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Best Associate's in Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods Programs in 2026

Edited by Zoe MacDougall, BS in Psychology

Published ·Last updated

All 5 programs reviewed from the IPEDS database, ranked on graduation rate, affordability, and more. CIP 13.1299.

5Programs analyzed
$2,660Median in-state tuition
38%Median graduation rate
  • In-state tuition typically runs from $2,568 to $7,050 a year, with a median near $2,660.
  • 5 of 5 ranked programs sit at public universities, and 3 offer an online or hybrid option.
  • We rank on graduation rate first, then selectivity and affordability, all from federal IPEDS data.
  1. 1

    Wiregrass Georgia Technical College

    Valdosta, GAPublicOnline available

    89score
    • 50%Grad rate
    • $2,568/yrIn-state tuition
    • $5,136/yrOut-of-state tuition
    • 4,466Undergrads
    • 1Grads/yr
    • Early Childhood Care and Education, Associate of Applied Science (AAS)
    • Online
    About the program

    Delivered online, Wiregrass Georgia Technical College's Early Childhood Care and Education Associate of Applied Science lets students prepare for work with young children without stepping away from their current commitments. The 72-credit program spans six terms and lets learners concentrate in one of five areas, including infant/toddler care, program administration, and exceptionalities, so the degree reflects the setting each student hopes to enter. A supervised practicum places students in a real early childhood environment, where classroom ideas meet daily practice. This is a career and workforce pathway rather than an initial teacher certification, opening doors to child care centers, Head Start, Georgia Pre-K, and elementary paraprofessional roles. Coursework is available through the Valdosta, Online, and Coffee locations, making it accessible to students across the region. As an associate degree in teacher education and professional development, specific levels and methods, it adds to the associate-level teacher education and professional development, specific levels and methods options in Georgia.

    Why it ranks here

    Its rank is built from three numbers: graduation rate, admission rate, and in-state tuition, in that order of weight. Its strongest card is completion: a 50% graduation rate lands it in the top 1% of programs nationwide, and since finishing counts for the most, that does much of the work. Tuition is middle of the road for programs nationwide at $2,568 in state, so cost neither helps nor hurts its standing. That combination is what puts it in the top handful here.

    Program page
  2. 2

    Coastal Pines Technical College

    Waycross, GAPublicOnline available

    75score
    • 48%Grad rate
    • $2,568/yrIn-state tuition
    • $5,136/yrOut-of-state tuition
    • 4,130Undergrads
    • 4Grads/yr
    • Associate of Applied Science in Early Childhood Care and Education
    • On-campus
    About the program

    Coastal Pines Technical College's 72-credit Associate of Applied Science in Early Childhood Care and Education blends early-childhood theory with steady practical application, so students learn concepts and immediately try them out. That applied emphasis shows in the fieldwork, which includes a three-credit practicum and two six-credit internships spent working directly with young children. Students can focus the degree through one of five specializations, from infant/toddler care and exceptionalities to program administration, paraprofessional and school-age work, or family child care. The program is approved by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission, a form of state approval rather than programmatic accreditation. It serves as a career and paraprofessional pathway rather than an initial licensure route, with graduates working in child care centers, Head Start, Georgia Pre-K, and elementary paraprofessional roles. This program offers an associate degree in teacher education and professional development, specific levels and methods in Georgia.

    Why it ranks here

    Three things decide where a program lands on this list: how many students finish, how selective it is, and what it costs. Start with the outcome that matters most, 48% of students graduate, top 25% among programs nationwide, which is the biggest reason it sits where it does. Tuition is middle of the road for programs nationwide at $2,568 in state, so cost neither helps nor hurts its standing. Strong on the measures that matter most, it earns a place near the top.

    Program page
  3. 3

    Jefferson College

    Hillsboro, MOPublic

    28score
    • 38%Grad rate
    • $7,050/yrIn-state tuition
    • $8,850/yrOut-of-state tuition
    • 3,775Undergrads
    • 38Grads/yr
    • Associate of Arts in Teaching
    About the program

    For Missourians who know they want to teach but plan to finish elsewhere, Jefferson College's Associate of Arts in Teaching offers a smooth, deliberate first step. Built as a statewide pre-professional degree, it is designed from the start to transfer cleanly into a four-year teacher education program. The 61-hour plan pairs a broad general education foundation with a teacher education core and a handful of electives, and students demonstrate readiness by passing the Missouri General Education Assessment. Established transfer relationships with Missouri Baptist University and the University of Missouri-St. Louis, along with an Aspiring Educators Club, help students picture the road ahead. Whether their goal is early childhood, elementary, middle, or secondary certification, graduates arrive at their transfer institution already pointed in the right direction. It is an associate degree in teacher education and professional development, specific levels and methods at the associate level, based in Missouri.

    Why it ranks here

    Its rank is built from three numbers: graduation rate, admission rate, and in-state tuition, in that order of weight. On completion, the heaviest factor, it lands mid-pack among programs nationwide at 38%, solid without being a standout. The one drag is price, $7,050 in state, above the national median, so it earns its rank on outcomes rather than affordability. Together, that is one of the strongest profiles on the page.

