Our online programs offer the courses and credits you need to become licensed as a teacher.  You’ll study and learn on your own schedule and graduate with a degree from one of fifteen highly respected University of North Carolina institutions. Although specific course and program requirements vary from university to university, each program of study meets State Board of Education standards for approved teacher education programs. 

If you attend a North Carolina community college, you may transfer your credits to a teacher education completion program at a four-year institution. (Click here for more information.)

For more information, contact one or more of the UNC school of education admissions offices listed here.

If you're employed by a North Carolina school, school system, university, community college, or state education agency, you may be eligible for extraordinary benefits, including tuition reimbursement, through the North Carolina Model Teacher Education Consortium.

You’ve no doubt been inspired by great teachers over the years! If you see yourself in that role, you’re smart to consider—and start planning for—a teaching career while still in high school! 

North Carolina needs teachers, and many terrific opportunities await you in classrooms across the state.

The basic requirements

To be admitted to a teacher education program at one of The University of North Carolina's fifteen schools of education, you’ll typically need to complete prerequisite general education courses at a university or a community college with a minimum 2.5 grade point average. Our online curriculums offer the courses you need to become licensed as a teacher . . . and we provide all the career guidance you’ll need along the way. 

Learn more about teaching 

Many opportunities are available to you to learn more about the profession of teaching and its many rewards. The best place to start is in your own school, by talking with your guidance counselor and teachers you respect, or investigating Teacher Cadet and Future Teachers of America programs. 

Also, partnerships have been forged between North Carolina community colleges and universities that allow you to take courses at your local community college and easily transfer your credits to a teacher education completion program at a four-year institution. It’s called the 2+2 E-Learning Initiative.

Many scholarships, too, are available to students enrolled in teaching programs. Your guidance counselor will have information about, for example, the Prezell R. Robinson Scholars Program, and the North Carolina Model Teacher Education Consortium.

As you can see, plenty of help is available to you if you're interested in becoming a teacher. 

Ready to make a difference? You can make a career of it!

Teaching might not be your first career . . . but it could be your best!

If you’ve thought about trading your current job for a career that’s rich with challenges and personal rewards, consider becoming a teacher. Our online programs offer the courses and credits you need to become licensed to teach school in North Carolina . . . and we provide all the career guidance you’ll need along the way. You’ll study and learn on your schedule and graduate from one of fifteen highly respected University of North Carolina schools of education.

You may become licensed to teach even if you did not complete a teacher education degree program.  If you hold a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution and graduated with a cumulative GPA of at least 2.5 on a 4.0 scale, you may qualify for acceptance into an alternative licensure program.

Several alternative licensure programs exist in North Carolina. If you wish to complete your coursework before you begin teaching, you may pursue a licensure-only program or a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree. If you wish to teach while you complete your coursework, you may pursue lateral entry programs, such as NC TEACH.

For more specific information, contact the human resources office in the local education agency (school district) where you’d like to teach, the Lateral Entry Coordinator at the school of education you're interested in attending, one of the state’s Regional Alternative Licensure Centers, or, if you're in the military, the North Carolina Division of Troops to Teachers.

If you're employed by a North Carolina school, school system, university, communiity college, or state education agency, you may be eligible for extraordinary benefits, including tuition reimbursement, through the North Carolina Model Teacher Education Consortium.

North Carolina needs more teachers who are passionate about making a difference in the world.  If the classroom is calling you, we can help get your teaching career started. We can help move you out of the cubicle and into the classroom.

So you went into teaching to “Touch the Future” but you’ve discovered it’s not as easy as you thought!

You may feel alone and not know how to handle some of the challenges you face every day.

We can help!

North Carolina Online is your gateway to many resources that offer immediate value, such as

• LEARN NC, which offers extensive lesson plans aligned to the Standard Course of Study as well as numerous continuing education opportunities, including Carolina OnLine Teacher, a program for learning how to teach online;

• professional development opportunities offered through UNC's schools of education;

• the rich resources of the the Southern Regional Education Board, whose Teacher Center is a treasure trove of good ideas;

• the Directory of Professional Development, which lists contact information for numerous professional learning providers; and

• the Department of Public Instruction's College/University Teacher Resources page, which provides links to teacher-support programs sponsored by both public and private NC universities.

