Accelerated Degree Options for STEM Teachers

Key Infor­ma­tion:

• Earn an accel­er­at­ed teach­ing license and get start­ed in an excit­ing STEM career!
• West­ern Gov­er­nors Union and Con­cor­dia Uni­ver­si­ty Wis­con­sin offer an accel­er­at­ed STEM teach­ing bach­e­lor’s degree.
• Amer­i­can Col­lege of Edu­ca­tion offers an afford­able STEM mas­ter’s degree in just 15 months.
• When choos­ing an accel­er­at­ed pro­gram keep the cost, loca­tion, cur­ricu­lum and intern­ship pos­si­bil­i­ty in mind.

Every­where you look, STEM (Sci­ence, Tech­nol­o­gy, Engi­neer­ing, and Math­e­mat­ics) careers are boom­ing and becom­ing more pop­u­lar as tech­nol­o­gy advances and shapes our world. It is a vast and inno­v­a­tive field filled with oppor­tu­ni­ties for many pas­sions and inter­ests in these sub­jects. Whether you love crit­i­cal think­ing, prob­lem-solv­ing, or a spe­cif­ic branch of sci­ence or math, a STEM career allows you to pass this love of learn­ing and think­ing on to the next generation.

You may be the teacher who sparks an inter­est in a future inven­tor, researcher, design­er, or programmer!

STEM teach­ers are cru­cial today because they pre­pare stu­dents for a world that increas­ing­ly relies on these fields. The US Bureau of Labor Sta­tis­tics esti­mates that STEM fields will grow 8% by 2029 com­pared with 3.7% for all oth­er occupations. 

STEM teach­ers are in demand! All grade lev­els start­ing in preschool need STEM-trained teach­ers. If becom­ing a STEM teacher appeals to you, and you want to get start­ed soon, a fast-track teach­ing degree may be the answer. 

What Are Accelerated Degree Programs?

Accel­er­at­ed degree pro­grams are designed to help stu­dents move quick­ly through a degree pro­gram and start their careers. These pro­grams are more intense. They may be year-round and require a more intense course load. 

It can take just two years to com­plete an accel­er­at­ed bachelor’s degree and as long as four years to fin­ish a tra­di­tion­al degree program.

The main dif­fer­ences between the two paths are the dura­tion and the pace of study. 

Some pro­grams offer both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in 5 years. This can be a good option for STEM fields that require a mas­ter’s degree.

Benefits of Accelerated Degrees for STEM Teaching

Accel­er­at­ed degrees for STEM teaching:

• allow stu­dents to enter the teach­ing pro­fes­sion faster
• are cost-effec­tive, reduc­ing the over­all tuition expenses
• offer fast-paced cur­ricu­lum and in-depth course­work giv­ing the back­ground needed 
• inten­sive teacher train­ing pre­pares grad­u­ates to enter the edu­ca­tion field

Accel­er­at­ed STEM degrees help feed the urgent demand to find qual­i­fied teach­ers. It offers those pas­sion­ate about the STEM field a cre­ative out­let to pass on knowl­edge and expe­ri­ence to the younger gen­er­a­tion. STEM learn­ing in the class­room is hands-on, coop­er­a­tive and expe­ri­en­tial. Stu­dents will be engaged in learning.

Challenges and Considerations

Accel­er­at­ed degrees for STEM teach­ing come with sev­er­al chal­lenges and con­sid­er­a­tions such as:

• Rig­or­ous pace- a lot of course­work in a short amount of time can be stressful
• Bal­anc­ing stud­ies with prac­ti­cal teach­ing expe­ri­ence- fit­ting both into your sched­ule will take plan­ning and time management
• Admis­sion cri­te­ria- it may be com­pet­i­tive and require a spe­cif­ic back­ground in the STEM field

Appli­cants need to have strong aca­d­e­m­ic records and rel­e­vant expe­ri­ence to suc­ceed. Even with these chal­lenges, a grad­u­ate of a STEM teach­ing pro­gram will be well-pre­pared to meet the high demand for skilled edu­ca­tors in these fields.

Popular Accelerated Degree Programs in STEM Teaching

Find a STEM teach­ing pro­gram that works for you!

