Alternative Teaching Pathways
Certificates & Job-Embedded Options
The Eriksson College of Education offers 25 initial teaching endorsements and can work with all school districts to help fill high need areas through the job-embedded pathway.
We offer two non-traditional pathways to licensure, the Master of Arts in Teaching and the Non-Degree Teacher Certification Graduate Certificate. We also offer pathways for additional endorsements, including provisional options. We can assist you in many ways to help you teach in Tennessee. Certificates offer shorter and more flexible options for working professionals and non-traditional students to receive teaching licensure with online course delivery.
Please feel free to email Feek@apsu.edu or call 931.221.6182. To apply for admission, click here.
To qualify for the Job Embedded Pathway, you must meet the following criterion:
1. Bachelor’s degree
2. 3.00 Cumulative GPA
3. Major in the content area in which you want to teach OR Passing score on the Praxis II Content Exam
4. In all areas an Intent to hire by a partnering school district
Please note: Not all partnering counties hire on this type of license in all area of licensure offered by APSU. Furthermore, APSU cannot partner with you on this type of license if we do not have an initial licensure in a program.
Interested in earning your teacher licensure but not sure you want to pursue a graduate degree? The Teacher Licensing Non-degree Certificate could assist you.
This certificate allows those who have a bachelor's degree outside of Education to earn a teacher license in one year without pursuing a graduate degree. Candidates in this program are eligible to be hired by a school district as a job-embedded teacher while completing coursework!
This certificate is designed for current teachers who already have a bachelor’s degree
in Kindergarten-5th grade elementary education. They can obtain the educational background
required for a Pre-K - 3 teaching licensure quickly through Austin Peay State University!
Four courses will be offered in Summer 2024 to provide enhanced learning and prepare
K-5 teachers to pass the Pre-K - 3 Praxis exam.
The program is fully online and only four courses that can be completed in the the
Summer I and Summer II terms.
COURSE SCHEDULE
Summer I (May 28 - June 28, 2024)
- EC 5140 - Seminar on Applications of Development Theory
- EC 5130 - Trends and Issues in Early Childhood Education
Summer II (July 1 - Aug. 2, 2024)
- EC 5170 - Seminar on Evaluation and Assessment in Early Childhood Education
- RDG 6051 - The Art of Teaching Writing
This certificate is designed for students who want to pursue becoming a licensed educator in a Career and Technical Education pathway. Students are able to complete all coursework required by the state while working as a job embedded educator with a partnering school district to help fill teacher shortages.
This program is offered completely online. Courses are offered at both the undergraduate and graduate level for students.
Become a licensed teacher while getting paid full-time with this new graduate certificate.
The certificate allows those who have a major outside of education to earn a teacher
licensure without completing a master's degree. Students complete this 18 credit hour certificate in one year, with accelerated eight-week
courses offered 100% online.
Candidates may have a bachelor's degree in any area, and a 3.0 undergraduate GPA is
required for program entry. Successful completion of Praxis exams and EdTPA is required
in order to obtain licensure.
This certificate offers high-quality instruction, which offers students the opportunity
to delve deeply into the concepts of early childhood education with both research
and practical applications.
Tennessee State Policy on Provisional Special Education Endorsement
Provisional Special Education endorsement. Licensed educators enrolled in an additional endorsement program may add a provisional special education endorsement by submitting a recommendation from an approved educator preparation provider verifying:
1. Enrollment in a program of study for additional endorsement in the specialty area; and
2. An assurance that the candidate will be assigned a mentor who is appropriately endorsed in the area where the candidate is seeking additional endorsement.
3. In order to transition from a provisional endorsement to a full endorsement, educators must submit passing scores on required assessments and successfully complete the program of study within three (3) years of receiving a provisional endorsement. All provisional endorsements will become inactive three (3) years after issuance.
