PE-FAQ
Partnership Teach
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
The East Carolina University College of Education has established Partnership Teach. Through collaboration and innovation, the partnership focuses on preparing teachers who will help meet the demand for well-trained professionals in the classrooms of North Carolina and beyond. Partnership East provides degree completion programs in elementary education, middle grades education and special education. Participants must complete a portion of their studies at a North Carolina community college prior to enrolling in Partnership Teach.
Partnership Teach is a collaborative effort between East Carolina University and NC Community Colleges. Students begin at any NC Community College and transfer to ECU to complete the remainder of their teaching degree through online instruction. Students are placed in public school classrooms in or near their home communities throughout the model. A full-time internship in a public school classroom is required in the senior year for all students.
What degrees are offered through Partnership Teach?
What are the advantages of Partnership Teach?
How much does it cost?
Is Partnership Teach completely online?
What are the Requirements for Part-time Programs?
What are the Requirements for full-time elementary education?
How Do I Apply?
Can I work while participating in Partnership Teach?
Mandatory Meetings
Do you accept transfer courses from institutions other than community colleges?
Do teacher assistants have to complete internship requirements?
What is a cohort?
What if I already completed a bachelor’s degree?
How do I schedule an appointment with a regional coordinator?
What is the difference between Partnership East and Partnership Teach?
What degrees are offered through Partnership Teach?
Elementary Education
Special Education – General Curriculum
Special Education – Adapted Curriculum
Middle Grades Education with concentrations in Language Arts & Social Studies
What are the advantages of Partnership Teach?
- Convenience of online instruction
- Reduced cost (Partnership Teach is less than half the cost of most online and/or private options)
- A high quality, well respected degree with high rates of employment in NC
- Small class sizes
- Guaranteed course delivery through cohort model
- Personal advising
Is Partnership Teach completely online?
Students begin at any NC community college where they can choose online or face to face courses. Once transferring to ECU, 100% of the coursework is online. To reinforce concepts learned online, students complete field placements in public schools each semester. A full-time internship is required to complete the degrees.
How much does it cost?
What are the Requirements for Part-time Programs?
When you meet with your regional Partnership Teach coordinator, he/she will review your transcripts and assist you in determining what steps to take to be ready to begin with Partnership Teach. Applicants must meet the following criteria when applying to Partnership Teach in January and/or February each year:
- 2.5 GPA minimum
- Ability to take 6-10 semester hours per semester with moderate summer course loads
- Interview with the PT Coordinator in your region
- Praxis Core test scores (take no later than October in the fall before applying to ECU)
- Completion of most community college prerequisites by July of the year of enrollment
- Admission to ECU (after being accepted to Partnership East)
What are the Requirements for full-time elementary education?
When you meet with your regional Partnership Teach coordinator, he/she will review your transcripts and assist you in determining what steps to take to be ready to begin with Partnership Teach. Applicants must meet the following criteria when applying to Partnership East by January 15 each year:
- 3.0 GPA minimum
- Ability to take 16-18 semester hours per semester with full summer course loads
- Interview with the PE Coordinator in your region
- Passing scores on Praxis Core tests (take no later than October in the fall before applying to ECU)
- Completion of ALL community college prerequisites by May of the year of enrollment
- Admission to ECU (after being accepted to Partnership East)
How Do I Apply?
Visit Partnership Teach
Can I work while participating in Partnership Teach?
The part-time Partnership Teach models were designed for working adults. Course delivery is completely online allowing students to work and complete academic work at their convenience. Students must have the flexibility to complete related field work each semester to reinforce the skills being taught online. Field work can vary from 12-40 contact hours each semester. A full-time internship is required during the last 15 week semester of the program which may prohibit working during that time.
The full-time elementary education model was designed for non-working adults who can commit their full attention to school while completing an accelerated program.
Mandatory Meetings
Students will be required to participate in at least 5 meetings. We anticipate those meetings to be offered virtually/online, however some of the meetings may require synchronous participation (online meeting during a specific day and/or time). Historically, the 5 mandatory meetings have included: Partnership Teach Orientation, Upper Division Interview, Internship I seminar, Internship II seminar, and the final licensure seminar. In addition to the meetings mentioned above, students who reside within the Latham Clinical Schools Network (LCSN) will be required to participate in the COE Career Fair (in-person in Greenville, NC) if offered during their Internship II semester. Additional meetings may be required by the major Department as needed.
Do you accept transfer courses from institutions other than community colleges?
Students must affiliate with a NC community college to qualify for Partnership Teach, but ECU does accept transfer courses from regionally accredited institutions. Your Partnership East coordinator will review your transcripts to help you with an individualized plan based on all of your transfer credits.
Do teacher assistants have to complete internship requirements?
Many Partnership Teach students are teacher assistants and they bring a wealth of experience to the program. If the work assignment is compatible with the field placement requirements, teacher assistants may be able to complete many of those requirements on the job. ECU recommends that the final internship placement be in a school other than the one in which teacher assistants work, but works with school districts and teacher assistants on an individual basis to secure the best option for each student.
What is a cohort?
A cohort is group of students that are placed together in classes to complete the degree program. Partnership Teach cohorts usually have 10-30 students who stay in classes together to form learning communities as they work toward degree completion.
What if I already completed a bachelor’s degree?
Partnership Teach is designed for students seeking their first undergraduate degree. Students who have completed a bachelor’s degree or higher should consider ECU’s Alternative Licensure options.
How do I schedule an appointment with a regional coordinator?
Complete the contact us form or contact the coordinator for your area directly using the information on the Contact Us website.
What is the difference between Partnership East and Partnership Teach?
Partnership East was established in 2002. Since then it has undergone several name adjustments including Wachovia Partnership East, Wells Fargo Partnership East, SECU Partnership East and now Partnership Teach. With each name change, the model had grown to serve more students while remaining a leader in affordable distance education for future teachers.