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Alternative Educator Preparation Programs

Alternative Fifth-Year Programs (ALT-A) leading to the Master of Education (M.Ed.) degree and certification at the A level are designed for those who did not complete an educator preparation program at the undergraduate level.

Most ALT-A programs require a minimum of 39 semester hours of graduate coursework; however, the amount of extra course work will depend upon one’s undergraduate major, desired grade level (P3, K-6, 6-12, P-12), area of certification (single teaching field or comprehensive teaching fields), as determined by the adviser's evaluation of an applicant’s transcript(s). Elementary Education ALT-A requires 12 hours of English, sciences, social studies, and math if the required passing score for the Praxis II examinations has not been met.

ALT-A programs require a pure academic major; 32/19 for all secondary majors; 4x12 for collaborative teaching, early childhood education and elementary education; or passing scores on the appropriate Praxis II examinations for unconditional admission

Students must be admitted to the educator preparation program by meeting the following criteria:

  1. A baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution.
  2. All official transcripts showing all courses attempted.
  3. A minimum overall grade point average of 2.5 (on a 4.0 scale) from the regionally accredited degree-granting institution. Please consult an academic advisor in the major area for more specific requirements relevant to each program.

In addition to these general requirements, a student must submit:

  1. The Graduate Record Examination (GRE General Test) or Miller’s Analogies Test (MAT) scores before or during the first term of enrollment.
  2. Students must pass all undergraduate prerequisite coursework prior to unconditional admission.

ASU offers the alternative master’s degree in the following areas of education:

Early Childhood

Elementary

Secondary

Biology

English/Language Arts

Health Education (6-12)

History

Mathematics

Social Studies

Physical Education (P-12)

Music Education (P-12)

Special Education (Collaborative Teacher K-6 or 6-12)

Completion of the program requires satisfactory performance on a written comprehensive examination and an overall grade point average of 3.25 on a 4.0 scale.