PreK-12 and Secondary Transition to Teaching

The Restricted Teaching License Alternative Pathway is one of numerous routes to the classroom. Professionals outside the field of education who have a bachelor’s, master’s degree, or equivalent coursework in a content area they want to teach and are seeking a career change can begin serving as the teacher of record in Kansas right away.

Information about PreK-6 Elementary Education T2T

Am I Eligible?

Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) Requirements

Additional Information:

Once qualified, you must be accepted to the Graduate School and obtain a KSDE Restricted Teaching License. The Graduate School's GPA requirement is 2.50 based on 60 hours of undergraduate coursework, if degree seeking. If non-degree seeking, the GPA is based on the master's transcript only OR the last 60 undergraduate hours.
The program consists of education pedagogy coursework only; additional content coursework is not required.
Heritage language speakers with a bachelor’s degree or higher can qualify for the restricted license to teach their native languages.

Available Teaching Areas

FHSU works with the licensure areas below in the Transition to Teaching program. If you do not have a major in the subject area, you will need to first take the courses listed in order to qualify to teach that subject area. To see what types of courses can be taught within a particular licensure area, go to the KSDE Current Licensed Personnel Guide.

If you believe you are close to qualifying in a specific subject area based on your review of your transcript and the required courses listed below, then you may submit an unofficial transcript for an eligibility review. Click on the READY? GET STARTED HERE! Box on the left.

If you have a science degree and are looking to become a science teacher, compare the Science Teachers for Rural America (STRA) and T2T programs.
If you live outside of Kansas or do not have current plans to obtain a job as a middle school or high school teacher, then the MSE-Secondary Education program may be the best option. For more information, https://www.fhsu.edu/teachereducation/academic-programs/mse-secondary-education.

Secondary

Middle Level

PreK - 12

Art
French
German
Health
Latin
Music
Physical Education
Spanish**
Chinese

*Library Media Specialist

*School Counselor

* To qualify for a restricted school specialist license for Library Media Specialist or School Counselor, applicant must:

hold a graduate degree in the area of counseling or library media,
have at least 3 years of full-time professional counseling or librarian experience (after completion of the graduate degree),
have a minimum 3.25 cumulative GPA in graduate coursework,
be hired as a Library Media Specialist or School Counselor with a school district

**All qualifying coursework available online

What if I Do Not Meet the Above Eligibility Requirements?

If you do not have a degree in a specific content area, then review the required coursework above to help you determine what additional coursework must be taken prior to qualifying for the program.

These majors do not qualify without additional coursework being taken: Criminal Justice, General or Interdisciplinary Studies, Information Networking, Engineering, Nursing, Justice Studies, Sociology, Social Work, Bible Ministry, Political Science, Computer Science.

Plan of Study - Non-Degree and MSE Degree

The Transition to Teaching program through Fort Hays State University includes two options.

First is the non-degree program. This program encompasses 24 credit hours over the course of 2 years and results in licensure.
The second option is the same 24 credit hour program and includes 12 additional credit hours of graduate coursework leading to a Master of Science in Education degree. The four additional courses can be taken concurrently with the 24 credit hour program or after it’s completion. Additionally, all MSE students must take a written comprehensive exam at the end of their coursework before the Master's degree is awarded.
A listing of the T2T courses and master’s courses along with course descriptions: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RJ4fI-ZrtP3lmngB9ks84-NclRQv8qpsvGrbMW5-Vgs/edit?usp=sharing

If you have any questions or would like additional information about the program, you may contact Rebekah Porter at 785-628-5498, r_porter2@fhsu.edu.

For more information regarding licensure requirements, please see our Licensure Disclosure.