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FAQs

What course should I take first?

Anyone who has basic computer skills and is able to access information on the World Wide Web should start with ECTS 5010. Anyone who has not developed basic web surfing, e-mail and word processing skills is highly encouraged to take a beginning computer skills course that addresses web surfing, e-mail and word processing BEFORE attempting any of the ECTS courses. Such courses are available at minimum cost through local community colleges and/or adult education programs.

ECTS 5010 is required for the Designated Subjects Teaching Credential (both CTE and Adult). It is also required for the Bachelor's Degree in Career and Technical Education at CSUSB or can be applied to an MA degree if not taken as an undergraduate. It is open to anyone who would like to acquire and/or improve basic instructional skills and should be completed before starting any other ECTS courses. The ECTS 5010 course has proven to be particularly beneficial for those who teach (or would like to teach) in a:

  • Regional Occupational Program
  • Adult Education Program
  • Community College
  • Correctional Institution
  • Law Enforcement Training Academy
  • Fire Science Training Academy
  • Private Post-Secondary School

Is this an accredited program?

Yes, the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CCTC) has approved the CSUSB Designated Subjects Credentials Programs (and recommended it as a "model program" and all of our programs are also accredited by both the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). Follow the link to see our

 

What if I have problems with admission or registration?

Almost all such problems can be solved. It is important that you do two things. First, file your application for admission to California State University, San Bernardino as described on this website. Second, if you run into any problems, send an e-mail to Dr. Eun-Ok Baek at ebaek@csusb.edu with your full name and the date you submitted your application and briefly explain the problem.

Does this program qualify for VA Education Benefits?

Yes, but qualification is dependent on the ECTS courses being taken as part of a degree program. Follow the link to see information about: Veteran Certification.

Is there any advantage to taking more than one course at a time?

Yes. Registration fees depend on the number of courses officially enrolled in each semester.

Is there any fee reduction for senior citizens?

Yes, any California resident who is "60 or over" may be able to enroll in courses through CSUSB for as little as $22 per semester. Follow the link for information about: 60 and Over Fee Waivers.

Can I take courses over the World Wide Web?

Yes: all ECTS courses required for the Designated Subjects Teaching Credential are now done completely online with no required class meetings and are designed so that the assignments can be completed at any time, day or night, form any computer with an Internet connection.

Is there any financial aid available?

Yes, but only if you are accepted into a degree program. If you apply as "Credential only," just to take the ECTS credential courses, you will not be able to qualify for financial aid. For additional information please contact the Financial Aid office here at CSUSB to find out more about Financial Aid.

How do I apply for special admission for Designated Subjects Credential Courses Only?

Anyone who will be taking only ECTS courses required for their Designated Subjects (DS) Career and Technical Education (CTE) Teaching Credential, and who can complete all the required ECTS courses within one year can be admitted to CSUSB as a transitory "DS Credential Courses Only" student without meeting entrance exam, math/English and transcript requirements!

Important Dates:

Cutoff dates for filing for "Special Admission for DS Credential Courses Only" apply. See the university application requirements.

Under special circumstances, applications may be accepted through the first week of classes.

Applicants whose teaching jobs may depend on their being admitted and enrolled in the ECTS "Credential Only" courses may be able to be admitted after the cutoff dates, but will, at the time of their application, need to indicate on their application that they need the ECTS courses NOW in order to meet credentialing requirements, and include that information in the e-mail you send to Dr. Joe Scarcella at: jscarcel@csusb.edu

Also, if you would like a head start, ask Dr. Joe Scarcella about starting to work online on DS/CTE on the Credential (ECTS) course assignments in any of the courses he teaches prior to the start of the Quarter you intend to officially enroll.

In order to insure that the courses needed remain open, it is ESSENTIAL to apply for admission for the appropriate Quarter and then officially enroll in the courses needed AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!

