Northern Arizona University
Grow your own path into the classroom: earn a BSEd or MEd and full Arizona teacher certification while you work in our schools.
Bachelor’sMaster’sTuition-free options
Grow into what’s next
We’ve partnered with three universities so you can earn a degree — or your teaching certificate — while you keep working with us. Tuition-free and reduced-cost options take you from a first bachelor’s all the way to a doctorate.
3 university partnersBachelor’s to doctorateTuition-free & reduced costOnline & local
Find your path
Three partners.One next step for you.
Whether you’re an instructional assistant who wants your own classroom, or a teacher, specialist or leader ready for the next degree, there’s a partner built for it.
I want to…
American InterContinental University
Online bachelor’s and master’s degrees at a reduced cost for you as a Littleton employee — grow your qualifications without stepping away from work.
Bachelor’sMaster’sEmployee partner rate
Trident University International
Ready to lead? Earn your Doctorate in Educational Leadership fully online, at a reduced cost for you as a Littleton employee.
DoctorateEmployee partner rate
Side by side
How the three compare
| NAU | AIU | Trident | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Becoming a certified Arizona teacher | Earning a bachelor’s or master’s to grow in any role | Teachers and leaders ready for a leadership doctorate |
| Degree levels | · BSEd · MEd | · Bachelor’s · Master’s · Doctorate | · Doctorate in Educational Leadership only |
| Format | Local in-person classes (afternoon / evening) plus online | Online | 100% online |
| Cost | Tuition-free options via the Arizona Teachers Academy | Reduced cost for Littleton employees | Reduced cost for Littleton employees |
| Teacher certification | Built in | Ask the university about licensure options | Ask the university about licensure options |
| Start here | NAU program page | aiuniv.edu | trident.edu |
Teacher certification · Partner 01
Northern Arizona University
West Valley Pathways to Teaching — our Grow Your Own partnership with NAU and five neighboring West Valley districts.
Who it’s for
Teachers from thiscommunity, for it
Already part of our schools as an instructional assistant, in the front office or on a support team? Pathways to Teaching gives you a flexible, streamlined route to your degree and full certification — with afternoon and evening classes, so you keep working with us while you study.
ParaprofessionalsSupport staffUncertified educatorsCareer changersWest Valley residents
Eligible programs
Pick the degree thatmatches where you are
Undergraduate · BSEd
Bachelor’s with certification
- Elementary Education (BSEd)
- Special and Elementary Education (BSEd)
- Early Childhood Endorsement (UCERT), taken alongside a BSEd
Junior-level teacher-prep coursework is mostly in person at local West Valley sites, in the afternoon or evening. Prerequisites and some upper-level courses run online; Special Education meets on Zoom; the Early Childhood Endorsement is fully online.
Graduate · online MEd
Master’s with certification
- Elementary Education with Certification
- Special Education, Mild/Moderate Disabilities, with Certification
- Early Childhood Special Education with Certification
Fully online, with two routes to certification — below.
MEd Route A · Traditional
Coursework, then student teaching
Complete the required online coursework, then finish with a student-teaching placement.
MEd Route B · Alternative
Teach while you earn it
If you meet the additional requirements, you can apply for an Arizona Department of Education Alternative Teaching Certificate and join us as a teacher of record while you complete your degree.
Teacher Intern Preparation Program (TIPP). As an NAU Professional Education Program student, you can seek a paid teaching position on your own. Once you’re admitted to TIPP, you may apply for the state’s Alternative Teaching Certificate.
What we pay you. As an alternative-pathway teacher, you’re placed at $41,329 on our published salary schedule. See the salary schedules.
Cost & support
A degree that cancost you nothing
Tuition-free options
The Arizona Teachers Academy, combined with its economic benefits, can make the program tuition-free. Current FAFSA required.
NAU scholarship
Access2Excellence requires a current FAFSA — or the College Board CSS Profile if you can’t file one.
Local faculty
You learn from NAU faculty right here in the West Valley, including an anchor faculty member in our district.
A head start on hiring
You get advance consideration when we have positions open.