How to Choose the Right Program

Fac­tors to con­sid­er for STEM edu­ca­tion programs:

• Loca­tion- Will you choose online, or on-cam­pus? How will this impact the time commitment?
• Cost, includ­ing tuition and fees- Does it fit your budget?
• Cur­ricu­lum- Does it have rel­e­vant cours­es for your STEM field?
• Part­ner­ships with local schools- Can you get prac­ti­cal teach­ing experience?

Research mul­ti­ple options, read reviews, and speak with cur­rent stu­dents or alum­ni to find the best fit for you. 

Application Tips and Advice

Choos­ing a quick degree for teach­ers can be a chal­lenge. Prepar­ing for the admis­sion process for an accel­er­at­ed STEM degree requires care­ful plan­ning. Fol­low these steps to get started:

• Research the spe­cif­ic require­ments for your cho­sen pro­gram (pre­req­ui­site cours­es, test scores, and any rel­e­vant experience) 
• Make a check­list of all nec­es­sary doc­u­ments (tran­scripts and let­ters of recommendation)
• Pre­pare for inter­views (prac­tice com­mon ques­tions and high­light your pas­sion and qual­i­fi­ca­tions for STEM)
• Tai­lor your appli­ca­tion to each pro­gram (high­light what makes you a good can­di­date for the program)

Admis­sions com­mit­tees are look­ing for stu­dents who demon­strate a strong aca­d­e­m­ic back­ground, a gen­uine inter­est in STEM fields, and the abil­i­ty to han­dle an intense, fast-paced pro­gram. Show­cas­ing your prob­lem-solv­ing skills, team­work, and pre­vi­ous expe­ri­ence in STEM activ­i­ties or projects can set you apart. 

Avoid com­mon pit­falls such as:

• sub­mit­ting incom­plete applications
• miss­ing deadlines
• pro­vid­ing gener­ic statements

STEM Teacher Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree
• STEM spe­cif­ic edu­ca­tion courses
• Teach­ing or Field experience
• Teach­ing cer­ti­fi­ca­tion or license

Other Options for STEM Educator Training

The Nation­al Insti­tute for Steam Edu­ca­tion (NISE) is a way to con­tin­ue your grad­u­ate train­ing and get STEM cer­ti­fied. Become a STEM cer­ti­fied teacher by earn­ing a Nation­al Cer­tifi­cate for STEM teach­ing (NCST) for just $625 for an indi­vid­ual. Schools can offer this cer­ti­fi­ca­tion to their teach­ers as a whole as well.

Future Outlook for STEM Teaching

STEM teach­ing careers look promis­ing in the future due to the high demand for qual­i­fied teach­ers in sci­ence, tech­nol­o­gy, engi­neer­ing, and math­e­mat­ics. As tech­nol­o­gy advances and indus­tries grow, more schools will need skilled STEM edu­ca­tors to pre­pare stu­dents for future careers. 

Grad­u­ates from accel­er­at­ed degree pro­grams can quick­ly fill these crit­i­cal roles, bring­ing fresh knowl­edge and inno­v­a­tive teach­ing meth­ods to the class­room. These pro­grams help meet the urgent need for STEM teach­ers by pro­vid­ing a fast-track path to certification. 

Con­tin­u­ing edu­ca­tion and pro­fes­sion­al devel­op­ment oppor­tu­ni­ties allow STEM teach­ers to stay updat­ed with the lat­est advance­ments and teach­ing tech­niques. Accel­er­at­ed edu­ca­tion cours­es will pro­vide a way for teach­ers to stay up to date as tech­nol­o­gy moves forward.

Conclusion

You may be wor­ried that short­ened edu­ca­tion pro­grams will not pro­vide the qual­i­ty edu­ca­tion of a tra­di­tion­al degree. How­ev­er, there are many ben­e­fits of accel­er­at­ed STEM teach­ing degrees. You can save mon­ey and time and get start­ed in an excit­ing career that inspires the future. 

Pur­su­ing a STEM teach­ing degree is a fan­tas­tic way to ignite a pas­sion for sci­ence, tech­nol­o­gy, engi­neer­ing, and math in future gen­er­a­tions. As a STEM edu­ca­tor, you’ll have the unique oppor­tu­ni­ty to:

• inspire curios­i­ty
• fos­ter crit­i­cal thinking
• empow­er students 

Join a reward­ing field where your impact extends beyond the class­room! You can shape the inno­va­tors and prob­lem-solvers of tomor­row. Embrace the chal­lenge and make a dif­fer­ence by becom­ing a STEM teacher!

Sources:

Bureau of Labor Statistics