MSU shortens teacher preparation program to address teacher shortage
(CBS DETROIT) - Michigan State University announced that its teacher preparation program will shorten, moving from a five-year program, to a four-year one.
The school says the new model will begin in fall 2023 and will be more affordable as a four-year program.
"The new Teacher Preparation Program is attentive to our college's commitment to accessible, equitable and high-quality education and to the growing teacher shortage," said Jerlando F. L. Jackson, dean of the College of Education. "We want to be both responsive to needs in our community and of our students, and to also continue our legacy of producing outstanding, well-prepared educators who are ready to lead in K-12 classrooms."
It will still include the year-long internship and curriculum centered on and equity.
By making this a four-year program, the university is saving candidates an estimated $16,700 on tuition costs alone, along with the cost of travel and living expenses.
Michigan State University officials say the program change is also to address the teacher shortage.
According to a study done by MSU researchers in 2021, more teachers left the profession then entered it, along with new teachers being less likely to renew their teaching certificates.
"Teachers of exceptional quality are needed in schools across the state and nation — and MSU has a longstanding history of producing outstanding educators," said MSU Interim Provost Designee Thomas Jeitschko. "I am proud of the ways in which MSU supports our students who choose this essential profession as their career, including with this progressive update to their preparation."
Students who are in their first and second years of the program will be able to transition to the new model in spring of 2023.
For more information on the teacher preparation program, visit here.
