OBU Launches Online Undergraduate Degree in Education to Address State Teacher Shortage
May 19, 2025
In response to the growing teacher shortage in Oklahoma and the increasing demand for flexible pathways into the classroom, OBU will launch a new online undergraduate degree in General Studies in Education in Fall 2025. The degree, offered through the Henry F. McCabe Family School of Education, is specifically designed for working adults in school settings, such as paraprofessionals and teaching assistants, who want to become teachers but need a nontraditional path to do so.
The three-year, fully online degree program is a non-licensure track, meaning it does not lead directly to teacher certification. Instead, it prepares students to complete an undergraduate degree, then apply for an emergency teaching certificate while completing any state requirements for eventual standard certification.
“We created this specifically for working adults in school settings like paraprofessionals and teaching assistants who want to be teachers but need an online program because they are currently working in a school,” said Dr. Elizabeth Justice, OBU associate professor of education and co-director of the Master of Arts in Teaching and ACCESS programs.
Justice noted that the initiative was developed in direct response to school administrators who voiced the need for more accessible training options for support staff already serving in classrooms.
“We know there is a need with the teacher shortage to reach people,” she said.
Unlike traditional certification routes that require extensive observation hours and student teaching requirements that can be particularly difficult for working adults to complete, the non-licensure format allows students to work toward their degrees while maintaining their current jobs in schools.
Once students complete the degree, they can apply for an emergency teaching license, which allows them to teach for up to three years. During that time, they will need to pass state-required teacher certification exams for full certification.
“Once they meet all teacher licensure requirements, then their certification will become a standard alternative teaching certificate,” Justice said.
Justice emphasized that the program fills a gap not addressed by other offerings.
“ACCESS is great for people who already have an undergraduate degree,” she said. “But there’s also a population of people who might teach if we had an online option for them. This degree gives individuals an opportunity to do that at OBU.”
As school districts across the state seek qualified individuals to lead classrooms, OBU hopes the program will help paraprofessionals and other school employees transition into teaching roles while building on their real-world experience in education settings.