Teacher Education Program

Teaching as a Career

To become a certified teacher  in Arizona, you need to complete 4 years of college and earn a BA degree. As a part of your BA degree you complete courses in education.  You can complete 25 credit hours in Education classes and 39 credit hours of General Education classes at Northland Pioneer College, earning an Associates of Arts (AA) in Elementary Education  degree.  These 64 credit hours  will transfer to the university where you will complete your BA degree. By starting your career as a teacher at Northland Pioneer College you can:

  • Save tuition money (do the math). NPC has the lowest tuition of any comprehensive community college in Arizona
  • Enjoy small interactive classes with highly qualified faculty that team teach, helping you acquire the skills and knowledge to be successful.
  • Gain real life experiences by observing in  local classrooms
  • Become a part of a learning community, supporting and being supported by other education students, developing long lasting collaborative relationships.
  • Be ready for transfer to a university with an AA degree (Associates of Arts in Elementary Education) as a junior in an initial teacher certification program.

Is there a teacher shortage in Arizona?