The Grow Your Own program allows you to become a teacher at little to no cost while maintaining your school employment. This is a two or three-year program as it requires you to work in a school full-time as well as complete graduate-level courses. This is an intense program that will require dedication to complete.
Courses for this program are offered 100% online and either in the evenings or asynchronous in order to accommodate work schedules. You will earn your teaching licensure and either a Master’s degree or an EdS degree upon program completion.
Structured On-The-Job learning
As an apprentice you will receive job-embedded training from an experienced mentor teacher
Your employment must allow for structured on the job training. This is why your employer must support your participation in the program.
Your employer will be providing paid mentoring for your on the job training. This is why your employer may require a commitment from you.
UTK and your employer collaborate to ensure that your on-the-job training is directly related to the job competencies needed to become a licensed teacher
This is a two-year/four semester program at the minimum. It takes time and effort to Grow into the role of a highly qualified, well-prepared professional educator!
This program requires that you work in schools full-time as well as complete graduate level courses. We will help you balance these requirements, but this is an intense program that will require dedication to complete.
Related Instruction
Apprenticeships combine on-the-job learning with focused coursework.
You will take coursework at UTK that is designed to complement your on-the-job learning and provide you with the competencies to become a licensed educator
Your coursework will also prepare you to take and pass all exams required for teacher licensure.
UTK is an “EPP” (an institution that prepares future teachers). You may hear about other Grow Your Own Apprentice Teacher programs from other EPPs/Other Universities. All programs must meet the same basic requirements, but all programs will be differences as well. It will be up to you (the potential applicant) to decide which program will best meet your needs.
Successful completers of this program will earn a Master’s degree or an Ed.S. degree upon program completion. Depending on local teacher pay scales, this allows many program completers to earn a salary increase and to earn more over the course of their teaching career.