Future teachers don’t just begin with education majors. They’re also engineering and chemistry majors: people from diverse backgrounds who all share a calling to become a teacher and make that future a reality through our Transition to Teaching program.

The Transition to Teaching program is designed for adults of all ages who have a bachelor’s degree and would like to become secondary or special education teachers.  The program is entirely online and can be completed in 12 months, providing a flexible schedule for adults no matter their current job.

As IU continues to work to address the teacher shortage across Indiana, the Transition to Teaching program provides a critical tool to filling the gap with a flexible design to accommodate those in or out of school settings.

“IU Bloomington is committed to narrowing the teacher shortage gap in every way possible.  Our accelerated, practitioner-based online program taught by highly experienced, research-based professors delivers a flexible, competitively priced program that quickly prepares teacher candidates for the needs of today’s classroom,” said Lara Christoun, Director of Transition to Teaching. “I’m confident that the IU School of Education, with a highly successful teacher education track record, will continue delivering excellent teacher preparation programs that prepare students for successful long-term careers as educators. Excellence in accelerated teacher transition programs is a priority in narrowing the teacher shortage gap in Indiana.”

Transition to Teaching student Cosette Mick planned to major in biochemistry in college, but after working at a summer camp, she realized she wanted to combine her love of chemistry with her love for kids. Currently, Mick is student teaching honors chemistry at Bloomington High School South.

“I continued with my biochemistry degree after deciding to change my path and become a teacher because at that point, I would've had to do an additional year of being a full-time student and I wanted a path where I could work more during that fifth year,” Mick said. “I chose the Transition to Teaching program because I knew I would get a good education with good experience while being able to work at the same time. I went to IU for my undergrad so it just made sense to do the T2T program here!”

Verawati Iskandar-Tipton is currently working as an Educational Assistant at an elementary school in Mishawaka, Indiana, serving students from kindergarten to fifth grade. Iskandar-Tipton has a background in software engineering, something that will lend itself well to a future career in education - and to her goal of providing more accessibility to education for students with disabilities. 

“What began as a learning opportunity quickly turned into a passion. I realized that teaching was where I could make the greatest difference. From that moment on, I knew education was where I belonged,” Iskandar-Tipton said, adding, “The time flexibility that the program has to offer is invaluable to a full-time mother and employee like me.”

When Theron Verburg first started college, he initially wanted to go to law school, but quickly changed plans to pursue a teaching career. Rather than switching majors, Verburg continued working towards his history and economics degrees.

“I preferred this path, because I valued the ability to gain deep content knowledge in the subjects I would eventually teach and the flexibility it provided me,” Verburg said, adding, “I chose IU's Transition to Teaching program ultimately because I had spoken to other teachers who spoke highly of the program and IU's School of Education in general. Furthermore, having completed my undergraduate studies at IU, I was already familiar with the community. Joining a program through IU made it really easy for me to stay in Bloomington, which I love.”

And for T2T students looking to continue their education on a graduate level, up to 15 credits from the program can be transferred to an array of master’s degree programs at the School of Education.