How To Become a Teacher in Indiana 2025

Now is a great time to learn how to become a teacher in Indiana. This state has a population of almost seven million, which means there's always a demand for qualified teachers in vital subject areas, such as early childhood education, special education for children with disabilities, and many other specific subjects and grade levels. Let's check out the steps to become a teacher and explore teaching programs, teacher certifications, and other teaching credentials.

Steps To Become a Teacher in Indiana

We offer these six steps to guide you on your journey to obtaining a teaching license to pursue a fulfilling career of nurturing young minds. This will familiarize you with all the primary requirements to become a teacher in Indiana.

Step 1: Decide What Subject and Grade Level You Want To Teach

The quickest way to become a teacher depends upon the subject matter and grade level you wish to teach. While most primary requirements are the same across K-12 teaching, this next section will highlight some of the specific skills required to become an elementary, middle school, or high school educator.

Becoming an Elementary School Teacher

You can become a kindergarten teacher or teach early grades education in several areas in Indiana. At this level, there is less emphasis on deep content competency, but more focus on early childhood development skills, which can be learned by pursuing a degree in elementary education. Indiana requires all K-6 teachers to major in education, with at least a minor in a relevant content area.

Becoming a Middle School Teacher

The middle school teacher educational requirements focus more on academic content. Indiana teachers must major in a specific content area (like mathematics) and minor in education. All teachers must enroll in an approved educator preparation program and pass licensing exams after college.

Becoming a High School Teacher

Indiana's high school teacher educational requirements fall under the same standards as middle school teaching. Grades five through 12 teachers must possess a bachelor's degree in a specific content field while minoring in education. For all levels, prospective teachers must follow up their four-year degrees with an in-state preparatory program.

Step 2: Choose Your Major

Given Indiana's requirements for majoring or minoring in education, it helps to find a university with a solid education department. You should also focus on finalizing your content area specialization from among fields like math, science, social studies, physical education, and so forth.

Secondary education teaching places an important emphasis on subject matter, which you can master by attending an affordable in-state school, such as Indiana State University or the University of Indiana. Each college also offers accredited and nationally recognized education programs.

Step 3: Earn Your Bachelor's Degree

All teachers must possess a bachelor's degree to teach in Indiana. Your focus should be on finding programs that help you engage in student teaching early, allowing you to build valuable assistant teaching experience.

You can expect to take education coursework (either as a minor or major) that covers an array of essential topics. These include educational psychology, comparative education, classroom management strategies, multicultural education, and other key topics. You can complete many courses through distance education, but some typically require in-person training at certain universities.

Step 4: Consider a Master's Degree

This is an optional step, since master's degrees are not required to teach K-12; however, earning one can make it much easier to land high-paying positions in attractive school districts. An advanced education degree, such as a Master of Teaching (MAT) or Master of Education (ME), could help you climb the educational ladder and open doorways to becoming a principal or superintendent. Graduate education can teach more advanced teaching techniques and even make you a better candidate to teach at the community college level later in your career.

Step 5: Pass Indiana Teaching Exams and Gain Licensure

Indiana has two licensing levels: the Initial Practitioner License and the Proficient Practitioner License. The former is a temporary license for new teachers, whereas the latter entails permanent status. You can convert the initial license into a proficient practitioner license by obtaining two years of teaching experience.

You can obtain your initial license by passing state licensing exams, completing first-aid and suicide-prevention training, background checks, and applying for licensure through the Indiana Department of Education. The teacher's licensing exams are different depending on the grade level you select. Each level involves passing a Praxis exam, covering various topics of teacher education.

If you do not hold a bachelor's degree in education, you can still obtain a teaching license through Indiana's Transition to Teaching program. There are several versions of this program, including 12 options to qualify for special education teaching. Some programs take only eight weeks to complete.

Step 6: Apply for Teaching Jobs

Once you earn your degree, build solid work experience in student teaching, and become a fully certified teacher, you can apply for full-time jobs. The best place to start your job hunt is with the Indiana Department of Education's job board. There, you can find full-time positions, substitute teacher roles, and other exciting opportunities for aspiring teachers.

Another place to search for employment is through online educational job boards, such as K12JobSpot or EDJOIN. You should plan to search for teaching positions as early in the calendar year as possible to give yourself the best chance at an ideal role beginning in the fall school year.

How To Choose the Right Teaching Degree Program

Learn.org has various resources to help online learners find the teaching degree programs most suitable for them. You can fulfill all the state requirements for a bachelor's degree and prepare for your certification program by selecting an accredited education program in Indiana.

There are affordable public universities, like the University of Indiana, which offer comprehensive degree programs for elementary education, special education, technical education, and almost every relevant specialization to help you gain employment in Indiana. Don't forget to identify ways to finance your education. Teachers in your state can receive up to $10,000 per year to pay for college through the Next Generation Hoosier Educators Scholarship.

FAQs About Becoming a Teacher in Indiana

Check out these frequently asked questions (FAQs) for becoming a teacher in Indiana. This will address concerns regarding eligibility, private versus public schools, and reasons to consider this lucrative career track.

What Requirements Are Needed To Be a Teacher in Indiana?

Teachers must earn a bachelor's degree, spend at least one year in an approved educator preparatory program, obtain an initial teaching license, pass a background check, and know how to administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and other first-aid. There are also specific grade point average (GPA) requirements for teaching different grade levels. In general, teachers should earn at least a 2.5 GPA to be competitive for most teaching jobs.

Do Requirements Differ at Private Schools and Public Schools?

The job eligibility requirements are similar for private and public school teachers in this state. There are more differences related to job tasks and expectations after landing a job.

Public school teachers can expect to deal with more regulations and procedures, but they have better job security than private school educators. The latter may enjoy more autonomy in the classroom, with fewer students per teacher, but may also experience greater pressure from parents and administration regarding student achievement.

What Are the Benefits of Becoming a High School Teacher?

Aside from earning a solid living financially, high school teachers enjoy the opportunity to prepare Indiana's future leaders to enter college and the workforce. Teaching is also a relatively stable career field with plenty of job security. You can also explore career advancement opportunities into administrative roles after building several years of teaching experience.

How Fast Can You Become a Teacher in Indiana?

It takes about four years to earn an accredited bachelor's degree to qualify for a teaching career � though some complete these degrees faster with accelerated degree programs. If you already have a degree, it may take about 12 to 18 months to finish student teaching. Transition-to-teaching candidates may take between two to five years to obtain terminal licensure.

Start Your Teaching Career

We welcome you to explore the rest of our website to find essential resources for becoming a teacher, earning a teaching certificate, pursuing a teacher preparation program, and more. Make us your primary source for professional development and teacher education in Indiana and elsewhere.