Alternative Licensure
WSU Transition to Teaching Program
The WSU Transition to Teaching program is an alternative delivery model for teacher preparation. Developed to accommodate local area schools with teacher shortages, the program allows individuals with an undergraduate degree in a correlating content area (i.e., math, sciences, English) to quickly transition to a career as a paid teacher in a local middle or high school. Beginning with a summer pre-service session, candidates spend two years teaching with a restricted license while concurrently completing the necessary education coursework. During this period of time, the candidate receives support from interactions with a peer cohort, the university, the district, and a district provided mentor. At the successful conclusion of the program, the candidate is recommended for the Kansas Initial Teaching License. Candidates may enroll in a third year of education course work to complete a 36-hour licensure and Master of Arts in Teaching degree (MAT).
While WSU Transition to Teaching offers licensure in a variety of subjects, most alternative licensure candidates are employed in the national high needs areas of Mathematics, Science and English.
The Kansas counties served by the campus based program include: Butler, Cowley, Harvey, Kingman, Reno, Sedgwick and Sumner.
Download video of a current Transition to Teaching participant
(7.3 MB).