You may enroll in the TCP in one of the endorsements below either with or without an employment offer from a school to teach .5 to 1.0 FTE in the endorsement area:
- Art
- Biology
- BMIT (Business, Marketing, Information Technology)
- Chemistry
- English Language Arts
- Family Consumer Science
- Health & PE
- History
- Mathematics
- Middle Level English Language Arts
- Middle Level Mathematics
- Middle Level Science
- Middle Level Social Studies
- Music
- Physical Education Pk-12, 7-12
- Physics
- Science
- Secondary English
- Social Studies
- World Language French
- World Language German
- World Language Spanish
- World Language (Other with approval)
NOTE: Certification in Elementary Education or Special Education is not currently pursuable through the Transitional Certification Program.
NOTE: Please be aware that some misdemeanor and felony convictions can prevent applicants from participating in a UNK Teacher Education program and obtaining a Nebraska teaching certificate. If you have ever been convicted of a misdemeanor or felony, even if it has been set aside, please contact Jenny Jansky, Certification Officer, for more information.
Follow the steps below to determine if you qualify:
1. Complete the Request for Transcript Review form. (The completion of this form does not admit you to the program, nor does it authorize your transcripts to be sent automatically.)
2. Have official transcripts, sent by each institution from which you have received college credit, to:
University of Nebraska Kearney
Graduate Studies
1910 University Drive- CMCT 210
Kearney, NE 68849
Email: unktcp@unk.edu
After your review has been completed you will receive your Program of Study as well as your next steps via the email listed on your request form. (See Program Admission Requirements below.)
Admission to the program may be delayed if the admission instructions are not followed.
Please know that every education program contains a significant number of field experience hours (time spent observing and/or teaching in PK-12 school settings). Field Experience includes:
- A minimum of 100 clock hours (35 hours per semester) of pre-student teaching practicum. Almost without exception, individuals pursuing initial teacher certification must be available on certain days during regular school hours (8 AM – 4 PM). Many of our students are able to achieve this by taking vacation days/flex-time from their current jobs.
- A student teaching experience. Student teaching is an all-day (8 AM - 4 PM)/all-semester (16 weeks minimum) experience in a PK-12 school setting. Students with a teaching permit may meet this requirement in their classroom.
The program consists of:
- Four 3-credit hour classes for a total of 12 graduate credit hours of online study (includes 100 minimum total clock hours of practicum to be completed across the four courses).
- One 6-credit hour semester of student teaching. Students teaching on an Alternative Permit will complete this in their own classroom; students who are not teaching on an Alternative Permit will be placed with a certified teacher and complete this course in that teacher's classroom.
- A total of 18 graduate credit hours of professional education coursework.** To estimate your financial commitment, please see our Student Accounts website and follow the tuition link. You may also want to visit our Financial Aid website for loan and scholarship information.
Depending on previous academic work completed based on the transcript review, there may be additional coursework required in the specific endorsement area of choice. Additional courses required will be indicated on a program of study that will be emailed to you after your transcripts have been reviewed.
**This online 18-credit-hour professional education coursework can be completed in a minimum of two academic years:
Professional Sequence Coursework
- TE 837: Curriculum and Assessment - 3 credit hours
- (Fall or Spring; online) - Must be taken in the first semester of your program
- TE 838: Middle Level and Secondary Literacy - 3 credit hours
- (Fall or Spring; online) - Prerequisites: TE 837 and TE 840
- TE 839: Pedagogies of Culture, Community, and Inclusivity - 3 credit hours
- (Fall or Spring; online) - Prerequisites: TE 837 and TE 840
- TE 840: Middle Level and Secondary Learning Environment - 3 credit hours
- (Fall or Spring; online) - Must be taken in the first semester of your program
- TE 836: Clinical Practice: Post-Baccalaureate Student Teaching - 6 credit hours
- (Fall or Spring; online) - Application must be completed by the deadline. Students will be notified about the results of their program review after that deadline.
Arrangements will be made for participants to complete their practicum hours in their local or nearby school systems. Program participants who are already employed by a school district will complete their practicum and student teaching in the school systems in which they are employed, in their own classrooms. Because practicum arrangements are made with participating school systems and communities across the state, UNK’s Transitional Certification Program is available to participants who physically reside in Nebraska or are within commuting distance to a Nebraska school system.
For Students Who Are Teachers on an Alternative Permit:
- Bachelors degree with a cumulative GPA of at least 2.75
- Offered/Accepted teaching position in the endorsement area in which you are seeking initial certification
- A program of study on file with an Educator Preparation Program (EPP) - This will be created once a transcript review is completed
For Students Pursuing Initial Certification without a Teaching Position
- Bachelors degree with a cumulative GPA of at least 2.75
- A program of study on file with an Educator Preparation Program (EPP) - This will be created once a transcript review is completed
Questions? Contact:
Suzette Eppler
Online Coordinator for TCP Program
CMCT 216
Kearney, NE 68849
308-865-8644 | unktcp@unk.edu
University of Nebraska at Kearney
College of Education Building
1615 W 24th St
Kearney, NE 68849
