AHCOTE

General Requirements for All Applicants 

You must have:

• 2.5+ GPA
  Based on your last 60 units of undergraduate coursework
• 2 completed English courses
  Minimum of 6 units including 3 units of literature 

You must also: 

• Be admissible to SFU at the Undergraduate level  
  See SFU Undergraduate Admissions for details
• Meet SFU’s English Language requirement 
• Meet SFU’s Quantitative and Analytical Skills requirement

Note: If you do not meet the SFU English Language requirement or Quantitative and Analytical Skills requirement prior to application to AHCOTE, you must complete an acceptable university or college level English or Quantitative course with a grade of C- or higher.

Ideally, you should have also completed:

•  SFU/NLC EDUC 220: Introduction to Educational Psychology
  
•  SFU/NLC EDUC 250: Studies in the History of Education in the Western World

If you have not completed these two courses, you may still apply to AHCOTE, but you must also apply to NLC to complete both these courses (NLC EDUC 220 and EDUC 250) during your first Fall term of the AHCOTE program. 

Recommended Experience for All Applicants

• You should have demonstrable experience (volunteer or paid) working with children or youth at the age level you wish to teach.
• We strongly recommend that you spend time observing or volunteering in B.C. schools. 
• The best experience is volunteering or working in a B.C. classroom with the age group and subject you want to teach.
• There is no set minimum of volunteer/work experience hours.

Tip: AHCOTE is competitive, and most successful applicants will apply to the program with extensive volunteer experience in a classroom setting.

Elementary Level Required Coursework

In addition to the general requirements, elementary applicants must also have one of the following:

• A completed bachelor’s degree (minimum of 90 units) 
  You may apply to AHCOTE with your degree still in progress, but you must have 60 units completed at the time you apply AND you must complete the degree by AUGUST 31.

OR

• NLC’s Associate Arts Degree*

OR

• 60 units of university level-coursework*

Note:  If you enter AHCOTE with NLC’s Associate of Arts Degree or 60 units in university-level coursework, you can finish the AHCOTE program in 16 months and will then be eligible to apply to the Teaching Regulation Branch (TRB) for a Conditional Teaching Certificate provided you have the required minimum units and all course prerequisites have been met. 

To earn SFU’s Bachelor of General Studies in Education and obtain a Professional Teaching Certificate, you will typically need to complete an additional 30 units of elective coursework. 

For those completing NLC’s Associate Arts Degree, you may have the option of taking these 30 units of electives before enrolling in AHCOTE. Connect with SFU’s Admission Team for further details.

• 30 units of non-EDUC coursework, transferable to SFU

By MAY 31, you must have completed the following prerequisite courses:

•  1 Canadian History course
•  1 Canadian Geography course
•  1 Laboratory Science course
•  1 Principles of Mathematics course (SFU's MATH 190 or equivalent)

For a list of accepted prerequisite courses offered at SFU and other B.C. post-secondary institutions, refer to the chart of acceptable courses. 

Note: You must submit official transcripts by FEBRUARY 8 showing prerequisite courses as complete or in-progress, AND in-progress courses must be completed by MAY 31. 

Secondary Level Required Coursework

In addition to the general requirements, secondary applicants must also have:

• A completed bachelor’s degree 
  You may apply to AHCOTE with your degree still in progress, but you must have 90 units completed at the time you apply AND you must complete the degree by AUGUST 31.

• The degree must have 30 units of non-EDUC coursework, transferable to SFU, at the time of application. 

As part of your bachelor’s degree, you need to have:  

• 1 or 2 Teachable Subjects
  • For 1 Teachable Subject, you must have completed 30 units in that subject with 24 units at the upper division.
    Example: 30 units of math, with 24 upper division math 
  • For 2 Teachable Subjects, you must have completed 30 units in each subject, with 15 upper division units in each subject.
    Example: 30 units of math, with 15 upper division math AND 30 units of physics, with 15 upper division physics

SFU Teacher Education accepts the following Teachable Subjects:

• Art (Studio Art, Drawing, Painting, Sculpture; not Film, Media Arts, Web Design, Fashion Design)
• English Literature (English Literature, World Literature, Creative Writing; not Linguistics or Teaching English as an additional language)
• French Literature and Language
• Mathematics (Pure Mathematics, Applied Mathematics; not Statistics, Finance or Accounting)
• Music (Performance; see Music course requirements)
• Physical and Health Education (Physical Education, Coaching, Human Kinetics, Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology (BPK))
• Science (Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Earth Science, Physics)
• Social Studies (see Social Studies course requirements)

The following subjects are considered secondary teachable subjects but must be combined with another teachable subject:

• Computer Science
• Dance
• Drama

Note: All secondary coursework must be completed by AUGUST 31.