Question:

I was laid off from my job as a real estate agent and want to change careers. My dream is to be a high school math teacher. My current bachelor’s degree, which I earned ten years ago, is in child psychology. Do I have to go back to college and earn a second, new bachelor’s degree in education? If so, will an online bachelor’s degree in education qualify me to become a licensed teacher in Texas? Do teacher licensing programs accept online education degrees?

—Willis
Houston, Texas


Answer:

Every state requires that any person teaching unsupervised in the public school system from kindergarten through high school be licensed or certified as a teacher by that state’s department of education.

To teach, you typically need a bachelor’s degree in education from an accredited school of education. Your education degree would commonly include a supervised teaching internship and a specified number of course hours in the subject area you wish to teach.  A 3.0 GPA is a common requirement, as well as passing scores on tests related to basic competencies.

Alternative Teacher Education Programs – Bachelor’s Level

However, if you didn’t earn a formal bachelor’s degree in education years ago and you now want to teach in the public schools, don’t fret. Every state maintains what are termed “alternative teacher certification” programs. These programs are designed to assist non-education majors in entering the teaching profession.

Alternative teacher certification programs have been designed to let career changers, like you, earn certification to teach in shortage areas such as math, science and special education.

(You are much less likely to be eligible for an alternative teacher training program if you want to teach in a low demand certification area such as history, though these exist also!)

According to the Texas Education Agency, your home state of Texas is rich in alternative teaching programs. These programs started in 1985 with a single alternative  program in the Houston school district. Today, Texas supports 67 alternative licensing programs. Twenty-one of these programs are sponsored by local community colleges. The University of Texas system also plays a role in alternative teacher education.

Texas, like many states, will require you to complete a one-year teaching internship (paid) at a local school. During that internship you will hold a “probationary teaching certificate” and be paired with a certified mentor teacher who is teaching in the same subject area or in an allied subject area.

You may need to take additional coursework in math and teaching methods as part of your program, but you will not be required to earn an entirely new bachelor’s degree.

Online Bachelor’s in Education for Teacher Certification?

You should not take any online courses until you’ve signed up for a specific program in your state. The program director will map out any new educational requirements for you.

The good news? If you need additional courses you can most likely complete them through a local community college or a branch of the University of Texas.

It is unlikely that you’ll be able to complete all additional coursework online, but you may be able to do your coursework through a combination of campus courses and distance learning at a low-cost, public university program.

For More Help …

Established in September 2003 with a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, the National Center for Alternative Certification (NCAC), is a trustworthy clearinghouse for information about alternative routes to teacher certification. Here you will find full descriptions of alternative routes to teacher certification in all 50 states.

Texas is not the only state to offer alternative teacher licensing programs at the bachelor’s level. In subject areas with teacher shortages—bilingual education, math and science, and special education—some states will actually pay you to retrain as a classroom teacher. The state of Tennessee has such a program.

In addition, teacher certification areas with a shortage of applicants tend to pay better than other areas of teaching.

You may be able to meet some or all of your educational requirements through online education, but never enroll in any online school until your local alternative licensing director pre-approves your new studies.

Be wary of online education schools that offer undergraduate certificates, associate and bachelor's degrees in teacher education. Don’t enroll until you’ve checked with your state Board of Education to determine if the education being offered will meet your state’s specific teacher licensing requirements.


Related Resources

National Center for Alternative Certification