Arizona Teachers Academy

Participating Programs

This page contains information specific to teacher certification programs eligible for the ATA Scholarship. Please contact the programs directly if you have any questions about the programs themselves. For ATA-related questions, however, please contact us by email.

Please note that the ATA Scholarship is a funding source, not a teacher certification program, and will only be awarded to students who are either in an ATA-eligible certification program or, in the case of undergraduate students, a corresponding pre-major

Undergraduate

Agriculture & Life Sciences: Agricultural Education Teaching, K-12 (Bachelor of Science) prepares undergraduate students to become high school teachers and FFA advisors in Arizona and surrounding states. Students will complete a course of study that encompasses multiple technical agriculture content areas as well as participate in a series of teacher preparation courses. The program concludes with a 14-week student teaching internship experience at one of its many cooperating centers throughout Arizona

For more information, please contact:
Quintin Molina
Director of Undergraduate Studies
520-621-1523

Fine Arts: Art Education, K-12 (Bachelor of Fine Arts) prepares undergraduate art students to study the theoretical foundations of the discipline and interact with practitioners via hands-on experiences, field observations, student teaching, and community and museum internships. Students who complete the program are qualified to teach K-12 Art in Arizona and, with minor adjustments, in many other U.S. states.

For more information, please contact the School of Art’s Academic Advising Team.

Fine Arts: Music Education, PK-12 (Bachelor of Music) is committed to helping undergraduate music students develop into the finest musician-teacher possible. Classes are taught by full-time faculty who are dedicated to the field of education, and upon graduation, students will be certified to teach all aspects of music in grades PK-12 in Arizona and many other states. This degree also provides an excellent foundation for becoming a professional conductor, college professor, or professional performer.

For more information, please contact the School of Music's Academic Advising Team.

Education: Early Childhood Education, Birth-Gr. 3 (Bachelor of Arts) offers students a bachelor’s degree and certification to teach children from birth through Grade 3.  And before student teaching even begins, students take methods courses at a local school and work in early childhood classrooms. This allows students to apply what they’re learning in a real classroom with real children. Other benefits include: school sites selected for their excellent teachers and programs, and a cohort setting where students proceed through the program in focused, dedicated, and supportive groups.

For more information, please contact COE Academic Advising.

Education: Elementary Education, K-8 (Bachelor of Arts) prepares undergraduate students to be certified to teach in Arizona dual-language, bilingual, ELL, and traditional elementary classrooms, with an option to obtain an endorsement for either Bilingual Education or English as a Second Language. To complete this program, students will take a semester of foundation courses, followed by three semesters of extensive fieldwork. 

For more information, please contact COE Academic Advising.

Mathematics: Secondary Mathematics Education, 6-12 (Bachelor of Arts; Bachelor of Science) prepares Mathematics majors using an inquiry-based approach and hands-on experiences at partner schools throughout Pima County. The goal is to not only train teachers who have strong Mathematical content knowledge but also provide them with the pedagogical tools to be reflective and innovative practitioners.

For more information, please contact the Math Center.

Special Education: Mild to Moderate Disabilities, K-12 (Bachelor of Science) prepares undergraduate participants to work with younger students with mild to moderate disabilities in the areas of learning disabilities and emotional/behavioral disorders. Upon successful completion of all coursework, the student teaching internship, and a standardized proficiency assessment, participants will be certified in Arizona to teach students with mild to moderate disabilities in K-12 settings. A 100% online version of the MMD program is also available through Arizona Online.

For more information, please contact COE Academic Advising.

Graduate

Agriculture & Life Sciences: Agricultural Education Teaching, K-12 (Master of Agricultural Education) prepares individuals who have completed a Bachelor's degree in Agriculture with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to teach agriculture at the secondary level. Once students have completed the program, they will qualify for Arizona certification to teach in K-12 settings.

For more information, please contact:
Amber Rice, Ph.D.
Director of Graduate Studies
520-621-1523

Fine Arts: Art Education, K-12 (Master of Arts) prepares students who wish to have an advanced understanding within the field of Art Education, with a pathway leading to certification to teach K-12 Art in Arizona and, with minor adjustments, in many other U.S. states.

For more information, please contact:
Ryan Shin, Ph.D.
Program Coordinator
520-621-1253

Education: Humanizing and Culturally Affirming Teacher Program, 6-12 (Master of Education, South campuses) is a two-year alternative certificate program where teacher candidates from non-education backgrounds develop as teachers, meet certification requirements, and earn a master’s degree while employed full-time in middle schools and high schools throughout Arizona. With a robust conceptual framework based on equity literacy, the program uses context-specific pedagogy to help nurture teachers’ appreciation for the unique schools and students they serve.

For more information, please contact:
Jeanette Gabaldón
Program Co-Director
520-240-7691

Alyssa Lara
Graduate Program Coordinator
520-621-8384

Jesus Jaime-Diaz, Ph.D.
Recruitment Outreach Coordinator
541-701-4836

Education: Teach Arizona, 6-12 (Master of Education, Tucson and Chandler campuses) is a one-year program that provides a unique blend of theoretical study and extensive real-world training for professionals interested in leveraging their non-education backgrounds to become expertly-prepared high school or middle school teachers. The state-wide program offers participants a full-time course of study that includes a full year of field experiences in local classroom. Supported by both a cohort community and experienced faculty members, participants will graduate and be eligible for an Arizona secondary teaching certificate in English, Math, Science, Social Studies and World Languages.

For more information, please contact:
Patty Stowers, Ed.D.
Program Director
520-621-6993

Special Education: Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Birth-Grade 12 (Master of Arts) prepares participants to support families and teach students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing. The program is accredited through the Council on Education of the Deaf and leads to Arizona state certification in "Hearing Impaired". This fully online program can be completed in two years.

For more information, please contact:
M. Christina Rivera, Ph.D.
Program Director
520-621-7822

Special Education: Mild to Moderate Disabilities, K-12 (Master of Arts) prepares participants, many fron non-education backgrounds, to teach K-12 students with mild to moderate disabilities and is accredited by the Arizona Department of Education. Participants who successfully complete the program are eligible to apply for the Provisional Mild-Moderate (K-12) Special Education Teaching Certificate. Participants have the option of completing the program in either two years or one.

For more information, please contact:
Toni Sparks, Ph.D.
Program Director
520-626-0419

Special Education: Severe and Multiple Disabilities, K-12 (Master of Arts) prepares participants through two years of coursework and internship experiences to apply for an Arizona K-12 teaching certificate in moderate to severe disabilities. The program emphasizes both inclusive education and evidence-based practices in the instruction of individuals with moderate to severe multiple disabilities, including autism and deafblindness.

For more information, please contact:
Stephanie MacFarland, Ph.D.
Program Director
520-621-5165

Special Education: Visual Impairments Specialization, Birth-Grade 12 (Master of Arts) is a nationally recognized program — accredited through the Arizona Department of Education and the Association of Education and Rehabilitation for People with Visual Impairments and Blindness — that prepares its participants for the challenging and rewarding profession of teaching children who are visually impaired. Upon completion of this program, graduates can apply for an Arizona teacher certificate in Visually Impaired Special Education.

For more information, please contact:
Garrison Tsinajinie, Ph.D.
Program Director
520-621-7822