Alternative Teaching Certification in Kansas

The Kansas State Department of Education offers a Restricted Teaching License Alternative Pathway to non-traditional applicants. This educational route to becoming a licensed Kansas teacher is designed for you if you already have at least a bachelor’s degree and are considering a career change to become a teacher. It is only available if you wish to teach in secondary school content areas.

Interested in learning about the traditional approach? Contact schools offering teaching certification programs in Kansas.

Alternative Certification Requirements

Education Requirements

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Liberty University

Featured Program: Undergraduate Certificate in Preschool, Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.), Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT), Doctor of Education

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Grand Canyon University

Featured Program: Bachelor of Arts & Science in ECE, Elem. & Sec. Education, Master of Education in ECE, Elem. & Sec. Education, and Ed. Doctorate

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Arizona State University - Online

Featured Program: The online master’s in early childhood education with certification equips current or aspiring educators with the coursework, skills and practical experience needed to become a certified teacher working in a public school with children pre-K and K-3.

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University of West Alabama

Featured Program: Choose from more than 40 certification and non-certification education programs that can enhance your career as an educator inside or outside the classroom.

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Campbellsville University

Featured Program: Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education (P-5); Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education - Initial Certification; Bachelor or Science in Learning & Behavior Disorders (P-12) & Elementary Education (P-5) Initial Certification

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Walden University

Featured Program: Earn a Masters of Art in Teaching (MAT) in Elementary and Special Education - leads to a licensure

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You must have at least a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution, with a GPA of at least 2.75 in your last 60 semester credit hours. Additionally, your degree/coursework must be within the content area in which you plan to teach. If you meet these requirements along with the examination and experience requirements explained below, contact a Kansas institution that offers an alternative route program. Contacts for these programs are at the bottom of the page linked to here.

Examinations

You must pass the Praxis II exam corresponding to the content area you plan to teach.

Experience

Before your may enroll in an alternative route program in a Kansas institution, you must complete a supervised practical training experience under the support of the institution and the school district in which you wish to work. To locate a teaching position in a Kansas school district, visit the Kansas Teaching Jobs Website. Once you have secured the position and are enrolled in an alternative route program, you may apply for a Restricted Teaching License. This license will allow you to teach full-time while completing the requirements necessary for full teaching licensure. A progress report will be issued to the Department of Education by your school each year, verifying that you are progressing toward full licensure.

Criminal History Background Check

As a first-time applicant for Kansas teaching licensure, you must undergo a criminal history background check. This involves filling out a fingerprint card, which will be provided to you by your college or university, and taking it to your local police station to have your fingerprints taken. The card must then be mailed to the Kansas State Department of Education, Teacher Education and Licensure, 120 SE 10th Avenue, Topeka, KS 66612-1182. A license will not be issued to you until you have cleared the background check.

Contact Information

For more information on alternative teaching licensure in Kansas, contact the education program consultant, Sungti Hsu, at 785-291-3573.