NNU's Accelerated Certification in Education offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education, which is an accelerated program designed for the working adult to obtain teacher certification. A candidate that transfers in two years of college credits or an AA degree, may complete their Bachelor of Arts and Teacher Certification in as little as 16 months. Courses are 8 weeks in length, with two sessions in each semester. Students complete two or three classes in each 8-week session, creating a typical semester credit load of 10-14 credits. General Education courses needed to complete a bachelor's degree will be required and may be transferred in from other institutions or taken as part of NNU's Online Program. The Professional Education courses will be taken in three semesters (fall, spring and summer semesters) and will include field experience hours in public schools to put into practice what is being learned in the college classroom. Per the Idaho Department of Education certification requirements, Elementary candidates will also be prepared to teach in one of the Middle School (5-9) content areas (English, History, Math, Science or Social Studies). The ACE program concludes with a 4-month (full semester) Student Teaching experience. Upon completion of the elementary program, students will be recommended for teacher certification in All Subjects (grades K-8) and a Middle School (5-9) content area.   

New cohorts for Elementary Education begin every fall and spring. Earn a teaching certificate in just 16 months, depending on prior credits. Our online coursework allows candidates to maintain their daytime employment and/or family responsibilities until they begin student teaching. Some daytime hours are required during the program for field experience.

Elementary teacher candidates must have at least two years of college or university credit and required General Education courses for completion of a Bachelor's Degree at NNU. Candidates must complete prerequisite credits as well as Middle School content coursework, which are also available in the same online format, prior to starting the Education courses.

Elementary BA Education Courses

 

Fall Semester

EDUC1125 Foundations of Teaching/Instructional Design (3 cr)

EDUC3165 Learning and the Brain (3 cr)

EDUC3175 Teaching Diverse Learners (3 cr)

EDUC3255 Fundamentals of Reading (3 cr)

 

Spring Semester

Specific Middle School Content Methods (2-3 cr)

EDUC4465 Assessment and Intervention in Reading (3 cr)

EDUC3265 Elementary Content Literacy (3 cr)

EDUC4555 Methods of Teaching Math/Science (3 cr)

 

Summer Semester

EDUC3245 Elementary Classroom Management (3 cr)

EDUC2555 Innovative Instruction (3 cr)

 

Fall Semester

EDUC4815 Elementary School Start-Up (1 cr)

EDUC4905 Elementary Student Teaching (11 cr)

EDUC4955 Seminar/Capstone (1 cr)

To be recommended for teaching certification by NNU, a candidate must meet the complete requirements of the Teacher Education Program in effect at the time of admission to teacher education and any additional requirements if required by the standards of State or regulatory agencies.

If you already have a bachelor's degree, NNU also offers a graduate-level Teacher Certification program that leads to a Master of Arts in Teaching with Elementary or Secondary Certification.