    Program page
  4. 4

    Leeward Community College

    Pearl City, HIPublic

    25score
    • 35%Grad rate
    • $3,144/yrIn-state tuition
    • $8,280/yrOut-of-state tuition
    • 6,471Undergrads
    • 1Grads/yr
    • Associate in Science in Teaching
    • On-campus
    About the program

    Leeward Community College offers a 62-credit Associate in Science in Teaching through its Teacher Education Program. The degree is not licensure-granting itself; it serves either as a transfer pathway providing the first two years of a baccalaureate program in elementary or secondary education, or as a terminal degree preparing students to work as a paraeducator. The program holds full AAQEP accreditation through June 30, 2028. Core education courses are offered every semester, in class and online. As an associate degree in teacher education and professional development, specific levels and methods, it adds to the associate-level teacher education and professional development, specific levels and methods options in Hawaii.

    Why it ranks here

    Its place on the list comes down to outcomes, selectivity, and price, weighted in that order. The sticking point is completion, the factor we weigh most heavily: at 35% the graduation rate trails the national median, which caps how high it can climb. The one drag is price, $3,144 in state, above the national median, so it earns its rank on outcomes rather than affordability. Together, that is one of the strongest profiles on the page.

    Program page
  5. 5

    Bay Mills Community College

    Brimley, MIPublicOnline available

    23score
    • 30%Grad rate
    • $2,660/yrTuition (in or out of state)
    • 698Undergrads
    • 2Grads/yr
    • Education
    About the program

    Bay Mills Community College offers an Associate of Arts in Education that serves as a transfer and career pathway rather than a teaching license. The degree prepares students for work as qualified paraprofessionals or for transfer to a four-year university to complete a bachelor's degree in education. It is available online. As an associate degree in teacher education and professional development, specific levels and methods, it adds to the associate-level teacher education and professional development, specific levels and methods options in Michigan.

    Why it ranks here

    Its rank is built from three numbers: graduation rate, admission rate, and in-state tuition, in that order of weight. The sticking point is completion, the factor we weigh most heavily: at 30% the graduation rate trails the national median, which caps how high it can climb. Tuition is middle of the road for programs nationwide at $2,660 in state, so cost neither helps nor hurts its standing. Together, that is one of the strongest profiles on the page.

    Program page
How we rank

Each program is scored 0 to 100 against the other associate's programs in its specialty: graduation rate (55%) and affordability by in-state tuition (45%). Scores are percentile-based within the specialty, so they compare like with like, and a program missing a field gets the neutral median. Because an associate's in elementary education is a two-year transfer degree offered almost entirely by open-admission community colleges, selectivity is not used. Earnings are excluded because they depend on transferring and finishing a bachelor's degree. Every associate's program in the specialty is ranked and shown, with no per-state cap.

  • Graduation rate: 55%
  • Affordability (in-state tuition): 45%

How much an associate's in Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods program costs

Published in-state tuition across the 5 ranked associate's programs typically runs from $2,568 to $7,050 a year, with a median near $2,660. Most of that spread is public versus private: public universities charge state residents the least, while private colleges set a single sticker price that applies to everyone. 5 of the 5 programs here are public, which is usually where the lowest in-state numbers come from.

Sticker price is rarely what a student pays. Grants and scholarships lower the net cost, and future teachers have aid written specifically for them: the federal TEACH Grant provides up to $4,000 a year to students who agree to teach a high-need subject in a low-income school, and many states add service scholarships and loan-forgiveness programs for people who commit to the classroom. Two costs to watch are out-of-state tuition, which at public schools often runs two to three times the resident rate, and mandatory fees and living expenses, which the tuition figure leaves out entirely.

Sources: tuition and program data from IPEDS; the TEACH Grant from Federal Student Aid.

Ways to earn your associate's in Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods

An associate's in Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods is usually the first two years of a longer teaching path rather than a destination in itself. Of the 5 ranked programs, 3 offer an online or hybrid option, which suits students balancing work or family, though any required classroom-observation hours still happen in person. Many are designed explicitly as a transfer, or pre-education, track that maps onto a four-year degree.

The move that saves the most money is articulation: completing general-education and introductory teaching coursework at a community college, then transferring those credits into a bachelor's program to finish the degree and student teaching. Statewide transfer agreements in many states guarantee that an approved associate's applies in full, so it pays to choose a program with a clear articulation pathway to the university you eventually want to attend.

An associate's on its own does not lead to a standard teaching license, which is the norm for this level rather than a shortcoming. What it does do is open the door to classroom roles now, paraprofessional and teacher-aide positions, and in some states a step toward early-childhood or substitute credentials while you keep studying toward the bachelor's.

Sources: online and program counts from IPEDS; alternative-certification pathways per the US Department of Education.

Data sources for our Associate's in Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods ranking

  • Program counts, tuition, graduation and admission rates: IPEDS, US Department of Education.
  • Program descriptions: each school's official catalog and program pages.

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