Alternative teaching degree programs

Contact Us. Teacher Education and Licensure Program. Alternative Licensure Program. Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education Endorsement. GT Online Endorsement Program. Translate this page. About Alternative Licensure in Colorado. Be sure that you can demonstrate content competence in one of the following ways: Hold a degree in the endorsement area from a regionally-accredited institution; OR Have 24 semester hours in the endorsement area, as outlined within CDE's content evaluation worksheets ; OR Earn a passing score on the state-approved exam for the endorsement area usually the Praxis.

Step 2: Affiliate with a Designated Agency. Application Process: Deadline: We admit candidates year-round. The goal of the appointment is to answer any questions you may have, clarify the procedures for admission, and determine your level of interest in and preparation for the program. Call the Student Resource Office at or email them at education uccs. Complete the online Graduate application found at Apply Now.

Upload your "Career Goals Statement. We are particularly interested in your level of self-awareness, your academic potential, your personal growth experiences and a sense of what you hope to accomplish in your career. Complete the tuition classification form. Teacher pay is usually determined by your degree level and years of experience, not how by how you got certified. Salary and career outlook, therefore, are generally the same as for teachers who entered the classroom through more traditional means.

Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics This is likely because alternative teacher certification programs typically include some sort of student teaching experience in a brick-and-mortar school.

That can be difficult to arrange, considering the placement school may be hundreds of miles away from the degree-granting institution. In some cases, a university will arrange the student teaching experience, and in other cases, this will be left up to you. An online alternative certification program typically takes two years or less, depending on how the program is structured. These programs can range in cost, but if you determine that an online-only degree fits your schedule best and will help you to make headway in a new career, the investment may be worth it.

There are several organizations that may be useful in your efforts to get an alternative teacher certification. Payment plans are available to students so students can get started on their certification right away while paying program costs in installments. This fee provides access to all of the training, study and job resources needed for you to become eligible for employment as a teacher.

Western Governors University offers a unique fee structure, in that they charge by the term, and not the course. That means the more courses you complete each term, the cheaper your degree becomes. Different states will have different requirements of what courses you must take, and if you choose to do the courses online, they might be able to be done at your own pace, meaning how long it takes, in the end, is really up to you. Generally speaking though, someone putting in reasonable time and effort should be able to get through the preparation portion in a year or less.

The amount of practical teaching experience you will get will vary depending on your program as well as the jurisdiction you want to get your teaching license in. Teach Away TCP connects students with schools throughout the state to complete the practical teaching component of the program, in addition to Field Experiences in the core coursework which help candidates gain deeper insights into the complexities of the pedagogy, the school system and the workings of the classroom.

Western Governors University offers a full time, supervised, in-classroom experience of a minimum of weeks, during which you will be supervised by an experienced teacher.

At The University of Texas Permian Basin, prospective teachers complete one year of in-classroom teaching as part of a fully paid internship. Again, the result will vary depending on your program and where you live, so make sure you do your research accordingly!

The length of time it takes to actually get your alternative teaching certificate is going to be the combination of your coursework and preparation time, online or otherwise, combined with the in-classroom teaching time in a brick and mortar school. The time it takes to do the coursework section can vary depending on the state, the program, or as is often the case with online courses that can be done at your own pace, your own schedule and desire to complete the coursework quickly.

As a general rule of thumb, count on a year or less. But again, if you choose to do an online course that allows you to go at your own pace, this part is really up to you. This part is likely to consist of an entire academic year or less, during which you might be paid, but also supervised and mentored on your way to becoming a more effective teacher.

While it is possible for students to complete TCP in as little as 6 months, 9 months is the norm. In line with state standards , a new teacher can then apply for an emergency hire, provisional or standard license. In that case, the best and most direct route to teacher certification would be the traditional route. Hey, it happens. Or perhaps you love the subject you studied so much that you now want to enrich young minds with your knowledge of the topic.

Rules that apply in Missouri might not apply in Ohio, and a teaching certification valid in Georgia might not be worth its weight in cheese in Wisconsin. Rules and regulations will vary by state with regards to what classes you must take, what coursework you must complete, how much in-classroom teaching experience will be required, and even what subjects you might be allowed to teach.

So do your research based on your own circumstances. The thing is, this is the age of the internet, so going to school no longer necessarily means going to an actual building. Hey, you do you. Again, if you go the online route, make sure the certification offered will be valid in your home state.

But it should include the following:. Private schools often have a bit more leeway as to who they can hire, as they can often set their own hiring policy. This means you could likely, in theory, become a private school teacher without the certifications needed to teach at a public school IF the private school agrees to hire you.

