PHOENIX — As Arizona’s teacher shortage continues, Arizona State University launched a three-year education degree to help get more educators in the classroom faster.
The three-year degree is considered a bachelor's degree, but it requires fewer credits. Carole Basile, the dean of the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, said students need 90 credits for the three-year degree as opposed to 120 credits for the traditional four-year degree.
“There’s nothing missing. This is about how our faculty designed the program that allows our students to make sure they have all their general ed requirements, make sure they have all their certification requirements, and make sure they have all their clinical experience in three years,” Basile said.
Basile said they added this pathway as an option for students who want to go a different route or have different needs for their education.
This is also done in part to help bring more educators into the profession as Arizona and other states face a teacher shortage. According to data from the Arizona Department of Education, more than 4,200 teacher positions were vacant in the fall of 2025.
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“It isn’t a teacher shortage. It’s a shortage of people who want to do the job. There are thousands of certified teachers in the state of Arizona who are opting out right now,” she said.
While the Teachers College is looking and helping public school districts with solutions to keep educators in the classroom, they hope the three-year degree will help get new educators in the classroom faster.
“I think because there is such a shortage of teachers, that just comes to show we need more educators that are passionate about it and willing to be here and be part of it,” said Raelyn Emmett, a freshman student who switched over to the three-year path.
Basile said this is ASU’s first three-year degree, and more are coming. Since launching it in the last few months, Basile said about 100 students have applied to be a part of the pathway.
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