Indiana Alternative Certification Programs

(found programs from 37 schools)

According to the Noon Edition, an Indiana public news station, the state is facing critical shortages of math and science teachers for middle and high school students. Some school districts are also struggling with teacher shortages in the subjects of English, reading, bilingual education, social studies, foreign languages, elementary education, and even in elective courses including business education, driver education, and the fine arts. The Indiana Department of Workforce Development estimates that the state will need to hire over 11,000 new teachers between 2008 and 2018. Data compiled by the National Center for Alternative Education shows that over 2,000 newly hired teachers each year have entered the profession through non-traditional routes.

In order to help alleviate teacher shortages, the state has approved several alternate certification programs. While each program has different requirements, all of them require candidates to possess a bachelor's degree and passing scores on the state's subject area exams.

Two programs you may consider are the Indiana Teaching Fellows program, sponsored by the New Teacher Project, or the Woodrow Wilson Indiana Teaching Fellows program, which is sponsored by the Woodrow Wilson Foundation. The Indiana Teaching Fellows Program was launched in 2006 and is operated by Marian University. The program is for professionals who wish to transition into an education career teaching math, science or Spanish, among other subjects. The Woodrow Wilson Indiana Teaching Fellows Program was created to recruit and train new teachers for STEM subjects: science, technology, engineering, and math. Four Indiana universities: Ball State University, Indiana University, Purdue University, and University of Indianapolis, are currently offering this program. Each institution offers a master's degree track, which has been redesigned in consultation with the Woodrow Wilson Foundation.