulig@usm.edu.