Advising

General Information

The TEAL Office is the starting point for students seeking an initial professional educator’s license through an undergraduate program or the Graduate Certificate in Teaching. Advisors are typically available to current and prospective students Monday through Friday between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm.

TEAL advisors will accommodate walk-ins as much as possible, but making an appointment is recommended. Prospective students may meet with any available TEAL advisor and can schedule an appointment by calling the TEAL front office at 704-687-8725 or contacting the advisor assigned to their last name directly. Current students are expected to meet with their assigned advisor unless exceptional circumstances prevent this from happening. The easiest way for current students to schedule an appointment is in Connect.

In-person and virtual appointments are available. Students can select their preferred format in the location drop-down menu in Connect. In-person appointments are held in COED 119, and virtual appointments are held via Zoom. Virtual appointment confirmation messages in Connect will include a link to the meeting, and advising documents will be shared electronically by advisors before or at the start of each appointment.

Students who need to cancel an appointment should do so in Connect as soon as possible so that the time can be made available to others. Students who do not show up for two back-to-back appointments during pre-registration advising (October and March) without canceling beforehand will be unable to schedule another appointment through Connect without first speaking with their advisor.

We encourage all students to prepare for their visit to TEAL by bringing a list of questions and viewing their DegreeWorks audit (accessible through my.charlotte.edu) in advance.

We also encourage our students to use the COED Registration Guide as an additional resource during registration and/or to access student resources.

Undergraduate Majors

All undergraduate education majors begin as pre-majors (e.g., Pre-Elementary Education) and have an assigned advisor in TEAL. Pre-education majors may meet with their advisor as often as needed but must meet at least once per semester in order to have their registration hold removed. The month leading up to registration (October for Spring, March for Summer/Fall) is the busiest time of year for TEAL advisors, so students are encouraged to make their appointments early.

Pre-education majors are assigned to advisors by last names. Students with last names beginning with:

Current pre-education majors can schedule an appointment with their assigned advisor in Connect. Prospective pre-education majors can schedule an appointment by calling the TEAL front office at 704-687-8725 or by contacting the advisor assigned to their last name directly.

Pre-education majors who meet all admission requirements to teacher education and have formally declared their major are advised by a faculty member in the major department.

Undergraduate Minors

Students who plan to declare the Minor in Secondary Education (SECD) or the Minor in Foreign Language Education (FLED) can do so by meeting with an advisor in TEAL. Because both programs lead to an initial professional educator’s license, all teacher education admission requirements must be met before students can formally declare the minors and begin coursework. Course sequences for the SECD and FLED minors should be started in the spring of junior year. Interested students are encouraged to meet with an advisor in TEAL no later than sophomore year to discuss the minor(s) and admission requirements. Once admitted, SECD and FLED minors are advised by Dr. Adam Myers, a faculty member in the MDSK Department.

The Minor in Reading (READ) and Minor in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) can be declared by meeting with an advisor in TEAL. These minors lead to add-on licensure in K-12 Reading and K-12 ESL, respectively, and must be paired with an initial licensure program. Interested students can declare these minors and begin coursework at the time they are admitted to their initial licensure program. It is important that students planning to declare the READ or TESL minors speak with a TEAL advisor no later than sophomore year to ensure they are taking the appropriate steps toward admission. Once admitted, READ minors are advised by Dr. Paola Pilonieta, and TESL minors are advised by Dr. Joan Lachance.

The Minor in Child and Family Development (CHFD) is also declared through TEAL. Interested students must have a 2.5 or higher cumulative GPA to declare. Once admitted to the CHFD minor, students are assigned a minor advisor in TEAL.

The Minor in Applied Understandings in Global Education (AUGE) can be declared by contacting the program director, Dr. Erik Byker (ebyker@charlotte.edu), directly. Similarly, students interested in declaring the Minor in Urban Youth and Communities (CUYC) should contact the program director, Dr. Susan Harden (sharden@charlotte.edu).

Minor Declaration and Interest Forms

Graduate Certificate in Teaching and RALC Candidates

Prospective students for the Graduate Certificate in Teaching are advised in TEAL by Ms. Ashley Langan (alangan1@charlotte.edu) and Ms. Cassandra Himes (chimes1@charlotte.edu, 704-687-8727). Ms. Langan and Ms. Himes can provide information about the program and guide students through the admissions process. Once admitted, students are advised by a faculty member in their major department.

Post-baccalaureate students completing RALC plans of study are advised by Ms. Liz Adkisson (ecsmith@charlotte.edu). All prospective and admitted RALC candidates should contact Ms. Adkisson for assistance with registration. Students who did not submit a RALC plan of study as part of their application will be asked to provide one prior to registering for courses.