PLEASE NOTE: "Special Admission for DS Credential Courses Only" applicants are not eligible for financial aid and not eligible for fee waivers through CSUSB. Financial aid and fee waivers may be available for students admitted to either a bachelor or master degree program if they follow the regular admission process for traditional degree seeking students. The link just below leads to current information about:

Tuition and Fee$

Any "Special Admission for DS Credential Courses Only" applicants who later decide to enter a degree program or pursue any other course of study, must reapply for admission to CSUSB as a traditional student and must at that time meet all of the admission requirements for the program they want to pursue. All of the ECTS credentialing courses can be applied to our Career and Technical Education Bachelor or Master Degree Programs.

Anyone interested in our Bachelor Degree Programs in Career and Technical Education, please contact Sid Burks sburks@csusb.edu.

Anyone interested in our Masters Degree Program in Career and Technical Education, please contact Dr. Joe Scarcella jscarcel@csusb.edu

Anyone interested in the expedited "Credential Only" application, please follow the three step process indicated below.

Step 1 - Applying for Admission

If you want to apply for "Special Admission for DS Credential Courses Only," please follow the link to the "DS Credential Courses Only Application Form" below, then print and complete that paper form and send it with the application fee (a check for $55 made out to CSUSB Admission) via US Postal Mail to:

Admissions Office CSU, San Bernardino 5500 University Parkway San Bernardino CA, 92407 (Attn: DS Credential Courses Only)

Completed applications that are sent in via fax are processed more quickly. The fax number is 909-537-7034 and the cover page should indicate "Attention: Processing Unit, Office of Admissions, DS Credential Courses Only Program". If you fax your application, please mail the $55 check to the Admissions Office (Processing Unit) with a note attached indicating your name and the date your DS Credential Courses Only application was faxed.

After downloading the "DS Credential Courses Only Application Form" from the link below, Please RETURN TO THIS PAGE and follow the "VERY IMPORTANT" directions and examples on the remainder of this page to complete the application process.

Download the form at 

 

VERY IMPORTANT: To facilitate the admission process, any "Special Admission for DS Credential Courses Only" applicant must also send, on the same day that the Application for Admission form is mailed or faxed, an e-mall (as indicated below) to:

Dr. Joe Scarcella  ~ jscarcel@csusb.edu

That e-mail should include the following information (all 6 items):

  • Your first and last name (as on the application).
  • Indicate either "Graduate" OR "Undergraduate" If you have a Bachelors Degree you are a "Graduate" Otherwise, you are an "Undergraduate.
  • Your correct current e-mail address.
  • The exact date the application was mailed or faxed.
  • The semester and year to be officially enrolled (e.g., Fall 2022, Spring 2023, etc.). 
  • The online ECTS course numbers you plan to enroll in for that semester (such as ECTS 5010, 5040, 5180 & 5190 or ECTS 5020 & 5030). All of the "main campus" ECTS courses are done all online.

SPECIAL NOTE for PALM DESERT CAMPUS (ONLY) - Anyone who lives in the Palm Desert area and plans to actually attend the ECTS classes on the Palm Desert Campus, please add an item #7 that states "Palm Desert Campus".

Please be sure to indicate the "SUBJECT" of your e-mail as "DS Credential Only Application" and your name (such as "Mary Smith").

An EXAMPLE of what your e-mail should look like is as follows:

TO:scarcel@csusb.edu SUBJECT: DS Credential Only Application - Mary Smith

  1. My first and last name is Mary Smith.
  2. I am an UNDERGRADUATE
  3. My e-mail address is WordSmith@whatever.com
  4. My application was mailed on July 1, 2020
  5. I need to enroll for FALL Semester 2020.
  6. I plan to enroll in the "all online" ECTS 5010, 5040, 5180 & 5190.

Once admitted, it is still necessary to register and pay for the specific ECTS courses needed before the beginning of the semester indicated on the application. All distance learning students must register for one of the main campus sections of each ECTS course they wish to enroll in (no attendance at any class session is required for any ECTS distance learning student).

