Best Associate's in Elementary Education Programs in Arkansas

At Arkansas State University Mid-South in West Memphis, the Associate of Science in Education carries a K-6 specialization in elementary education and functions as a transfer pathway into a four year teaching degree. Its coursework builds the groundwork of the profession, moving through child development, educational theory, and practical learning strategies. Just as important, it readies graduates for the initial steps toward teacher certification in Arkansas. Students can then carry their credits toward a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education through the campus University Center partnership with Arkansas State University Jonesboro, or take them elsewhere to complete K-6 licensure. It is a practical, locally rooted first step for future elementary teachers. Among Arkansas's 5 ranked associate's-level programs, this one posts the highest graduation rate at 58%. This associate-level elementary education program prepares graduates for work as teaching assistants in Arkansas.

University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana offers a Bachelor of Arts in K-6 Elementary Education through a campus-within-campus partnership with the University of Arkansas at Monticello, letting students complete all four years in Hope, AR. Students spend two years at UAHT earning an Associate of Science in Education, then continue as UAM students for their junior and senior years to finish the elementary education degree, designed to lead to Arkansas Elementary K-6 teacher certification. The program launched in 2026 and offers UAM's Iron Horse Transfer Scholarship to qualifying students. A associate-level path in elementary education, it builds toward a career among teaching assistants in Arkansas.

Cossatot Community College of the University of Arkansas, in De Queen, offers an Associate of Arts: Teaching for students setting out toward a career in elementary education. Across 60 credit hours, it joins general education with an education core that includes courses such as Introduction to Education, Child Growth and Development, and Technology for Teachers, along with mathematics designed specifically for future teachers. The degree is structured as an articulated 2+2 pathway with public universities across Arkansas, so graduates can transfer straight into a Bachelor of Science in Education and continue toward teacher certification. Advising from Dr. Jordan Guillory helps students keep their coursework aligned with that next step. For students in the region, it is an accessible and well connected foundation for the elementary classroom. A associate-level path in elementary education, it builds toward a career among teaching assistants in Arkansas.

Arkansas Northeastern College offers an Associate of Science in Childhood Education with an Elementary Education, K-6 option, a two-year program built for students planning to transfer into a four-year teacher certification track. The curriculum pairs elementary education coursework with a liberal arts foundation. Based in Blytheville, Arkansas, the degree typically leads graduates to transfer into a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education, such as the one at Arkansas State University, to complete K-6 teacher licensure. It carries the lowest in-state tuition among Arkansas's 5 ranked associate's-level programs, at $2,380. Earning an associate degree in elementary education is a common route toward becoming one of Arkansas's teaching assistants.

Southern Arkansas University offers an Associate of Arts in Teaching in Elementary Education, an on campus program housed in its CAEP accredited Teacher Education Department in Magnolia, Arkansas. The degree blends general education with professional coursework in educational technology, Arkansas history, mathematics instruction, and special education. Rather than granting licensure directly, it prepares students to work as classroom paraprofessionals or to transfer into a bachelor's program in elementary education for teacher certification. It awards more associate's-level elementary education degrees than any of Arkansas's 5 ranked associate's-level programs, 26 in the most recent year. Earning an associate degree in elementary education is a common route toward becoming one of Arkansas's teaching assistants.