By Megan Simpson – Communications Director, APSU Eriksson College of Education
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Job-embedded teaching degrees and certificate programs available through Austin Peay State University’s Eriksson College of Education allow those with a bachelor’s degree to pursue a teaching license immediately and get paid to do so.
To introduce these options to prospective teachers in the Clarksville, Nashville and Dickson County areas, Austin Peay will host a Job Embedded Teacher Fair 4-6 p.m. June 6 in the Morgan University Center Ballroom.
These pathways allow teaching candidates to serve as the teacher of record in a local school while completing the requirements for a graduate-level degree or certificate. As teachers of record, they are paid as school district employees. The convenience and flexibility afforded through this pathway are major draws for career changers or classified employees at local schools seeking to earn licensure.
“Our job-embedded pathways allow teachers to complete their program in an online environment while working within a partnering school district,” said Kevin Fee, coordinator of teacher licensing at Austin Peay.
The two most common job-embedded pathways to licensure at Austin Peay are the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program and the Teacher Licensing Non-Degree Certificate. The graduate certificate can be completed in a year. The MAT offers eight specialized concentrations, which allows students to dive deeper into specific content areas and grade levels.
Austin Peay also offers a new Career and Technical Licensing Certificate, which allows those with occupational experience (e.g., health professions, welding, etc.) to earn the credentials to teach Career and Technical Education (CTE) classes. Those pursuing this certificate can also work as job-embedded educators.
To qualify for Austin Peay’s job-embedded degree or certificate programs applicants must meet the following criteria:
- Bachelor’s degree
- 3.00 cumulative GPA
- Major in the content area or earn a passing score on the Praxis II Content Exam
- Intent to hire by a partnering school district
Austin Peay staff will provide an overview of the application process and degree pathways during the event. Employees from the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System, Metro Nashville Public Schools and the Dickson County School District will also be onsite to answer questions, share current openings and discuss the intent to hire process.
For more information, contact Fee at feek@apsu.edu. Attendees are asked to RSVP here. To learn more about job-embedded degree pathways at Austin Peay, visit the website.
