St. Petersburg College’s (SPC) Educator Preparation Institute (EPI) for teaching is a three-semester program which leads to Florida’s Professional Educator’s Certificate. Anyone with a Bachelor’s Degree or higher, and a 2.5 GPA might be eligible for entry into the EPI Program, which leads to alternative certification in many educational areas, including:
Elementary Education
Exceptional Student Education
Art
Music
Business
Math
Science
Social Studies
English
Our EPI Program is Financial Aid eligible, so this is an attractive program for everyone!
There is an upcoming Information Session for EPI on Wednesday, December 8th at 5:30 p.m. at the Clearwater Campus, ES Building, Room 125. Come meet Dr. Poulin for a brief overview of the alternative way to become a certified teacher and he will answer your questions. Use the survey link if you plan to attend.
SPC’s next EPI start group to become certified teachers is Summer/May 2022. Our EPI is an evening program with daytime teaching requirements during the second and third terms. All EPI courses are “blended”, meaning the course content will be delivered both on campus and online. Although coursework involves online components, the EPI is not an online program. On-campus class times may require one or two nights a week (Monday-Thursday). EPI students are placed in elementary, middle or secondary schools (based on certification area) for practical teaching experience. Our students complete a 60-hour practicum experience in the fall semester and a 10-week full internship in the Spring.
Finally, for more information regarding teacher certification, contact Marilynn Cirri with the College of Education.
