You can pursue an alternate path to teacher certification in one of the Career and Technical Education (CTE) fields, such as computer science, health science, and business. This licensure program allows you to earn a teaching credential over two years while earning a salary working in a school as a teacher. To ensure your success during your first semester in the classroom, a TCNJ mentor will visit you regularly to provide on-site guidance and feedback, just as we do for our student teaching candidates in our traditional teacher education programs.
Program Coordinator: Melissa Meagher, meagherm@tcnj.edu
Program Details
- Duration: 2 years
- Availability: online
- Certification: Teacher CE, CEAS in a specific CTE certification area
- Courses: 5
- Costs: 50-hour CE course $300; 4 CEAS courses $1600 each; one-time assessment system fee $139;
Total cost: $6839 - Credits: Non-credit, but candidates with bachelor’s degrees have the option to obtain graduate credits
- Application Deadlines: July 1st for the 2025-26 cohort
- Tuition/Aid: Students are not eligible for federal financial aid since this program is part-time and non-credit-bearing
- Support: Each candidate will be supported by a TCNJ instructor and a school-based mentor teacher
Who Should Pursue This Program?
Candidates for this program must demonstrate content knowledge through a bachelor’s degree, associate’s degree, or industry-recognized certification directly related to the field of the endorsement sought (pursuant to NJAC 6A:9B-11.3 Career and Technical). Alternate path teacher certification programs require candidates to work in schools as teachers while pursuing certification. The initial 50-hour Certificate of Eligibility (CE) course required for initial placement in a classroom can be taken as a non-matriculated or visiting student while a teaching placement is sought. Before formally matriculating into the program and beginning the 4-course CEAS sequence, prospective students must prove that teaching employment has been secured.
The program aligns with the New Jersey Professional Standards for Teachers and meets state requirements for coursework in teaching students with disabilities and literacy instruction.
Application Requirements
- Application to TCNJ
- Transcripts from bachelor’s or associate’s degree
- Industry-recognized certification, if applicable
- Personal essay
- Employer reference with a full-time start date
CTE Certification Areas
- Agriculture – 2501
- Business: Accounting – 1301
- Business: Comprehensive Business- 1300
- Business: Finance/Economics/Law- 1302
- Business: Keyboarding/Data Entry- 1303
- Business: Computer Applications and Business-Related Information Technology- 1304
- Business: Office Administration/Office Systems Technology-1305
- Family and Consumer Sciences -1705
- Family and Consumer Sciences: Child and Family Development – 1706
- Family and Consumer Sciences: Foods/Nutrition and Food Science-1707
- Marketing – 2560
- Computer Science – 1820
- Hospitality and Tourism – 4134
- Graphic Design – 4113
- Interactive Media – 4150
- Television Broadcasting – 4102
- Cosmetology/Hair Styling – 4138
- Human Development and Child Care Services – 4141
- Engineering Technology – 2545
- Environmental Service Systems – 2505
- Dental Assisting – 4122
- Medical Assisting – 4125
- Medical Laboratory Technicians – 4116
- Law Enforcement – 4153
- Legal Assisting – 4154
- Electronics Technology – 4174
- Collision Repair Technology – 4181
Curriculum
Alternate path programs require two steps
- Obtaining the Certificate of Eligibility (CE) that qualifies candidates for their initial positions as teachers by passing the 50-hour ALT 70 CE Preparation Course and providing evidence of proficiency in Physiology and Hygiene.
- Obtaining the Certificate of Eligibility with Advanced Standing (CEAS) by completing 350 hours of coursework that aligns with state requirements and providing evidence of two formal teaching evaluations where a supervisor has rated the candidate proficient or better.
Courses
ALT 70: CE Preparation Course (50 hours)
This course provides the 50 pre-professional hours necessary to obtain the New Jersey Certificate of Eligibility (CE) for teaching and admission into an alternate route teacher certification program. Course material includes an overview of the teaching profession, the New Jersey Professional Teaching Standards, and the NJ Student Learning Standards. Major topics include legal and ethical aspects of education (i.e., the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), ADA’s Section 504, Individualized Education Plans (IEPs), New Jersey’s Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights and Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying (HIB), Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), and mandatory reporting of child abuse and neglect. Aspiring teachers also learn backward lesson design that is aligned with standards, assessment of learning, basic instructional strategies, classroom management, and introductory differentiation strategies for students with differing language and literacy proficiencies. Ten hours of clinical experiences are provided through interactive simulations and/or field experiences.
CTE 71: CTE Alternate Route 1 (100 hours)
The first semester of the CTE Alternate route course focuses on developing inclusive classrooms where all students are engaged in meaningful learning. The course develops understanding in the areas of adolescent development and how to create classroom communities with shared values and expectations, positive relationships with students, emotionally regulated learners, and a safe learning environment where all students are free from harassment, intimidation, and bullying. Cultural responsiveness is a major topic that involves reflection on personal biases and systemic factors that influence students in and out of school. As novice teachers gain experience with the NJ Career Readiness, Life Literacies, & Key Skills Standards and standards-based instructional practices, their learning is deepened in the areas of scaffolding, developing self-directed learners, teaching for understanding (e.g., relevance, inquiry, transfer, cross-disciplinary connections, addressing learner misconceptions), instructional technologies, and working with English learners.
A key aspect of the first semester CTE experience is coaching from a TCNJ supervisor who visits the novice teacher regularly to observe instruction and provide feedback on teaching performance and professional dispositions. Through reflective practice and collaborative discussions, candidates will refine their teaching techniques, address challenges, and cultivate a deeper understanding of the teaching profession.
CTE 72: CTE Alternate Route 2 (100 hours)
The second semester CTE Alternate route course focuses on educating students with disabilities by developing inclusive classrooms, collaboratively differentiating instruction and assessments for students with disabilities in alignment with federal and state statutes and Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Major topics include the range of disabilities that may affect learners in your classroom, effective strategies for instructing and assessing students with disabilities, multi-tiered systems of support, assistive technologies, positive behavior supports, and evidence-informed instruction.
CTE 73: CTE Alternative Route 3 (75 hours)
The second semester CTE Alternate route course focuses on educating students with disabilities by developing inclusive classrooms, collaboratively differentiating instruction and assessments for students with disabilities in alignment with federal and state statutes and Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Major topics include the range of disabilities that may affect learners in your classroom, effective strategies for instructing and assessing students with disabilities, multi-tiered systems of support, assistive technologies, positive behavior supports, and evidence-informed instruction.
CTE 74: CTE Alternative Route 4 (75 hours)
The fourth semester CTE Alternate route course focuses on developing literacy skills in the novice teacher’s content area with a primary focus on writing. Course topics include effectively helping students learn to write with technical proficiency, support claims with valid reasoning and evidence, and convey complex ideas through effective formatting, graphics, and multimedia. The course also addresses professional practice beyond the classroom by advocating for learners, collaborating with colleagues and families, seeking sources of ongoing professional learning, and contributing to the school, community, and profession. During the fourth semester CTE experience a TCNJ supervisor observes the novice teacher twice during the semester to provide feedback on teaching performance and professional dispositions. Through reflective practice and collaborative discussions, candidates will further refine their teaching techniques, address challenges, and cultivate a deeper understanding of the teaching profession.
CTE 80 (0 hours)
This course verifies that the candidate has two proficient formal performance evaluations from their school principal and eligibility for licensure.