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Post-Baccalaureate (PostBac)
A 33-credit post-baccalaureate program for college graduates ready to become certified grades 6–12 teachers in their content area — leading to Arizona secondary teaching licensure.
For College Graduates
Use your bachelor's content knowledge to teach 6–12
Leads to AZ Licensure
Prepares you for state secondary certification
Content-Area Focused
Integrated literacy in your teaching subject
ACU’s Post-Baccalaureate Program in Secondary Education is built for people who already hold a bachelor’s degree — often in the content area they want to teach — and want to become certified secondary (grades 6–12) teachers. At 33 credits, it’s the efficient path from “I know my subject” to “I’m a certified teacher in my subject.”
The program delivers the professional education coursework secondary certification requires: Curriculum and Instruction (EDU 317), Tests and Measurements (EDU 300), Introduction to the Exceptional Child (EDU 314), Classroom Management (EDU 415), US and Arizona Government (HIS 212), Structured English Immersion methods (SEI 490), an Integrated Literacy course in your content emphasis area (SED 400–409), and a full 9-credit Directed Student Teaching placement (SED 410) capped by the Secondary Education Capstone (SED 490).
Important: While this program leads to state licensure, ACU does not award a certificate upon completion. Teaching certificates are awarded by the Arizona Department of Education once all requirements — the program plus the required Arizona Educator Exams in your content area — are met. Program admission requires an IVP fingerprint clearance card and the Arizona Subject Knowledge Secondary Education Exam (in your content area) taken or scheduled.
Apply Curriculum and Instruction
Work through EDU 317 Curriculum and Instruction — the gateway to the program — plus assessment through EDU 300 Tests and Measurements.
Manage a Secondary Classroom
Develop the classroom management skill (EDU 415) that secondary teaching demands.
Reach Diverse Learners
Build the foundation for working with students of diverse learning needs (EDU 314) and English language learners (SEI 490).
Teach Literacy in Your Content Area
Complete an Integrated Literacy course (SED 400–409) specific to your teaching subject — reading and writing in your discipline.
Student-Teach in Your Subject
Complete a full 9-credit Directed Student Teaching placement (SED 410) in your content area, capped by the Secondary Education Capstone (SED 490).
Even as a fast-track certification program, the post-bacc carries ACU's conviction that teaching adolescents is formative work done among students who matter.
Adolescents as Image-Bearers
Every secondary student carries the dignity of being made in God's image during a formative season of life. The program treats teaching as work that requires patience and respect.
Grounds your classroom posture in care for each student's developing identity.
Teaching as Mentoring
Adolescents spend hours weekly with their teachers. ACU's education curriculum treats teaching as mentoring — sustained relationships that shape character alongside content.
Equips you to teach with the conviction that students matter more than test scores.
Truth in Your Content Area
If all truth is God's truth, then your content area — whatever it is — reveals something real about the world. The program treats subject-area teaching as helping students discover real things.
Helps you connect your discipline to bigger questions students are already asking.
The post-baccalaureate program is built for one clear outcome: becoming a certified secondary teacher in your content area.
Certified Secondary (6–12) Teacher
Complete the program and Arizona Educator Exams to qualify for an Arizona secondary teaching certificate in your content area.
Christian School Secondary Teacher
Teach in Christian schools that value both certification and ACU's biblically integrated preparation.
Public and Charter School Teacher
Enter public and charter middle and high school classrooms across Arizona and beyond once certified.
Career Changer Into Education
Move into teaching from another field — leveraging the content knowledge from your existing bachelor's degree.
Content-Area Leadership Pathway
Use certification as the foundation for department-lead, curriculum, or instructional roles down the line.
The post-baccalaureate program is the efficient path to secondary certification for content experts who already hold a degree.
Leverage Your Existing Degree
Your bachelor's likely already covers your teaching content area. The 33-credit program adds only the professional education coursework certification requires.
Content-Area Literacy Focus
The Integrated Literacy course (SED 400–409) is specific to your teaching subject — reading and writing methods in your discipline.
Full Student Teaching Placement
A 9-credit Directed Student Teaching experience puts you in a real classroom in your subject before you're certified.
Biblically Integrated Preparation
ACU's education program brings a Christian worldview into teacher preparation — distinctive among certification programs.
Shorter Than the Elementary Pathway
At 33 credits (vs. 48 for elementary), the secondary post-bacc is the faster route — because your content knowledge is already in place.
The post-baccalaureate program has specific entry requirements. Here’s how to start.
Apply to ACU
Submit your application for non-traditional/post-baccalaureate admission. You'll need proof of your completed bachelor's degree.
Start Your ApplicationGet Your IVP Fingerprint Card
An Identity Verified Prints (IVP) card is a program prerequisite and is required before EDU 317 and all classroom placements.
Take (Or Schedule) the Subject Knowledge Exam
Program admission requires the Arizona Subject Knowledge Secondary Education Exam — in the content area you plan to teach — taken or scheduled.
Plan Toward Student Teaching and Licensure
Work with your advisor to sequence coursework toward the 9-credit Directed Student Teaching placement. You'll also need to pass the Arizona Professional Knowledge Secondary Education Exam for the state to issue your certificate.
The Post-Baccalaureate Program in Secondary Education turns your content-area degree into a path to the classroom. Apply or reach out today.
