General Information about Arizona Teaching Certification
Arizona teaching certification is required for candidates who want to work as public school teachers in the state. This certification has several education requirements and test requirements. The test requirements include a professional knowledge exam and subject knowledge exam in your endorsement area, recognized by the Arizona Department of Education. You will also have to complete a 12-week student teaching experience.
The education requirement includes a minimum of bachelor's degree in the subject you wish to endorse in the certification. Completing a teacher preparation program or a teacher education program is the next requirement. This program can be completed along with your traditional bachelor's or master's degree; this pathway leads to both a degree and certification. Another way is to enroll in an alternative certification program that leads to only the certification and not any degree. This program allows you to work in a teaching position while preparing for the certification.
List of Online Teaching Certification Programs in Arizona
A few schools in Arizona offer fully online or hybrid teaching certification programs. Keep in mind that these programs also include teaching internships that must be completed in person. These programs mostly follow the alternative pathway. Some of them offer a master's degree in education along with certification.
Rio Salado College
Rio Salado College offers a post-baccalaureate online teaching certification program in special education. This program prepares you to teach at levels K-12. It involves a twelve-week special education practicum and includes between 38-44 credits. Students are expected to earn grades equal to or above C in all courses and a minimum CGPA of 3.00 for the successful completion of the program. The program entails courses in emotional disabilities, learning disabilities, health impairments, mathematical methods, classroom management, and language development.
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona offers a two-year alternative certification program that results in a Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Secondary Education. This program leads meets the Arizona teaching certification requirements and enables students to work as full-time teachers, both while in the program and after graduation. The program is in a hybrid format, meaning it offers a mix of online and face-to-face classes; students must complete 38 credits to graduate. It includes courses in teaching methods, classroom management, and equity literacy.
Arizona State University
Arizona State University offers an online Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction program with a focus on early childhood education. The degree program requires a total of 30 credit hours and an extra 15 credit hours for the certification; making the total credit hours 45. The program is designed for those who want to work as teachers in grades K-3. The program offers courses in research and evaluation, child management, mathematics, integrated literacy, assessment methods, diversity and human development, and emergent literacy.
Career Outlook after Earning a Teaching Certification in Arizona
Teacher certification authorizes you to work as a licensed teacher in public schools in Arizona, the grade levels and subjects you teach depends on what you endorsed during the program. Teaching certification programs are designed to impart the knowledge and competency required for teaching adolescents and children. The teaching practicums that are a part of these programs also offer real-world experience in teaching, which can be invaluable for teachers who are just starting out.
According to 2019 numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the annual wages earned by public school teachers in Arizona are as follows: $45,310 (kindergarten), $45,600 (elementary), $45,120 (middle school), $50,320 (secondary). Kindergarten, middle, elementary and high school teachers are all expected to see job growth of 4% between 2019 and 2029.
Rio Salado College, Arizona State University, and the University of Arizona offer online or hybrid teaching certification programs in the state. Some to a master's degree in education and include coursework in classroom management, human development and teaching methods.
Keep Reading:
