The clinical practice application is available on the College of Education and Human Services website on the first day of fall and spring semesters. Failure to return the application by the deadline may result in a delay in your graduation by one or more semesters.

To participate in clinical practice, you must have met all teacher education admission requirements, completed all required coursework leading up to clinical practice, and maintained a minimum overall GPA required by your major.

Each department works in collaboration with the Office of Professional Education Services (PES) to determine the placements for all teacher candidates. The Dewar College of Education and Human Services has cooperating partner school agreements with a number of schools in the region and beyond.

COEHS Regulations Regarding Clinical Practice

Once placements are made, they will not be changed without permission of the Director and/or Dean. Teacher candidates will be placed in a site appropriate for their certification area. However, teacher candidates are not assured of any particular school, any particular teacher in a school, or any particular grade level.

  • Students are not to contact individual schools, school systems, teachers, and/or administrators about their clinical practice placement.
  • If you refuse a placement once it is made, you will not be placed at another site and your clinical practice experience will be delayed a semester.
  • Once placements are made, you will receive an email from the PES office confirming your placement. Placement emails are sent to all teacher candidates as quickly as confirmations are received from the school systems; this process takes several weeks so please be patient. Confirmation emails are not all sent at the same time. 
  • You are not permitted to take undergraduate coursework (besides seminar) during the clinical practice experience.
  • Clinical practice is not allowed in the summer.
  • The Dewar COEHS reserves the right to refuse to place a teacher candidate in any particular school or within any particular school system. Every effort is made to place all teacher candidates in their preferred systems; however, the Office of PES reserves the right to make all final decisions about clinical practice placements.
  • If there are extenuating circumstances which affect your clinical practice placement, please discuss these special needs or concerns with your department head and the PES office.

All teacher candidates are required to have professional liability insurance. Please make sure that your coverage is up-to-date through the duration of your clinical practice.

Students with special needs must document them with the VSU Access Office and inform their college supervisor and mentor teacher of those needs.

All questions and concerns may be directed to the Office of Professional Education Services, Dewar College of Education and Human Services (PES at valdosta.edu).