After your application for admission has been processed you must then complete the enrollment process described in STEP 2 just below.

Step2 - Enrolling in Courses

As soon as possible after you have been admitted (as either "Special Admission for DS Credential Courses Only" or to a specific degree program) you need to activate your "MyCoyote" student ID and complete the registration process through the MyCoyote system.

Your MyCoyote Student ID number should be sent to you in an e-mail or letter from CSU San Bernardino. If you do not receive that letter within two weeks of the time you apply for admission, please e-mail Dr. Joe Scarcella jscarcel@csusb.edu ASAP to indicate the date you applied, that no application status information is posted on the "status" link referenced above and that you have not received any information about the status of your application. It will also be helpful to remind Dr. Joe Scarcella of the specific ECTS courses you need to be enrolled in.

It is highly recommended to enroll in the following all-online courses; ECTS 5010, ECTS 5190, ECTS 5040 and/or ECTS 5180, during the your first semester. If the ECTS 5010 and ECTS 5180 courses offered by Dr Joe Scarcella are taken together, additional time (if needed) may be allowed to complete the ECTS 5180 course assignments.

Courses offered at the Palm Desert Campus are done in traditional in-class format.

Check the online Course Schedule to get the Call Numbers for the ECTS courses you need to register for in the semester that you need to officially enroll in those courses.

VERY IMPORTANT: Please pay your registration (enrollment) fees at the same time you register for ECTS courses. In some cases it is possible to register without paying the fees, but anyone who hasn't paid the fees within 5 days of registration is dropped from the courses they have enrolled in by the registration software program. If you register without paying and are dropped from the course because of that, you will need to REINROLL by going through the whole enrollment process again!

PLEASE - After completing the online course registration process, double check your MyCoyote account information to confirm that you have been officially enrolled in the courses you need and that all of the required fees have been paid in full.

After you have been officially admitted and have your MyCoyote Student ID number, if you encounter any difficulty with the "MyCoyote" course registration process, please telephone the university help desk.

Step 3 - Contact Course Instructor

As soon as you have completed the official registration process, please send an e-mail message to the course instructor for each ECTS course you have enrolled in. Include your full name, your "MyCoyote" student ID number and a list of all the ECTS courses you have enrolled in for the current semester. If you have not already done so, please also request the link to that instructor's most current course materials (E-TEXT).

PLEASE NOTE: The DS Credential Courses Only Application for Admission should be completed as far in advance as possible and registration completed and paid for as soon as possible.

Please visit the Career & Technical Education web site for additional program and course information.

Do I need to have a measles vaccination to register for courses at CSUSB?

Yes. Anyone taking teacher preparation courses is required to have a measles vaccination prior to their second semester at CSUSB. This needs to be cleared through the CSUSB Student Health Center and applies to distance learners as well as traditional students. There is a "measles hot line" at 909-880-7356. Please see the Student Health Center Immunization Requirements for more details.

How do I apply for admission to CSUSB and enroll in the Online ECTS Designated Subjects Credential Courses?

If you need any of the ECTS courses to meet Credentialing Requirements, please follow the "Special Admission for DS Credential Courses Only" link below, follow those explicit instructions, and send an e-mail to Dr. Eun-Ok Baek, Program Coordinator, at ebaek@csusb.edu. Be sure to include the following information:

It is critical that you be admitted for the current semester as you "need the ECTS courses to meet Commission on Teacher Credentialing requirements for the Designated Subjects Teaching Credential." If you are unable to "enroll in the ECTS courses during the Current Quarter," you could lose your preliminary credential and, consequently, the teaching position at which you are currently employed.

With the information indicated above, I am hopeful that I can help facilitate your admission. I'll certainly give it my best shot, but I need the e-mail indicated above in order to proceed.

