# Any states where you can teach without a bachelor's degree? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 12, 2009, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-states-where-you-can-teach-without-a-bachelors-degree/481007 "2009-01-12T23:40:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TommyTutone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c4cdca/32.png) [@TommyTutone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TommyTutone)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2009, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-states-where-you-can-teach-without-a-bachelors-degree/481007/1 "2009-01-12T23:40:57Z")
Through whatever mistakes I made earlier in my life, while I got through three years of college working towards a degree in mathematics, I never graduated. This was about thirteen years ago. Since then, at least for the past eleven years, I have been working in the IT industry. As people may notice, the jobs in this field are drying up, and teaching had been a long time love anyway. Does anyone know of any options short of returning to college and potentially having to start over due to the credits not carrying over after such a long period of time? Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![seodoa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@seodoa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seodoa)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2009, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-states-where-you-can-teach-without-a-bachelors-degree/481007/2 "2009-01-12T23:48:48Z")
I am pretty sure all states require at least some degree (at the minimum, an associate’s degree) to teach. And every state will require that you obtain licensure, which requires you to have earned credit for specific college courses. [http://www.alleducationschools.com/faqs/statedepartment.php](http://www.alleducationschools.com/faqs/statedepartment.php) has information on various states’ DoEs, but without a degree, you will find it very difficult to get work as a K-12 teacher. Perhaps a teaching aide, but not a full-fledged instructor. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-states-where-you-can-teach-without-a-bachelors-degree/481007/3 "2009-01-13T00:00:46Z")
There may be somewhere that is absolutely desperate for teachers and will let you teach while finishing your degree. That is what both of my parents did at age 20 under emergency state orders in Louisiana. They did finish their bachelors degree plus much more but that was in the 1970’s. I am talking about places in the U.S. that need something like the Peace Corps serving as teachers and there are some. They may not be great places to live however unless you are into that sort of thing. West Virgina and Alaska for example among others might have current programs like that or maybe even an Indian reservation. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-states-where-you-can-teach-without-a-bachelors-degree/481007/4 "2009-01-13T00:32:25Z")
College credits don’t expire after a certain time. A college may occasionally not accept certain courses from another university. The courses necessary for an education degree might be somewhat different from the courses you took for your math degree, so you might need more courses than you think. They don’t expire just because of time passing though. ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-states-where-you-can-teach-without-a-bachelors-degree/481007/5 "2009-01-13T00:34:39Z")
Some states have special programs to recruit people from technical professions into public teaching. They probably would assume a bachelor’s degree, but I’m not sure and it’s worth looking into. Plus what **Shagnasty** said about underserved areas. ---
**Author:** ![seodoa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@seodoa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seodoa)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-states-where-you-can-teach-without-a-bachelors-degree/481007/6 "2009-01-13T00:45:42Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > There may be somewhere that is absolutely desperate for teachers and will let you teach while finishing your degree. That is what both of my parents did at age 20 under emergency state orders in Louisiana. They did finish their bachelors degree plus much more but that was in the 1970’s. I am talking about places in the U.S. that need something like the Peace Corps serving as teachers and there are some. They may not be great places to live however unless you are into that sort of thing. West Virgina and Alaska for example among others might have current programs like that or maybe even an Indian reservation. I had forgotten about these programs, they are sometimes called emergency, provisional, or alternative teaching certificates. Many inner city school are also willing to accept these teachers, particularly for high demand subject areas like mathematics and science. As long as you aren’t terribly picky about your placement, you could luck out with one of these, as many licensed teachers shy away from inner city placements. [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_teaching_certification) has an entry, if you are interested in learning more. ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-states-where-you-can-teach-without-a-bachelors-degree/481007/7 "2009-01-13T01:00:20Z")
Even with emergency certification, the OP is going to need a bachelor’s degree. **Tommy** , can you go back to school to complete an education degree? Depending on your state, the courses you need to get such a degree may be all you need. Robin ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-states-where-you-can-teach-without-a-bachelors-degree/481007/8 "2009-01-13T01:13:48Z")