Our first graduates
From 13 studentsto a full pipeline
0First cohort, 2023
0First graduates, 2024
0Enrolled, fall 2024
0Partner districts
Our partnership with NAU began with 13 students in spring 2023. In December 2024 we celebrated the first nine graduates — and that fall, 60 students were working toward their degree and certification. Read the story.
Applying to NAU
Five steps frominterested to enrolled
Step 1
Raise your hand
Complete NAU’s Pathways to Teaching interest form. NAU Student Services will contact you to talk through which program fits and what to do next.
Step 2
Apply to NAU
Undergraduate (BSEd)
- 0–12 college credits: NAU Freshman Application — choose Elementary Education or Special and Elementary Education. It shows Flagstaff Mountain Campus at first; NAU staff update it.
- 13+ credits: Degree Seeking Transfer Student Application — select Business Partnerships as the campus and your program under Org Partnership.
- Send every transcript — applications can’t be processed without them.
- Fee waiver code: #GONAU
Graduate (MEd)
- Apply through the NAU Graduate College. Email partnerships@nau.edu for a one-time fee waiver code.
- Once admitted, complete the supplemental Professional Education Program (PEP) application. An IVP Fingerprint Clearance Card is required.
- Optional: apply to the Teacher Intern Preparation Program (TIPP).
Step 3
Tell the partnerships team
Email partnerships@nau.edu to let them know you have applied.
Step 4
Line up your funding
Complete the FAFSA for the year you plan to start, using NAU’s school code 001082, then work through the NAU financial aid checklist.
Step 5
Watch your inbox
Applications are processed in the order received. Expect a confirmation page and email, then next steps after an admission decision. Use the same name, email and phone number at every stage.
Application windows. NAU has run two intake deadlines a year — June 15 for fall entry and November 15 for spring entry. Confirm the current cycle’s dates on the NAU program page.
NAU partner districts
Tolleson ElementaryLittleton ElementaryUnion ElementaryPendergast ElementaryBuckeye ElementarySaddle Mountain Unified
Reduced-cost degrees · Partners 02 & 03
AIU & Trident
Bachelor’s and master’s degrees through AIU, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership through Trident — all at a reduced cost for you as a Littleton employee, online and on your schedule.
Partner 02 · Bachelor’s & Master’s
American InterContinental University
Online programs built around working adults, from a university system accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
BA/BSBachelor’sMA/MSMaster’s
- Bachelor’s and master’s degrees at a reduced cost for you through our partnership
- Online study with flexible scheduling around your workday
- The qualifications that move you up our salary schedules
Partner 03 · Doctoral only
Trident University International
A fully online university based in Chandler, Arizona. Through our partnership, Trident is your route to a doctorate in educational leadership.
Dr.Doctorate in Educational LeadershipThe only Trident program in our partnership
- Reduced cost for you through our partnership
- 100% online, paced for working educators
- Built for teachers and leaders stepping into principal, director and district roles
Why it pays
Try the salary estimatorAt Littleton, everydegree shows up in your pay
Education counts on every salary schedule we publish, so a reduced-cost degree is an investment that keeps paying you back.
+2 columnsA bachelor’s adds two columns on the classified schedule for support staff (an associate degree adds one).
+2 cellsEvery 15 graduate credits moves a teacher two cells up the certified ladder.
+2 stepsA doctorate — like Trident’s in educational leadership — adds two steps on the administrative schedule.
Our Human Resources team confirms how your coursework and degrees are credited at placement — check with us before you enroll if pay is part of your plan.
Talk to someone
Questions before you start?
NAU at Littleton
Cassandra Lockard
NAU Anchor Faculty, Littleton Elementary School District
lockard.cassandra@littletonaz.orgAt NAU
NAU Partnerships
Program questions, fee waiver codes and application status.
partnerships@nau.edu602-728-9510AIU & Trident
Our HR team
Ask us about eligibility and how to access your partner rate.
HR@littletonaz.org623-478-5600Not on staff yet? Join us as a paraprofessional or instructional assistant and start your pathway from inside our schools. Instructional assistant roles · Substitute roles
Each university sets its own admission, tuition and certification requirements.
The future starts here