It is recommended, but not essential, to take ECTS 5010, 5040, 5180, and 5190 all during the same semester. The ECTS 5010 course has proven to be very helpful to anyone beginning (or about to begin) a new teaching assignment, and I will be happy to work with anyone who would like to have a "head start" on the ECTS 5010 assignments. E-mail ebaek@csusb.edu to request the link to the free online ECTS 5010 course materials (E-Text), and you can begin working on those course assignments before you are officially enrolled or even admitted.

All of the online ECTS courses (starting with ECTS 5010) required for the Designated Subjects Teaching Credential meet Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) standards (including CLAD), and our Designated Subjects Credential Program has been fully approved and identified as an "exemplary program" by the CTC. The ECTS courses required for the Designated Subjects Teaching Credential can also be applied toward a Bachelor's or Master's degree.

If the information presented here meets your needs, it will undoubtedly be to your advantage to ACT NOW!

When should I apply for my teaching credential?

In most cases it is recommended that you wait until you have a good prospect for a teaching job before you apply. Once you do apply for your PRELIMINARY credential you only have one year at CSUSB to complete the course requirements. Also, in order to clear a PRELIMINARY credential you must actually teach under that credential. One thing to be careful about is that anyone applying for the PRELIMINARY Designated Subjects Teaching Credential must have at least one year of their qualifying work experience within the last three years. Under any circumstances it is advantageous to take the ECTS 5010 course as soon as possible.

What is the "Health Education Requirement" and how can I meet it?

The State of California requires that anyone applying for a teaching credential must have completed a course (or passed a test) that addresses issues related to the U.S. Constitution. College of Extended Learning - U.S. Constitution Challenge Examination

What subjects can I actually teach with a Designated Subjects Teaching Credential?

In most cases you can be certified teach almost anything that you have had at least 5 years of paid work experience actually doing. There is a list of specific subjects, as well as good related information, posted on the web site of the California Commission for Teacher Credentialing - Adult Education and Career Technical Education Credentials.

Can I take two different courses that are scheduled at the same time?

Yes. There is a form that refers to "simultaneous enrollment" that the student has to get and both instructors have to approve. Undergraduate students get the form from Academic Services in UH-380 or telephone 909-880-5034. Graduate students get the form from Graduate Studies in AD-127 or telephone 909-880-5058. If you encounter any particularly difficult problems, please e-mail Dr. Eun-Ok Baek at ebaek@csusb.edu.

What is the "U.S. Constitution Requirement" and how can I meet it?

The State of California requires that anyone applying for a teaching credential must have completed a course (or passed a test) that addresses issues related to the U.S. Constitution. College of Extended Learning - U.S. Constitution Challenge Examination

How can I find out more about Regional Occupation Programs?

Follow the "Region Directory" links below to see:

Can the ECTS teaching credential courses be applied to a degree?

Yes, for information please contact Dr. Eun-Ok Baek at ebaek@csusb.edu .

How can I find a teaching job?

How much work is involved for each ECTS course?

The best way to see how much work is involved is review the actual online course materials (E-TEXT) for each course. These materials are free! just contact the instructor for each course to request a link to the E-TEXT for his or her course. Start with the E-TEXT for ECTS 501. Each E-TEXT has comprehensive directions and examples for each assignment as well as links to related background information.

How can I get transcripts from CSUSB?

Information about transcripts is posted at Request a CSUSB Transcript.

What courses should I take after completing ECTS 5010?

Any of the other ECTS courses. It is recommended that you take ECTS 5010 and ECTS 5190 concurrently. It would be advantageous to take ECTS 5010, ECTS 5190 and ECTS 5040 during the same semester and then take ECTS 5180, ECTS 5020 and ECTS 5030 during the following semester.

How soon can grades be posted?

Grades cannot be officially posted until the end of the semester in which a student is officially enrolled in the course. This applies under all circumstances, even if all course requirements are met before the end of that semester. If it will help, course instructors can provide a letter for any officially enrolled student who has completed course requirements before the end of the semester, indicating what that student's grade will be when it is officially posted.