You are making the difference you wanted to make when you went into teaching and you want to do more, but you don't want to leave the classroom to do it.

If you wish continue your formal education, The University of North Carolina Online is your gateway to online certificate programs, graduate programs, and additional licensure opportunities offered by UNC’s schools of education.

If your goal is to enhance your classroom techniques and expertise, North Carolina Online is your gateway to, for example, LEARN NC, which offers extensive lesson plans and curriculum resources aligned to the Standard Course of Study as well as  many continuing education courses, including the Carolina OnLine Teacher, a program for learning how to teach online; the Southern Regional Education Board, whose Teacher Center provides a multitude of valuable resources; the Directory of Professional Development, which lists contact information for numerous professional learning providers;and the Department of Public Instruction's College/University Teacher Resources page, which provides links to teacher-support programs sponsored by both public and private NC universities.

You may also wish to pursue National Board Certification. North Carolina leads the nation in National Board certified teachers.  You can be one of them!

If you’d prefer to begin your search locally, contact your LEA’s coordinator of professional development, whose contact information can be found here.

Don’t just have a favorite teacher. Be one.

Everyone remembers a special teacher who became a lifelong source of inspiration and motivation. If you’re thinking about being a teacher, we can help you take advantage of the opportunities waiting for you in classrooms across North Carolina.

Our online programs offer the courses you need to graduate with a degree in teaching and become licensed as a teacher . . . and we provide all the career guidance you’ll need along the way. You’ll study and learn on your own schedule and graduate with a bachelor’s degree from one of fifteen highly respected University of North Carolina schools of education.

Although course and program requirements vary from university to university, each program of study meets State Board of Education standards for approved teacher education programs.  For more information, contact the admissions officer at the school of education on your campus.  If your college does not offer a teacher education program, visit the College Foundation of North Carolina web site for general information on requirements for admissions (for example, minimum SAT scores and grade point averages) or click here for admission requirements for specific UNC schools of education. 

If you're employed by a North Carolina school, school system, university, communiity college, or state education agency, you may be eligible for extraordinary benefits, including tuition reimbursement, through the North Carolina Model Teacher Education Consortium.

If you really want to make a difference, be a teacher!

Many of our online degree and certificate programs have national and international enrollments. Some programs actively seek students who are not located in North Carolina because they add a real-life dimension to programs that are preparing individuals to work in teams with members around the world.

If you are not a North Carolina resident, you will pay a higher tuition rate than in-state residents.  Check with your program to determine the tuition rate that applies to you.

If you live outside the Eastern Time Zone, check with the program to ensure that you will be able to meet requirements for synchronous conferences and course deadlines.  Also check to see if the program has occasional on-campus attendance requirements.  

. . . and you’ve been thinking, “Someday, I’d like to teach.”

Now’s a great time to get started!

If you’ve ever thought about becoming a teacher, we can help get your new career underway even if your undergraduate degree was not in education. Our online programs offer the courses and credits you need to become licensed to teach. Plus, we provide all the career guidance you’ll need along the way. You’ll study and learn on your own schedule and graduate from one of fifteen highly respected University of North Carolina schools of education.

You may become licensed to teach even if you did not complete a teacher education degree program.  If you hold a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution and graduated with a cumulative GPA of at least 2.5 on a 4.0 scale, you may qualify for acceptance into an alternative licensure program.

Several alternative licensure programs exist in North Carolina. If you wish to complete your coursework before you begin teaching, you may pursue a licensure only program or a Master in Teaching (MAT) degree. If you wish to teach while you complete your coursework, you may pursue lateral entry programs, such as NC TEACH. If you're employed by a North Carolina school, school system, university, community college, or state education agency, you may be eligible for extraordinary benefits, including tuition reimbursement, through the North Carolina Model Teacher Education Consortium.

For more specific information, contact the NC Department of Public Information Work 4 Schools site, the Lateral Entry Coordinator at the school of education you're interested in attending, or one of the state’s Regional Alternative Licensure Centers.

North Carolina needs more teachers who are passionate about making a difference in the world. If the classroom is calling you, we can help get your teaching career started.

You’ve been inspired by great teachers. Now become an inspiration yourself. Be a teacher!