Since I imagine you’re looking to stay relatively close to home, I’ll just point out that Florida does require all teaching candidates to hold a bachelor’s or higher. You can be a substitute with an associate’s degree in most counties, though. ---
**Author:** ![BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-states-where-you-can-teach-without-a-bachelors-degree/481007/9 "2009-01-13T01:42:49Z")
> [@seodoa](#): > > I had forgotten about these programs, they are sometimes called emergency, provisional, or alternative teaching certificates. Many inner city school are also willing to accept these teachers, particularly for high demand subject areas like mathematics and science. As long as you aren’t terribly picky about your placement, you could luck out with one of these, as many licensed teachers shy away from inner city placements. > > [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_teaching_certification) has an entry, if you are interested in learning more. It may not be as rare or as inner city as has been suggested in this thread. Perhaps New Hampshire is the exception to this, but I’m pretty sure that statewide you are allowed to be on a provisional teaching plan while you finish your degree. You might not be the most attractive candidate, but the plan wasn’t just confined to the bad parts of Nashua and Manchester. ETA: Which degree this is I’m not sure-- I’m just going by memory. When I applied, I’m pretty sure I had my BA and the provisional plan was to finish the teaching cert. ---
**Author:** ![TommyTutone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c4cdca/32.png) [@TommyTutone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TommyTutone)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-states-where-you-can-teach-without-a-bachelors-degree/481007/10 "2009-01-13T01:51:00Z")
> [@MsRobyn](#): > > Even with emergency certification, the OP is going to need a bachelor’s degree. > > **Tommy** , can you go back to school to complete an education degree? Depending on your state, the courses you need to get such a degree may be all you need. > > Robin I have about three years of college done. I have a note out to the registrar’s office about rejoining the school. My worry is that I’ve heard that credits expire after 10 years if you haven’t graduated. If that is not the case, then getting my BS in Math should be a little less painful and from there I can go the provisional cert route. If the credits do not rollover for some reason, then I see it being a long (which is fine) and expensive (not so fine) proposition. Thanks for the feedback everyone. ---
**Author:** ![Hanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b3f665/32.png) [@Hanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hanna)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-states-where-you-can-teach-without-a-bachelors-degree/481007/11 "2009-01-13T02:38:28Z")
> [@](#): > > My worry is that I’ve heard that credits expire after 10 years if you haven’t graduated My college credits carried over and it was over twenty years. So,I’d say this is not true. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-states-where-you-can-teach-without-a-bachelors-degree/481007/12 "2009-01-13T02:46:01Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > I am talking about places in the U.S. that need something like the Peace Corps serving as teachers and there are some. The only thing that’s like the Peace Corps in the US that operates in schools is Teach For America, which is EXTREMELY competitive. A friend of mine is a TFA alum, and she told me that only 25% of applicants from her alma mater - which is freaking Yale - were accepted into TFA. There is no way they would accept someone without at least a bachelor’s degree. ETA: OTOH, if you have a lot of experience in the field, you might be able to get into the actual Peace Corps, if you’re interested in teaching abroad. ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-states-where-you-can-teach-without-a-bachelors-degree/481007/13 "2009-01-13T03:12:50Z")
> [@Boscibo](#): > > My college credits carried over and it was over twenty years. So,I’d say this is not true. It depends on the school. IIRC my college had a 10-year degree completion limit. The university should have published regs on this issue; just call up the Registrar’s Office and ask. ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-states-where-you-can-teach-without-a-bachelors-degree/481007/14 "2009-01-13T03:47:52Z")
> [@TommyTutone](#): > > I have about three years of college done. I have a note out to the registrar’s office about rejoining the school. My worry is that I’ve heard that credits expire after 10 years if you haven’t graduated. If that is not the case, then getting my BS in Math should be a little less painful and from there I can go the provisional cert route. If the credits do not rollover for some reason, then I see it being a long (which is fine) and expensive (not so fine) proposition. > > Thanks for the feedback everyone. If you’re interested in teaching, there may be additional financial aid available to you, and there are federal and possibly state tax credits, as well. Just for fun, I checked the Georgia Department of Education website, and it looks like you need at least a bachelor’s degree to teach. [Here are the acceptable