Educator Certification

Option 6 – University-Based Alternative Route to Certification

The most commonly used alternative route for pursuing teacher certification, Option 6 is a University-Based program that allows individuals who hold a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in a non-teaching major to pursue initial teacher certification through an EPSB approved teacher preparation program at a participating Kentucky college or university.

The student is enrolled in program while concurrently teaching in a Kentucky school district in the area for which they are seeking certification through their program. Upon admission to the program at the college/university – the college/university produces a hiring eligibility letter for the student to submit to a hiring district which indicates the certification area for which they are eligible for hire, based on their program of study. To be eligible for the University-Based Alternative Certification Route, one must meet the following criteria:

• Must have a bachelor's or graduate degree with at least a cumulative 2.75/4.0 grade point average (GPA) or 3.0/4.0 on the last thirty hours of credit completed.
• Meet university admission standards for their teacher preparation program.

If interested in enrolling in the Option 6 program, you will need to contact the institutions directly to get more in-depth details about their respective programs.  Please note that most programs require that you have the equivalent to a major in the content area for which you are seeking certification.

Click here to find approved Option 6 educator programs. 
Select Option 6 from the “Route” drop down and the certification area interested in from the “Program Name” drop down, then select “Get Report”. Not all drop down fields are required in order to receive results.

With the Option 6 route, once admitted to the program and if hired by a school district, an individual is issued a one-year Temporary Provisional (TP) certificate upon completion of the appropriate application started by the district. The TP can be renewed four additional years beyond the initial issuance - a total of five years to complete the program. 

IMPORTANT NOTE: The temporary provisional certificates for teaching exceptional children or interdisciplinary early childhood education are limited to two renewals to comply with federal IDEA requirements.

The candidate must complete the preparation program, pass the certification assessments, and have a recommendation from the employing school district for issuance of the professional certificate. The district recommendation is just verifying one year of teaching experience and does not require the district to offer continued employment.