Online Transition to Teaching Programs

Online Transition to Teaching Program for Secondary Education  

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.

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.

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