In addition to having at least a bachelors degree and passing all mandated testing requirements, ARC applicants must meet the following coursework requirements prior to being considered for admission. All courses must be from regionally accredited colleges or universities.

Secondary School Subjects, Grades 7-12

A subject area major in the appropriate area of study (mathematics, biology, earth science, physics, chemistry, English) OR 30 semester hours of credit in the subject or a closely related subject (except for general science which requires 39 semester hours).

The following areas have specific requirements:

English applicants must present courses in composition, American literature and British or world literature. No more than nine semester hours of credit in the related areas of drama/theatre, speech and/or mass communication may be applied toward the 30 credit hour requirement.

General Science applicants must present a total of 39 semester hours of science credit which includes at least one course in each of the following areas: biology, chemistry, physics and earth science. General science applicants must also have a minimum of 12 credits in at least one of the four science areas.

Mathematics applicants must have earned a minimum of three semester hours of credit in calculus and three semester hours of statistics, or a related course of study.

Note: Engineering, accounting and finance majors must present a minimum of 21 semester hours of credit in mathematics courses along with a maximum of nine hours of related courses which can be applied toward the 30 credit requirement. ARC staff determines whether the related courses will be accepted toward the credit requirement.

Pre-K-12 Family and Consumer Science, Music, Technology Education and K-12 World Languages

Applicants for these specialized areas of study must present a related major in the subject area or a minimum of 30 semester hours of related credit in the subject area.

The following are guidelines to help meet requirements in certain areas:

Music applicants must present a minimum of 30 semester hours of credit in music studies.

World Language applicants who do not have a degree in the language to be taught must have 24 semester hours of college credit in the language(s) if the course of language study began with a course at the intermediate level. If the course of study began with a course at a level higher than intermediate, only 18 semester hours of college credit in the language are required. If the first courses of language study were at the introductory or elementary level, a total of 30 credits are required.

Applicants who do not have the required credits may be eligible for consideration for admission if they have taken the Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) and the Writing Proficiency Test (WPT), examinations administered by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) and have achieved a score of “advanced-mid” or better. Native speakers of languages other than English often use the OPI and WPT exam results to establish their eligibility for the Program. For more information on the OPI and WPT, see page 14.

The following are specific course requirements for these subjects, and these courses will count toward the 30 semester hour requirement:

Family and Consumer Science (FCS) prepares middle and high school students to be healthy members of the family, community, workforce, and global society. Integral components of FCS instruction include child growth and development, consumer behavior, nutrition and wellness, and personal as well as home enhancement. At the high school level, FCS programs equip students with skills for leading productive lives and for pursuing careers in teaching, culinary arts and hospitality, human services, and early childhood education.

As part of the required 30 content credits, ARC applicants need an accredited college or university course in each of the following content areas: 1) nutrition, 2) food preparation, 3) child or human development, 4) personal finance or financial planning, and 5) textile design or interior design or clothing construction. These courses will count toward the 30 credit requirement for admission. An applicant may be admitted to ARC missing courses in up to three of the content areas, but the courses must be passed before the student can complete the ARC Program.

However, a course from a college or occupational school that is not accredited, or life/work experiences might be accepted in lieu of a course requirement for the following areas: 1) food preparation, 2) personal finance or financial planning, and 3) textile design or interior design or clothing construction. Individuals wishing to request a waiver of a content-specific requirement must do so as part of the online application, and the decision on a waiver request rests with the Program Specialists. Note that a course waiver or a life/work experience waiver will not count toward the 30 content credit requirement for ARC admission in this subject.

Technology Education prepares students for advanced study in fields of technology. Middle school and high school programs engage students in a variety of technical experiences that foster skills in creative problem-solving, innovation, analysis and teamwork. Instructional topics are typically drawn from the content areas of agricultural and related biotechnologies, construction technologies, engineering and design, energy and power technologies, information and communications technologies, and manufacturing technologies.

ARC applicants for this subject must have passed a college or university course in each of the following strands: 1) communication technologies, 2) engineering or design, and 3) construction or manufacturing technologies. An applicant may be admitted to ARC missing a course in one or two of the strands, but the course(s) must be passed before the student can complete the ARC Program.