Pathways to Careers in Education

Pathways to teaching

The following websites have been provided as a resource to explore teaching and the various routes available to reach your goals.

Teach California

Teach California will help you make a personalized career plan for teaching. Information on this website includes:

- Decide if teaching is right for you

- Understand the requirements

- Make and follow your plan

- Find the right preparation program

- Find Financial Aid

- Check out schools

- Find a teaching job

Your first step to teaching is only one click away!

Commission on Teacher Credentialing

The CTC provides excellent information on “How to Become a Teacher” and details the various routes available to pursue a career in elementary school teaching, high school teaching and special education.

Teach: Make a Difference

Did you know the average elementary school teacher salary in California is $72, 360 (2016-17)

Did you know the average high school teacher salary in California is $74,770 (2016-17)

This website provides salary information, information on teaching abroad and provides an overview of the steps involved to becoming a teacher.

CalState Online

Did you know you can complete your bachelors degree online? In some cases, you can also complete your credential program online! The California State University offers a variety of undergraduate and graduate programs delivered online, in the classroom, or in combination. With 23 campuses and an award-winning faculty, Cal State is renowned for the quality of its teaching and preparing job-ready graduates.

Online degree programs in majors including liberal studies, Early Childhood Studies, Special Education, Sociology, Gender Studies are offered 100% online!

Click here for for information from the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing on completing your teacher preparation programs online.

Teacher Credential Programs

Deciding which credential programs are the "right fit" for you will likely take some exploration as there are many factors to consider. Most universities and colleges in California offer a credentialing program, and you will find many similarities, and differences, between the programs. Factors that many students consider include the cost of tuition, the focus/emphasis of the program, the size of the program, the location of the program, the availability of the program, and whether the program is an “Intern program” or a "credential only" or a "Masters and Credential" program.

To best explore your options, we recommend that students first research the various programs online. We also recommend that students visit the school and talk with both current students and administrators. You are welcome to make an appointment to talk with us as you explore your options.

Below are inks to Credential and M.Ed. Programs at California State universities, University of California universities and some private schools.

Click here for a full list of program on the California Commission of Teacher Credentials web site:

California State University

Cal Poly Pomona	https://www.cpp.edu/~ceis/
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo	http://soe.calpoly.edu/
Cal State Los Angeles	http://www.calstatela.edu/academic/ccoe/index_aase.htm
Cal State San Marcos	http://www.csusm.edu/coe/
CSU Bakersfield	http://www.csub.edu/sse/teacher_education/
CSU Channel Islands	http://education.csuci.edu/index.htm
CSU Chico	http://soe.calpoly.edu/
CSU Dominguez Hills	http://www.csudh.edu/soe/tedNew/default.asp
CSU East Bay	http://www.csueastbay.edu/ceas/departments/ted/teaching-credential.html
CSU Fresno	http://www.csufresno.edu/kremen/index.html
CSU Fullerton	http://ed.fullerton.edu/
CSU Long Beach	http://www.ced.csulb.edu/
CSU Monterey Bay	https://csumb.edu/education
CSU Northridge	http://www.csun.edu/eisner-education
CSU Sacramento	http://www.csus.edu/coe/
CSU San Bernardino	https://coe.csusb.edu/
CSU Sonoma	https://www.sonoma.edu/education/
CSU Stanislaus	http://www.csustan.edu/teachered/
Humboldt SU	http://www.humboldt.edu/education/
San Diego State	http://edweb.sdsu.edu/STE/
San Francisco State	http://www.sfsu.edu/~cstpc/
San Jose State	http://www.sjsu.edu/education/

Credential and M.Ed. Programs at the University of California

UC Berkeley	https://gse.berkeley.edu/
UC Davis	http://education.ucdavis.edu/
UC Irvine	http://education.uci.edu/
UC Los Angeles	http://centerx.gseis.ucla.edu/
UC Riverside	http://www.education.ucr.edu/
UC San Diego	http://www-tep.ucsd.edu/
UC Santa Barbara	http://education.ucsb.edu/
UC Santa Cruz	http://education.ucsc.edu/

Private Institutions (partial list)

Loyola Marymount University	http://soe.lmu.edu/
National University	http://www.nu.edu/OurPrograms/SchoolOfEducation.html
Pepperdine	http://gsep.pepperdine.edu/welcome/
Occidental College	http://www.oxy.edu/education
Claremont Graduate University	http://www.cgu.edu/pages/1642.asp
Stanford	http://ed.stanford.edu/
USC	http://rossier.usc.edu/

Exams Required for Credential Programs

The California Subject Examinations for Teachers, also abbreviated as CSET, is a group of subject matter tests used in California and other states to assess mastery of subject matter content by prospective K-12 teachers. Detailed information on the various CSET exams, as well as registration information, is included below.

The California Basic Educational Skills Test (CBEST) is a standardized test administered throughout the state of California and Oregon for individuals who want to teach at public schools and gain a credential. The test is designed to provide information about basic proficiency in reading, mathematics, and writing.

Detailed information on both these exams, as well as preparation and registration information can be found here

Substitute Teaching

Emergency teaching permits authorize the holder to serve as day-to-day substitute teachers in any classroom, including preschool, kindergarten, and grades 1-12. Permits are valid for one year. The holder may serve as a substitute for no more than 30 days for any one teacher during the school year, except in a special education classroom, where the holder may serve for no more than 20 days for any one teacher during the school year.

Requirements include the CBEST (information above) as well as a bachelors degree.

Local School Districts

The following website contains detailed information on salary, number of teachers workers in the elementary/middle/high school, pupil to teacher ratio, and number of students in specific schools.

Click here for information on the Calaveras Unified School District

Click here for information on the Tuolumne Unified School District

Click here for information on the Sonora Elementary School District

Click here for information on the Sonora High School District

Click here for information on the Soulsbyville Elementary School District

Click here for information on the Summerville Elementary School District

Click here for information on the Summerville Union High School District

Click here for information on the Vallecito Union School District

Click here for information on the Twain Harte-Long Barn Union Elementary School district

Researching Careers in Education

Nearly one in four Americans is an enrolled student at any given time. As a result of this great demand for talented teachers, education is the United States' second largest industry, and the different career tracks within education are as varied as the national population of its students.

As you consider different careers, it is recommended that you research many options in education, including teaching, administration, textbook writing, therapists, media specialists, and school counselors. As a Columbia College student, one great way you can research careers is through your access to Vault.com (a career intelligence site). All Columbia College students are provided access to this site for free! You can access, for example, the following e-books.

Vault Career Guide to Education, Second Edition (2015)

Vault Guide to Childcare Jobs (2015)

Click here to visit Vault and see a Columbia College counselor for login information