Secondary Teacher Education Program (STEP)

Application Fee 

A $90.00 application fee is required and must be paid by credit card through the online application system. 

Fee Waiver: The Graduate School offers a limited number of application fee waivers to qualified applicants. Application fee waiver requests must be made at least seven (7) days before your program’s application deadline to allow time for review. Who is eligible? Application fee waivers are available to U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and undocumented applicants who demonstrate financial need or hardship. 

Bachelor’s Degree from an Accredited Institution

A bachelor’s degree is required for admission to the program. Your degree may be in progress at the time of application, but it must be completed before the program begins.

Unofficial Transcript(s) (Minimum 3.0 GPA) 

You must submit unofficial transcript(s) with your application from every college or university where you earned academic credit. The UW Graduate School requires a cumulative GPA of 3.0, or a 3.0 in your most recent 90 graded quarter credits (60 semester credits). GPA is only one part of the application review. 

Applications are reviewed holistically, and we encourage you to apply even if your GPA is below 3.0. You do not need to take additional coursework to raise your GPA. Instead, focus on submitting a strong goal statement that explains your interests and how the program aligns with your professional or personal goals, along with strong letters of recommendation. You are also welcome to provide context for a GPA below 3.0. 

If you are currently enrolled in a college or university and have not yet graduated, please upload a transcript showing your most recently completed term. A final transcript confirming completion of your degree will be required before the program begins, if admitted. 

Two Letters of Recommendation 

Submit at least two letters of recommendation that address academic potential, leadership, collaboration, and adaptability. Enter your recommenders’ contact information in the online application; they will submit their letters electronically via a provided link. If you are employed as an Instructional Assistant or Paraeducator, one letter must be from a direct supervisor.

Resume/Curriculum Vitae (CV) 

A current academic and professional resume or CV is required. It should summarize your education, work, and volunteer experience, as well as relevant honors  (e.g., Dean’s List), scholarships, awards, publications, presentations, and other achievements.

• Include education, work, and volunteer experience
• Highlight qualifications and skills aligned with the program
• Emphasize experience working with children or supporting marginalized communities
• Provide dates, locations, and clear descriptions of responsibilities and accomplishments
• Use active verbs to describe your work and impact
• Ensure the document is well-organized, error-free, and professionally written

Statement of Purpose 

Please respond to each of the following prompts in 1-2 pages (300-500 words). 

• Describe your interest in education. Include your perspective on what you believe education, learning, development, and participation in society are. Draw upon specific personal experiences that have shaped your thinking. 
•  Summarize relevant personal, academic, and/or professional experiences, including any direct work with youth or in educational settings. We are particularly interested in concrete examples that illustrate your role, your thinking in the moment, and what you learned.
• If applicable, describe experiences working with individuals from diverse cultural, social, linguistic, or learning backgrounds. Reflect on how these experiences have influenced your beliefs, practices, or growth over time.
• Explain how your background, skills, and experiences have prepared you for graduate study in education. Highlight relevant work or volunteer experiences, skills, or knowledge gained through self-directed learning, professional development, certifications, or training.

Personal History Statement (Optional)

Consistent with our goal of enhancing the intellectual and social enrichment of the University community, the University of Washington actively seeks and welcomes students from diverse backgrounds. Please provide a statement, no more than two pages in length, about your personal history, family background, and other influences on your intellectual development. The statement should address educational, cultural, and economic opportunities and disadvantages that you have experienced, and ways those experiences have affected the development of your special interests, career plans, and future goals. 

Please note that this is not an academic Statement of Purpose, but a personal statement that addresses your intellectual growth and development, both inclusive of and beyond your academic goals.

Basic Skills Test

Candidates must include basic skills test scores covering reading, writing and math with their application.

If you have a copy of your score report you should upload this with your application and won’t need to have them sent electronically.  Official scores are only needed if you don’t have a score report or if you haven’t previously submitted scores to UW as an undergraduate. If you must order scores, we recommend sending them to yourself and uploading them to your application or sending the College of Education your copy.

Basic skills can be met through:

• WEST-B
• Praxis I
• CBEST
• ACT (Older scores that do not include a writing subtest can be used for reading and math but must be supplemented with a writing subtest.  If needed, contact ACT at 319-337-1270 to order your score report.)
• SAT (Older scores that do not include a writing subtest can still be used for reading and math but must be supplemented with a writing subtest. If needed, contact College Board at 866-756-7346 to order your score report.)

The state does not require a minimum passing score for the basic skills subtests.

Endorsement Evaluation

Endorsement courses do not need to be completed at the time of your application but must be completed prior to the start of the program.

Washington state requires all secondary teacher candidates to have an approved endorsement in an academic subject that is taught in Washington state schools.

Download the MIT Endorsement Evaluation form and contact the academic advisor in your endorsement subject to have your transcripts evaluated for content requirements. A minimum grade of 2.0 is required for each course to be used toward an endorsement (unless set higher by the department). The links below will provide details on endorsement requirements:

• English Language Arts
• History
• Social Studies
• Mathematics
• Sciences
  • Biology
  • Chemistry
  • Earth & Space Science
  • Physics
• World Languages
  • Chinese
  • French
  • German
  • Japanese
  • Korean
  • Spanish

Early evaluation is recommended in case additional coursework is needed.

BEFORE STUDENT TEACHING:

Content Knowledge Test

These tests are not required at the time of application but must be passed before beginning full-time student teaching.

All admitted students are required to pass content knowledge tests in your specific subject area.

• Biology: NES 305 - Biology
• Chemistry: NES 306 - Chemistry
• Earth and Space Science: NES 307 - Earth and Space Science
• English: NES 301 - English Language Arts
• History: WEST-E 027 - History
• Math: NES 304 - Mathematics
• Middle Level Math: NES 203 - Middle Grades Mathematics
• Physics: NES 308 - Physics
• Social Studies: WEST–E 028 - Social Studies
• World Language: WEST-E 100 - Designated World Language AND an oral and written assessment in the language you wish to teach. These language assessments are not an application requirement but must be passed before beginning the program.  Approved tests include:
  • ACTFL Writing Proficiency Test (WPT) and Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI). Score of Advanced-Low or higher.
  • Avant STAMP 4S or 3S: Score of 7 or higher on all sections. 
  • Avant STAMP WS: Score of 7 or higher.
  • ALTA Speaking/Listening and Writing Assessment: ILR score of 2 or higher.

Students pursuing an endorsement in Computer Science or English Language Learners must also pass the following exam:

• Computer Science:  NES 315 - Computer Science
• English Language Learners: WEST–E 051 - English Language Learners