Program Highlights
Alternative Teaching Certificate Program
Total cost: $6,750
Cost per credit hour: $375
Credit hours: 18
Tuition assistance available for eligible students
The Alternative Teaching Certificate program, also known as ACCESS (Alternative Certification and Credentialing for Elementary and Secondary Schools), provides courses to academically prepare educators pursuing alternative certification in elementary or secondary education for the state of Oklahoma. The program includes 18 hours of fully online coursework that result in an OBU certificate of course completion. The program takes one year to complete and financial aid is available.
Tuition assistance is available for eligible emergency-certified teachers currently teaching in Pottawatomie County public schools as well as Meeker, Chandler, Prague, Little Axe, and Seminole public school districts. Provided by the Avedis Foundation, the tuition assistance covers 50% of the total program cost. Following admission into the program, eligible students will receive instructions about applying for tuition assistance.
Coursework in the Alternative Teaching Certificate program prepares teachers working under emergency certification, or those desiring to become a teacher, to take specified coursework to meet requirements for an Oklahoma alternative teaching license. Classes focus on educational foundations including classroom management, pedagogy and child development. Individuals who have earned a bachelor’s degree in any field are eligible to complete this certificate program, take the necessary teaching certification exams and apply for an Oklahoma teaching license.
Additionally, the ACCESS program prepares and supports students as they take the necessary certification exams to become licensed Oklahoma educators. OBU’s undergraduate teacher education candidates have a 95% pass rate on their culminating certification exams, and the University seeks to help alternatively certified teachers experience similar success.
Why OBU’s Alernative Teaching Certificate Program?
Quality – Classes are taught by OBU faculty members of the Henry F. McCabe Family School of Education. Classes include Psychology of Teaching and Learning, Issues in Teaching and Classroom Management, Instructional Pedagogy and Assessment, Instructional Strategies for Mild/Moderate Exceptionalities and more.
Convenience – Each course is offered in a fully online format and may be completed from anywhere.
Faculty Experts – Our professors have earned the highest degrees and have years of practical experience in their specific field. In other words, the graduate faculty practices what they teach. Learn first-hand from experienced faculty who have decades of combined experienced teaching and leading in public and private schools.
Value – You can complete the 18-hour program for only $375 per credit hour. This will not only allow you to complete required courses for licensure in the state of Oklahoma, but in many districts, it will qualify you for higher pay since this graduate level credit counts as 18 hours of master’s degree coursework.
Start Dates
Spring 2023
- January 23–March 19 (8-week)
- March 20–May 14 (8-week)
Students may also begin the program in June and August.
