As part of a new partnership with IUPUI, the IUPUC Division of Education is introducing a fast-track elementary teaching certificate, starting fall semester 2023.

Participants who already have a bachelor’s degree can complete the program with just 24 credits. Additionally, students who earn a B or better can apply 18 credits toward a master’s degree in elementary education.

The program, called the District-Based Alternative Certification Program (DBAC), is a collection of in-person and online classes, and replaces the Transition to Teaching Program.

Other education programs IUPUC offers include:

A traditional 4-year pathway to an elementary education degree

A 2-year professional program for graduates of Ivy Tech who completed the Elementary Education Transfer Single Articulation Pathway

The Secondary Transition to Teaching program for those interested in secondary education who currently hold a bachelor’s degree (in partnership with IU Kokomo)

Add-on licensure programs in Special Education, Mild Intervention and English as a New Language. These programs require students have or be working toward an initial licensure, and require completing six courses and a student teaching experience.

Crystal Walcott, Head of the IUPUC Division of Education, noted that elementary licensure can lead to teaching at higher levels, too. “A little-known fact is that once an initial license is granted, many secondary content area licenses can be added by assessment only. That means our elementary education grads can become, in effect, licensed in grades K-12 with only one degree.”

Walcott added that several IUPUC elementary education graduates now teach high school subjects like language arts and math because they added those content areas to their license. “The only additional step for them was passing the content area licensing exam,” she explained.

For more information about becoming a licensed