Advising for the PCKET Major
The PCKET major provides you with multiple options to customize your degree and make yourself more marketable. We want to provide you with as many resources as possible to help you navigate the program and set you up for success! Attending orientation, working with professional advisors, and consulting with faculty mentors are important parts of your journey. This page connects you with resources you will need throughout your program.
Years to graduate
4
4.5
5
Choose 1 Grade Band
Students in the PCKET program can earn certification for teaching pre-kindergarten through 3rd grade (PK-3) and/or 3rd grade through 6th grade (3-6). If you declare your major as a first-year student, and choose only one grade band, you can graduate with two majors and a certification in only 4 years.
Choose Both Grade Bands
Students choosing both grade bands will be certified to teach PK-6, which increases job marketability. The 3-6 grade band emphasis includes a 9-credit concentration in one of four content areas: English Language Arts, Mathematics, Integrated Science, or Social Studies.
Choose 1 Grade Band + Endorsement
Students also have the option of adding courses that will earn them an endorsement in teaching English as a Second Language (PK-12), Spanish (PK-12), or Special Education (K-12). Adding an endorsement is another great way to increase job marketability.
*Note: Taking one of our Spring/Summer Study Abroad programs or Spring or Summer term classes will reduce your time to graduation.
Making an Appointment with your CLAS Academic Advisor
Students are able to make an appointment by calling us at (616) 331-8585, or emailing us at [email protected], but you might find it more convenient to schedule your own appointment using Navigate360, the University's advising appointment scheduling system. To schedule with your professional advisor (listed as "Professional Advisor 1" in Banner and Navigate)
Declaring your major in banner
When choosing your Grade Band, Concentration and/or Emphasis Focus, please remember to choose the appropriate Grade Band for your PCKET major (PCKET PK-3 or PCKET 3-6 or both) and the appropriate Grade Band for your Educational Studies Major (EDST PK-3 or EDST 3-6; if you want the dual Grade Band, PK-6, then choose EDST PK-3).
PK-3
- PCKET PK-3
- EDST PK-3
- Choose optional concentration
- Choose optional emphasis
PK-3
- PCKET 3-6
- EDST 3-6
- Choose optional concentration
- Choose optional emphasis
PK-3
- PCKET PK-3
- PCKET 3-6
- EDST PK-3
- Choose optional concentration
- Choose optional emphasis
The following are advising guides for the Dual Grade Band option, the 3-6 Grade Band option and the PK-3 Grade Band option. There are additional guides for students who wish to add a Special Education concentration. As always, please consult with your advisor for assistance scheduling classes and navigating the PCKET degree.
This is dependent on each student's goal for timeline, availability, and finances. Your Professional Advisor would be happy to talk with you about how Spring/Summer classes would work in your plan, as well as if they are right for you.
Not typically, when registering it will say what campus classes are on, as long as you leave a 45-60 minute buffer between any Allendale and City campus classes you will be fine. Your Professional Advisor is also happy to help with this.
A concentration in Social Studies, Math, English or Science will not earn a teaching endorsement, nor does it impact your certification to teach either PK-6, PK-3, or 3-6 grades (depending on what you've declared). These options help you to be able to delve further into whichever subject area you choose.If you choose to do the ESL/Applied Linguistics minor, Spanish Teaching minor, German Teaching minor, French Teaching minor, or Special Education major then a Concentration is no longer needed, and these all do earn you a teaching endorsement in the respective areas for PK-12 grades.
You can still graduate with the PCKET major, the Educational Studies or Special Education major would be dropped. Please work with your Professional Advisor to make sure you are meeting graduation requirements (often the biggest thing is needing to make sure you are able to get to 120 credits needed to graduate) and Career Services to look at job searching in areas of interest with your degree.