That is, however, a big if. Remember, people pay money for their children to go to a private school on the assumption that it will provide a better education than provided at a public school. Still, your chances WILL be better with the proper teaching certifications, which means going to the traditional route or obtaining an alternative teaching certification.

Occam's razor is a principle in philosophy that suggests that the simplest explanation is the most likely. In this case, the best explanation as to how to become a teacher without a degree is Teaching is an important job, and anybody in charge of hiring is going to want to make sure you have the right education, qualifications and certifications in order to do it. This will be quicker and cheaper than the alternative teacher certification route if you are starting from post-secondary ground zero, as the alternative path would require getting a degree in something else FIRST, and is really only for people who decide that teaching is for them AFTER getting their degree.

However, an actor with an impressive resume and portfolio could, in theory, be hired as a drama teacher at a private school. Career and Technical Education CTE teachers teach practical courses that are designed to prepare students for a specific career.

So, think about cooking, computer programming, auto repair, etc. Want to try your hand at teaching before going all the way? Find out exactly how adding a TEFL certificate to your degree-less resume will increase your chances of landing a teaching job abroad and gain you experience in the classroom. Alternative teaching certifications were created to widen the potential teacher pool in order to address teacher shortages. In many jurisdictions, an alternative teacher certification will allow you to teach in any and all places that a teacher who has gone the traditional route of obtaining a Bachelor of Education.

In this instance, graduates with certain degrees are in higher demand than others, and having the right degree can be a golden ticket towards a teaching job. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics and refers to any and all subjects falling under those four disciplines.

STEM is the most widely used acronym however and refers to the subjects that schools and governments have prioritized in order to address the lack of qualified graduates to work in the high-tech sector. A wide variety of subjects fall under STEM including physics, computer science, statistics, and engineering. Math majors rejoice! Perhaps surprisingly, in many jurisdictions you can teach at a private school without being certified as a teacher.

Remember, parents pay good money for their children to receive a private school education usually on the assumption that it will provide a better quality education than a public one. That means someone without a teaching certificate will need to have their hiring justified by having a variety of other impressive credentials.

Prospective ESL and foreign language teachers might be able to teach at private language academies armed with only a TEFL Teaching English as a Foreign Language certificate, or even just the ability to speak a foreign language. Primary school teachers are responsible for guiding students through what is arguably the most important stage of their education. Typically they are less specialized than teachers at higher levels as they are required to teach lessons on a broad range of topics from math, English, music or physical education.

It may however mean you might need to take an extra course or two in subjects like child psychology or early childhood development. The good news is that already having a degree will shave both years and dollars off the process. An alternative teaching certification is specifically geared toward somebody looking to become a teacher who already has a degree in something other than education. In less time than it would take to return to school get a 4 or 5 year Bachelor of Education you can be certified, in the classroom, and trying to teach the minds of the future that multiplication tables are cooler than Spiderman in no time!

Art teachers can spark imagination in students and help them understand artistic concepts and history of a variety of artistic mediums such as drawing, painting and ceramics.

So, what are the chances of you becoming an art teacher without a degree? Private schools generally have greater autonomy in setting their own hiring policies than public schools, so in that case a great reputation or impressive portfolio might be enough for a private school to overlook any gaps you may have in formal education.

Of course, getting the proper certifications will undoubtedly increase your job prospects and make you a better teacher as well. In most states art will fall under career and technical education CTE. An alternative teacher certification is not for everyone. Whereas the traditional route to teaching involves spending 4 or 5 years obtaining a Bachelor of Education, an alternative teacher certification program will get eligible candidates certified and teaching in a year or two.

That being said, life happens. Not everyone is fortunate enough to know what they want to do early in life and start working towards it. People change, industries change, and sometimes in turns out that degree you worked so hard for leads to a career you no longer want.

It happens. Career changes later in life are now happening much more frequently. Candidates must first receive an employment offer from an Alabama school district.

They must then complete an approved educator preparation program before teaching full time under a teacher-mentoring program. Alaska does not issue emergency teaching certificates nor does it allow anyone to work as a teacher who is not properly certified. A type M limited teaching certificate may be issued to someone with expertise in a native Alaskan language or in a vocational or technical area, and Alaska participates in the Troops to Teachers program, which helps service members transition into the classroom.

Teachers must then complete a Department of Education approved teacher preparation program while teaching with their temporary license in order to achieve regular certification. APPEL allows individuals to teach in the classroom while completing the requirements to obtain full certification.