routes to certification.](http://www.gapsc.com/Certification/Documents/alt_routes.asp) My suggestion is to meet with the head of the teacher education department and review your options. This person knows the lay of the land, so to speak, and can advise you on current market conditions and requirements. I know that No Child Left Behind had an impact on teacher education and, to some extent, licensing, but I’m not sure how that affected your state. The department chair can take you through all that. FWIW, my oldest college credits were 16 years old when I went back to school, so not every school has a time limit. I also had a classmate who went back to school after a 35-year absence, and got to keep his credits. Robin ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Woodhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@Miss\_Woodhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Woodhouse)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-states-where-you-can-teach-without-a-bachelors-degree/481007/15 "2009-01-13T05:05:26Z")
> [@](#): > > College credits don’t expire after a certain time. In my husband’s experience his expired after 7 years even when trying to reapply to the same university he originally earned the credits from. He was asking eight years after leaving the university. I would say it depends on where you earned the credits in the first place and who you’re asking. FWIW, the state I’m in has provisions for a teaching license without an education degree. You do have to have a bachelors and take the state exam, however, but something like that would probably be a shorter path than starting over in a new major field. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-states-where-you-can-teach-without-a-bachelors-degree/481007/16 "2009-01-13T05:35:20Z")
> [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](#): > > It may not be as rare or as inner city as has been suggested in this thread. Perhaps New Hampshire is the exception to this, but I’m pretty sure that statewide you are allowed to be on a provisional teaching plan while you finish your degree. You might not be the most attractive candidate, but the plan wasn’t just confined to the bad parts of Nashua and Manchester. > > ETA: Which degree this is I’m not sure-- I’m just going by memory. When I applied, I’m pretty sure I had my BA and the provisional plan was to finish the teaching cert. You need to have a BA or BS for this to apply, though. The provisional teaching options are for those who don’t hold _certification_, not those who don’t have a degree. ---
**Author:** ![WoodenTaco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/45deac/32.png) [@WoodenTaco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WoodenTaco)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-states-where-you-can-teach-without-a-bachelors-degree/481007/17 "2009-01-13T06:26:45Z")
Teach For America is begging for people [all over the country](http://www.teachforamerica.org/corps/placement_regions/placement_regions.htm). I bet there are places that would take you. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-states-where-you-can-teach-without-a-bachelors-degree/481007/18 "2009-01-13T07:21:57Z")
You might consider seeking a position at a private or parochial school. Generally they’re not bound by the state certification rules that apply to public schools. Most would expect you to have a bachelor’s degree (not necessarily in education), but there may be exceptions. There are a few accredited colleges that offer a very convenient way to complete a bachelor’s degree without setting foot on campus. They offer low cost, credit by examination, liberal transfer policies for classes taken by correspondence, online, or at your local brick-and-mortar college. Excelsior College in N.Y. and Thomas Edison State College in N.J. operate on this model. (Charter Oak State College in Connecticut is similar but I think they only accept students who live in New England). At Excelsior, credits from classes in fast-changing technical subjects (especially computer science) wouldn’t be transferable after 20 years, but most of your credits would still be good. They’re not the most prestigious schools, but if all you need is any accredited bachelor’s, you should be able to get one pretty easily. I don’t know if they offer education degrees. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2009, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-states-where-you-can-teach-without-a-bachelors-degree/481007/19 "2009-01-14T03:09:22Z")
> [@WoodenTaco](#): > > Teach For America is begging for people [all over the country](http://www.teachforamerica.org/corps/placement_regions/placement_regions.htm). I bet there are places that would take you. Was my post above invisible? TFA is VERY competitive. I actually have several friends who are TFA alumni, not just the one I mentioned above and I have heard all about how difficult it is to get in; the number I’ve heard is that 20% of applicants are accepted. One friend of mine is about to graduate from grad school with a dual Masters in Higher Education and Masters in Public Policy and he had his interview with TFA a couple weeks ago. He feels _okay_ about how it went. TFA is not begging for anything - they’re turning people away in droves. Don’t believe me? From their own website: > [@](#): > > You must have received your bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university by the first day of the summer institute, which varies depending on the region to which you are assigned.