College of Education to Use Grant Award to Offer Free Tuition for Career Changers Pursuing Teaching Degrees
This article was originally published by Clemson News.
The College of Education will use a grant award from the South Carolina Department of Education to cover all tuition and associated costs for 36 career changers pursuing a master’s degree in teaching from Clemson University. The College’s “Grow Your Own” program works with partner school districts to secure paid employment for students as educational assistants while they complete their degree entirely online.
The Department of Education’s South Carolina Grow Your Own (SC GYO) program addresses the need to increase the teacher workforce in communities throughout the state. The Department of Education created the program to partner colleges and universities with school districts to help aspiring teachers pursue degrees in education.
According to Michelle Cook, associate dean for undergraduate studies in the College of Education, the program will prioritize placing Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) students in programs that address the highest needs across the state, such as middle-level and secondary math and science teaching positions. She said hiring professionals already working as assistants in schools – or those from other industries with a strong desire to become teachers in home districts – naturally creates a motivated group of graduate students.