NC TEACH Alternative Licensure for Middle Grades Science 6-9

North Carolina Teachers of Excellence for All Children (NC TEACH) Alternative Licensure for Middle Grades Science is designed to train mid-career professionals as they become licensed teachers in North Carolina.

UNC Greensboro’s program in Middle Grades Science certification offers a pathway to teachers with a residency license to earn their initial Standard Professional I license. In the meantime, NC TEACH ensures they can start teaching 6-9 grade levels right away.

Alternative licensure is a common route for individuals who change careers after completing an undergraduate degree in a different field. Many are already qualified to teach those specific subjects to middle school students. The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction requires them to earn their permanent license within three years of the residency license. NC TEACH supplements that with in-the-field evaluations, mentorships, and classes on educational theory and classroom management.

Program Distinctions for the NC TEACH Middle Grades Science Pathway

A defining feature of the program is its emphasis on job-embedded professional development. Candidates receive coaching, mentoring, supervision, and instructional feedback as they apply what they are learning directly in their classrooms. This approach creates an immediate connection between university coursework and the day-to-day responsibilities of teaching.

The program is also structured with working educators in mind. Its streamlined pathway enables candidates to progress toward professional licensure without completing a traditional undergraduate teacher-preparation program.

The middle grades science licensure Student Experience

As a student in UNCG’s NC TEACH Middle Grades Science program, you’ll have the opportunity to put what you learn into practice in your own classroom.

Through NC TEACH’s Middle Grades Science Licensure, UNC Greensboro creates a practice-based, employment-centered pathway designed for teachers of record. Its partnerships with local North Carolina public schools supports participants through intensive coaching, coursework, mentoring, and supervision. Combined with coursework in classroom environments, it ensures positive learning outcomes for P–12 students and long-term teacher success.

UNCG’s Alternative Licensure program accounts for its participants’ busy schedules, as most of them already teach in schools.

Funding and Scholarships While Getting Licensure

Each year, the School of Education awards over $1 million in scholarships and graduate assistantships to students.

The Haggai Academy is a scholarship program that provides scholarships of up to $8,000 per year, as well as a wide range of additional enrichment opportunities, for non-traditional students (24 years of age or older) pursuing an initial teacher license.

After Graduating with your middle grades science teaching licensure

At the end of the NC TEACH licensure program, teachers will earn an initial standard professional I license to teach in North Carolina. With this certification, they will be ready to teach students in middle school science classrooms.

The U.S. Department of Education requires that all higher education institutions advise students as to whether their curriculum provides them with the eligibility to apply for a professional license and/or certification in the state for which they plan to practice. As such, please review UNC Greensboro’s status by state for the initial teaching license. You should note whether the program either “meets”, “does not meet”, or if there “has not been a determination” of the program’s status in the state for which you plan to practice. Review the Licensure Reciprocity Information.