The most populous state in the nation has a severe teacher shortage that the state government is trying to address. California uses what it calls internship programs as its alternative route to certification.

These intern programs are the pathway to a preliminary teaching credential. After hours of intern preparation, candidates are then allowed to complete the remaining coursework needed for certification during their first year or two in a paid teaching position. These intern programs are available through colleges, universities and county offices of education, and online options exist.

Upon completion of the intern program, the teacher receives the same teaching credential as would be earned through the traditional route of a Bachelor of Education program. In certain cases, previous experience can be substituted for various components of the internship program. Teaching at a private school is possible without the teacher having the proper state certifications. Those with at least three years of experience teaching at a private school may be able to forgo the student teaching component of the internship program, and candidates with six or more years of private school experience may be able to apply for certification outright, skipping the teacher preparation program entirely.

Prospective teachers may also be able to have certain requirements of the internship program waived if they have prior teaching experience through the Peace Corps. Candidates must then obtain a classroom teaching position and an agreement with a state-approved designated agency that offers an approved alternative teacher preparation program.

Delaware has several state-approved alternative routes to licensure. Candidates agree to teach in a high-need secondary school for four years and attend a three-week seminar before beginning their first teaching position. Four additional courses are taken at the University of Delaware over the next two years en route to teacher certification.

The program prepares future educators through on-the-job training and an online curriculum. One must obtain a temporary teaching certificate and secure employment with a school district before being eligible for the program. Like many other states, Georgia has been suffering from a teacher shortage for years.

With teachers often becoming harder to find in Georgia than an Atlanta Thrashers fan, the Peach State has embraced alternative teaching certification as a way to alleviate the shortage.

To become fully certified prospective teachers must pass the same required exams as teachers with an education degree in addition to completing an alternative teacher preparation program. Candidates must then be admitted to the program and take the Praxis I and II content area assessment and once all program requirements are met, candidates are eligible for initial teacher licensure in Hawaii. This license is to be requested by the hiring school district and once received, teachers can teach full-time while completing an accelerated teacher preparation program.

These are two-year programs where candidates teach full-time under the guidance and mentorship of an experienced teacher while completing the necessary coursework.

Those looking to teach career and technical education CTE related subjects can achieve a CTE teaching license with hours of coursework and proof of 8,hours of relevant work experience within the last 10 years.

These are two-semester programs that allow prospective teachers with degrees in specific subjects to become licensed to teach through their choice of approved program. Transition to teach programs lead to licensure at the middle or high school level. For elementary school certification, one must follow the traditional pathway or work towards a master's in early childhood education. The state will also issue emergency teaching permits when schools are unable to fill vacancies with licensed teachers.

These are temporary and the recipient must demonstrate he or she is moving forward with the coursework necessary for full certification. Iowa offers non-traditional licensure in the form of a Teacher Intern Program.

The program is open to those who hold at least a baccalaureate degree with a minimum GPA of 2. Prospective teachers must complete an introductory teacher intern program at a college or university approved by the State Board of Education. Upon completion of the introductory program, individuals can apply for the teacher intern license, which allows he or she to teach for one year. Teachers then must complete a teacher intern seminar and all course requirements of the teacher intern program in that year in order to obtain an initial teaching license.

Kansas offers several routes into the classroom but a restricted teaching license is the primary alternative path to certification. To be eligible candidates must have a degree in a major they wish to teach and have at least a 2.

They then must enroll in an alternative route program at an approved Kansas college or university and become employed at a Kansas school district. Candidates are then eligible to teach full-time with their restrictive license while completing the alternative route program.

Kentucky has several nontraditional pathways to teacher certification. Most notably is the acknowledgment of career experience in specific fields or subject areas, allowing applicants to use a portfolio evaluation or extensive work experience to skip certain steps toward licensure. The most common alternative pathway is a university-based alternative route to certification. Candidates must enroll in an approved program and receive a job offer from a school district, at which point they will be eligible for a temporary provisional teaching certificate.

They then have three years to complete the program before receiving a professional certification. Candidates must enroll in an approved teacher preparation program, and are then issued a practitioner license which allows them to teach full time while completing the program.

Successful completion of the program leads to a professional teacher's license. College and university graduates who did not major in education have several options for certification in Maine. Successful candidates then undergo pre-employment training before beginning a teaching internship under the supervision of an experienced teacher while completing any necessary coursework.

This license is valid for up to five years, during which time one must complete an approved teacher preparation program in order to upgrade to a renewable initial teaching license.