» Education Career Pathways

As an aspiring educator, you have goals for your career. Here at Chapman University, we’re here to help you reach them.

Below you’ll find:

• Some of the most sought-after education career pathways, such as classroom teacher or speech-language pathologist.
• The type of degree or credential you need to pursue these careers in California.
• Which Chapman programs correspond to the career.
• Other tips and details you might want to know.

I want to teach in schools

Elementary or Special Education teachers need to be able to teach a diverse range of subjects. This means that they usually need to earn a teaching degree, plus a multiple subject or special education teaching credential.

High school and middle school teachers only teach a single subject. They have to earn a degree in the subject you want to teach, plus a single subject teaching credential.

Step 1: Earn your bachelor’s degree

Your first step is to earn a bachelor’s degree from a four-year university.

Degrees for teachers

Elementary school or special education teachers need to have a dedicated teaching degree. Our program here at Chapman is the BA in Liberal Studies program. This is a new program that we’ve designed specifically for elementary school or special education teachers.

Degrees for middle and high school teachers

To teach a specific content area, you have two options for your degree.

• Majoring in your content area automatically waives later content exams to get your credential.
• Earn a degree in another subject, and take content area exams later on to qualify for a credential in the specific subject area. For example, major in Business and be required to take a math content area exam before earning your credential.

Which path is the recommended option? At Chapman, we recommend earning your degree in the subject you want to teach. This is the more common of the two pathways and will ensure you build a strong foundation in your subject and bypass later content area exams.

For this reason, we don’t offer a major specifically for middle and high school teachers. For Chapman students looking to teach secondary education, we suggest:

1. Majoring in your subject area (e.g. English, math, chemistry) and minoring in Secondary Education.
2. Entering one of our integrated master’s programs, where you can earn your master’s in teaching and a teaching credential in just one additional year on top of your bachelor’s degree.

Step 2: Earn your teaching credential

Either during or after earning your bachelor's degree, you will also need to earn a teaching credential. This teaching credential is what authorizes you to work as a teacher in California.

Elementary teachers need to hold a multiple subject credential.

Middle and high school teachers must hold a single subject credential.

Special education teachers (all grade levels) must hold a special education credential (called Education Specialist in California).

To earn your teaching credential, you will need to do the following.

Enter a credential program

The easiest way to earn your credential is from the school where you earned your degree. For example, here at Chapman, we have several credential programs for our students. We also have integrated master’s degree programs that let you earn your credential alongside an MA in teaching.

If you would like to explore other options for earning your credential, the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) website has a page about other credential pathways.

Complete Your Teacher Credential

Teacher credential programs consist of coursework, fieldwork experiences, content exams, and assessments of your teaching competence. Some content exams are waived depending on the teacher's bachelor's degree major. For example:

• The CBEST (California Basic Educational Skills Test) is waived for every teacher who holds a bachelor's degree from a fully accredited institution like Chapman.
• The CSET (California Subject Exam for Teachers) exam is waived for elementary or special education teachers who major in Liberal Studies. The CSET exam is also waived for secondary teachers (middle or high school) who major in the subject area they will teach (such as biology majors who will teach biological sciences in secondary schools). Minoring in a subject is not sufficient to waive the CSET exam for secondary teachers.

There are additional background checks, health clearances, and other credential requirements that California requires in addition to fulfilling coursework and teaching performance assessments; these credential requirements are addressed when the student enrolls in the credential program.

Step 3: Apply for teaching jobs

Once you have your degree and teaching credential, you can begin looking for work as a new teacher.

The network you’ve built during your assistant teaching experience is a great place to start. The connections you’ve made can help you find open positions and opportunities at schools.

School career offices like ours are also a good way to widen your network. You can get additional help with searching for jobs, building your resume and more.

I want to work in an education setting outside of schools

Educators working outside the traditional classroom tend to work in specialized fields. That’s why we believe they deserve specialized training to become the best educators they can be.

Our BA in Community Educational Studies program is specifically for educators aiming to work outside the K–12 environment. The curriculum in the program is geared directly to educators working in non-classroom settings. It covers roles such as:

• Educator for community-focused businesses like dance centers, art classes, and more.
• Educator for a nonprofit or charitable organization.
• Learning and development professional.
• Human resources professional.
• Public policy-related careers.
• School administrator.
• School counselor.
• Speech-language pathologist.

Just like a TK–12 education program, Community Educational Studies will give you hands-on teaching experience and career guidance.

Have questions? Contact us.

Have questions, need additional clarity or want to talk through your options? You can reach us at:

Liberal Studies: liberalstudies@chapman.edu

Community Educational Studies: communityeducation@chapman.edu

Phone: (714) 997-6781