Central Career Changers
About This Program
Through a student apprenticeship model of education, employees in participating academic institutions and centers can hold positions as teacher's aids, paraprofessionals, or instructional/classroom assistants as they complete their education at CMU, completely online, in as soon as 11-13 months by joining this earning through learning experience.
THROUGH THIS ARRANGEMENT, STUDENT APPRENTICES MUST:
• Clock 4,000 hours (2 years) of classroom experience prior to being eligible for graduation. Candidates are allowed to transfer in 2,000 hours (1 year) of experience earned prior to their enrollment in the C3 Program.
• Successfully complete outstanding academic coursework required of the major. Candidates in the program are eligible for up to 24 credit hours of the major coursework at no cost and in an expedited format that takes a combination of their work experience and a few artifact submissions to award them full credit for the course. Eligible courses can be viewed on the Program Plans.
• Maintain and/or show continuous improvement on job performance in the classroom. Each apprentice will have a mentor teacher assigned inside their district that completes a performance evaluation each semester tracking the apprentice's progress throughout the program.
THE C3 PROGRAM IS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE FOR MAJORS IN THE FOLLOWING AREAS:
• Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education (Grades 1-6)
• Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education (Birth - Grade 3)
• Bachelor of Science in Middle School Language Arts (Grades 5-9)
• Bachelor of Science in Middle School Mathematics (Grades 5-9)
• Bachelor of Science in Middle School Science (Grades 5-9)
• Bachelor of Science in Middle School Social Science (Grades 5-9)
• Bachelor of Science in Special Education (Grades K-12)
DOWNLOADABLE C3 PROGRAM PLANS
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
To be eligible for the C3 Program, candidates must:
• Be employed full time, in an eligible position, by one of our partners
For the most up to date list of our current partners, please CLICK HERE.
• Have/maintain a 2.5 cumulative GPA
For certification upon completion, students must have a 3.0 GPA in their professional education courses
WHAT EMPLOYMENT POSITIONS ARE ELIGIBLE TO PARTICIPATE?
Candidates MUST be employed full time in one of the following roles:
• Paraprofessional
• Teacher's Aid (or similar role)
• Long-Term Substitute
o Please note: A Long-Term Substitute is different than an extended substitute coverage, like covering for a maternity leave. A Long-Term Substitute position is staffed full time inside one district year-round, and when there is no coverage needed, the employee is still working either as a paraprofessional or lending a hand elsewhere in the district. The employee in this position reports to work in the district every day roughly between the hours of 7am - 3pm.
If you have questions in regard to your position being eligible, please email a copy of your contract/job description to c3program@centralmethodist.edu for review.
INTERESTED IN GETTING STARTED?
• CONFIRM YOU MEET THE ELIGIBILTY CRITERIA ABOVE
To participate in the C3 Program, students must be employed full time by one of our partners and meet the minimum GPA requirements.
• APPLY TO CMU
Complete the application for admissions here. Answer question #1 as "C3 Apprenticeship Program"
• APPLY FOR FAFSA
If interested, click here to visit our website for assistance on applying for Federal Student Aid.
• CONFIRM YOUR EMPLOYER IS A PARTNER
Confirm your employer is a partner with the program here. If not, send your Superintendent, Building Principal, and/or Director's contact information (name, title, email, phone) to c3program@centralmethodist.edu and our team will approach them to initiate the partnership!
PARTICIPANT FAQs
As a participant, what courses will I receive at no cost?
Only C3 courses are awarded to participants at no cost. Each major in the program has a different list of eligible C3 courses. On the Program Plans above, reference the “C3 Courses” section on the plans to determine which C3 courses are eligible for each of the individual majors.
All other courses required in the bachelor's degree will be charged at the standard tuition rate. CMU's tuition rates can be viewed here: Tuition & Fees | Central Methodist University.
When do I receive the C3 courses on my transcript?
C3 courses are awarded to participants progressively over the duration of their continuance in the C3 Program. C3 courses are not awarded upfront or all at once.
Is my employer a current partner with CMU’s C3 Program?
For the most up to date list of our current partners, please CLICK HERE.
How long will it take me to graduate in the C3 Program?
All participants must have completed all 120 credit hours in the bachelor's degree and have two years of experience working in a classroom environment prior to being eligible for graduation. As a reminder, participants do receive up to 24 credit hours of that bachelor's degree at no cost, in an expedited format to accommodate their ongoing efforts in the classroom.
A student with an AAT degree who already has one year of experience in a classroom environment can anticipate roughly an additional 11-13 months of coursework while working another year in the field of education prior to being eligible for graduation.
How do I get a Provisional Teaching Certificate?
According to DESE, in order to be eligible for a Provisional Teaching Certificate, students must be within 15 credit hours of graduating from a Teacher Education Program. Students cannot apply for a Provisional Teaching Certificate until they are within these 15 credit hours.
Provisional Teaching Certificates are processed through CMU’s Director of Teacher Education Programs, Sally Hackman (shackman@centralmethodist.edu).
Do I have to work in the same environment as the major I wish to pursue?
No, candidates can work in any environment and pursue any major. For example, if a candidate holds a position as a Special Education Paraprofessional, the student can still pursue an Elementary Education major, if they wish.
What if I have no prior work experience in the classroom environment?
Candidates with zero prior classroom experience are eligible for the C3 Program. To begin, they must secure an eligible position with one of our partners and meet the GPA requirement.
EMPLOYER FAQS:
How can employers pursue a partnership with the C3 Program?
District Administrators interested in partnering with our program can email c3program@centralmethodist.edu for more information on how this grant-funded opportunity could benefit their district.
What is required from the employer to maintain our partnership?
• Mentor: Provide each candidate with a mentor teacher. This mentor will complete performance evaluations on the apprentice each semester with our Apprenticeship Coordinator.
• Train: Provide the candidates with real-world learning opportunities to model them into successful long-term teaching candidates.
• Collaborate: Offer us your feedback to help us track growth, address areas for improvement, and keep apprentices on track for successful outcomes. Employers can schedule check-ins or progress reviews as needed.
Who can be a mentor?
When approving mentors for your candidates, follow the standards below.
• Mentors must have an active Missouri Teaching License
• Mentors must be willing to complete a performance evaluation on their candidate each semester
A mentor does not have to share a similar educational background or major that the student is seeking to pursue. The mentor role for the C3 Program is currently an unpaid, voluntary role. To counteract this, the evaluation process as a mentor has been substantially reduced from the requirements associated with that of a Student Teacher Evaluator. We appreciate all efforts made towards this initiative.
