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Elementary Education - Transition to Teaching 

Time for a Career Transition?

During your college years, you may not have thought about a career in a school classroom. But now, after some years in the workforce, you may like the idea of guiding children to a meaningful future and inspiring them to dream big.

The nationally recognized Ball State Teachers College can prepare you for the classroom with our online transition to teaching program for elementary education. You can finish in four consecutive semesters and be ready to earn your teaching license. 

You will perform your student teaching at a school in Indiana (or within a 30 mile radius of the state of Indiana). A Teachers College faculty member will supervise your teaching. Online classes are taught by the same professors who teach on our main campus.

The program includes course work in teaching methods, child development, math and literacy, plus field experiences, and a student teaching experience. Except for student teaching and field experiences, you will pursue the program 100 percent online.

What Can You Do with a License in Transition to Teaching Program for Elementary Education (K-6)?

Ball State’s transition to teaching program certifies students who have degrees in other majors to teach in elementary schools. By completing the program and passing state mandated licensing tests, you will be qualified to teach elementary children with an Indiana teaching license in grades K-6.

On Your Way to a Master's Degree

When you finish the transition program, you'll need only five additional courses to complete a master’s degree in elementary education.

Course Requirements

You will complete two courses each semester with a cohort group of your peers. The program has a set plan that follows a four-semester format. Your academic advisor will help you with scheduling.

  • EDEL 600 Basic Concepts in Elementary Education (3 credits)
  • EDEL 644 Education in a Diverse Society (3 credits)
  • EDEL 690 Student Teaching in Elementary Education (6 credits)
  • EDRD 610 The Teaching of Reading in the Elementary School (3 credits)
  • EDRD 615 Early Literacy Development (3 credits)
  • EDPS 627 Child Development (3 credits)
  • MATH 680 Special Studies in the Teaching of Mathematics (3 credits) 

Rebecca Brown“We encourage our students to challenge themselves to become outstanding educators and hold them to the highest standards. It is because of this that our graduates are highly regarded and recruited by school systems across Indiana and throughout the nation.”

Rebecca Brown, director of Ball State’s transition to elementary teaching program


Program Contacts

Becky Druetzler
Lead Student Success Specialist

Dr. Rebecca Brown
Assistant Teaching Professor of Elementary Education

Want to Learn More?

Do you have questions about this program or online learning? We’re here to help! You may request more information using our online form, or feel free to reach out directly to one of our staff.

Online Transition to Teaching Program for Secondary Education  

QUICK FACTS

  • Total cost under $10,000 
  • 3-4 semesters to licensure
  • Credits: 18
  • Delivery: 100% online
  • Next start date: January 8, 2024

What are the chances that you recently graduated with a degree in a content area but never planned to get a teaching license? Or that you’ve been working for a few years in a disciplinary field but think you’d make a great secondary teacher? Are you filling a position due to your school’s teaching shortage but need to earn your license? Are you a college professor wondering about other classroom levels?

Wherever you are, we have good news: you can always make a transition. Ball State’s transition to teaching program for secondary education is one of the few online transition programs for those considering a career in the senior high, junior high, and middle school classroom.

Designed to Work in Your World

Students from across the state may pursue their teaching license without relocating. Digital technology is used for lesson observations, as well as pre- and post-observation conferencing. Test preparation courses are available through PRAXIS to help you complete your certification. You will also be required to pass the edTPA portfolio assessment.

You only leave home to do student teaching and a field experience, which you’ll perform in an Indiana secondary school located near you.

Finish in Four Semesters

You can begin the program in the fall, spring, or summer semesters, depending on your schedule. And you can finish the program in four semesters, including a 16-week, full-time student teaching experience in an Indiana secondary school during one of the final two semesters of the program. You can do your student teaching in a school where you work or at another educational setting that is near your home. A university supervisor provided by the Teachers College will supervise your teaching.

Have a bachelor's in a STEM field?

If you have a bachelor's in a STEM field—science, technology, engineering, or math—and can teach in an underserved school in Indiana for at least three years, you may qualify for funding from the Hoosier STEM Academy.

The Academy offers programs for STEM professionals interested in teaching and licensed teachers wanting to teach dual credit. To learn more, contact Jill Bradley-Levine.

For students who are looking for a faster transition to teaching, the program can be completed as quickly as three semesters. If you’re looking for a quicker transition, talk with your student success specialist about how to structure your program of study. It is possible to obtain complete certification in one year.

Hoping to keep your job during this transition? There are options to help you make the most of your time and allow you to still earn an income while completing the student teaching component of your certification, potentially at the school where you are currently employed. If you don’t already have a teaching job or a position at a school, the Ball State Office of Teacher Education Services can help you find the right placement for your needs.

Ball State’s Teachers College, which consistently ranks among the best in the U.S., has prepared innumerable teachers, counselors, principals, and superintendents. We are one of the nation’s most comprehensive universities in both the quantity and quality of educator programs.

What can You Do with a License in Transition to Teaching for Secondary Education?

You will be licensed to teach your content area in senior high school, junior high school, and/or middle school (grades 7-12) in the state of Indiana.

Please note that you must have an undergraduate degree in the content area you wish to teach, or have passed a Praxis exam in a secondary content area. Those pursuing a license to teach Career Technical Education content must also need to provide proof of 4,000 hours of related industry work experience. Contact your student success specialist with questions.

The Prestige of Teachers College

Ball State’s Teachers College has been nationally accredited since 1954 and is the largest teacher provider in the state of Indiana. Teachers College also boasts one of the nation’s most comprehensive offerings in terms of the quantity and quality of educator programs available.

Master of Arts in Secondary Education Option

You will need only four additional courses to complete a master of arts in secondary education (MASE). You are able to pursue the MA while working on the licensure courses OR after you complete the Transition to Secondary Teaching program.  

In addition, a concentration in Secondary Teaching exists under the MA, which will allow you to complete the Transition to Teaching licensure requirements within the MASE program.   

You will also have a variety of options for add-on licenses to help you focus your studies in your areas of interest.  

Course Requirements

You will complete 18 credit hours, including courses that explore the foundations of education, educational psychology, meeting the needs of diverse learners, curriculum development, classroom management, home and school connections, and student assessment.

  • EDPS 600 Advanced Educational Psychology (3 credits)
  • EDSE 660 Introduction to Secondary Planning and Instruction (3 credits)
  • EDSE 670 Advanced Secondary Planning and Instruction (3 credits)
  • EDSE 680 Student Teaching: Secondary School (3 credits)

Choose one course from the following:

  • EDFO 620 Social, Historical, and Philosophical Foundations of Education (3 credits)
  • EDMU 660 Multicultural and Multiethnic Education in American Schools (3 credits)

Choose one course from the following:

  • EDJH 512 Instructional Strategies and Approaches in Junior High and Middle Schools (3 credits)
  • EDJH 534 Classroom Management: Practical Approaches to Improving Student Behavior (3 credits)
  • EDSE 695 Dynamics of the Secondary School Classroom (3 credits)
  • Content pedagogy course to be determined by your content area. Please note that some of these courses are online and others might require a face-to-face course (3 credits)

Program Contacts

Becky Druetzler
Lead Student Success Specialist

Jill Bradley-Levine
Associate Professor of Education Studies

Want to Learn More?

Do you have questions about this program or online learning? We’re here to help! You may request more information using our online form, or feel free to reach out directly to one of our staff.

Ready to Apply?

Review our admission requirements, dates and deadlines, and instructions. Then complete our online application.

GET STARTED