GETTING COLLEGE CREDIT FOR ENRICHMENT TEACHING

The subjects being taught by enrichment teachers are as diverse as the people teaching them.  There is definitely something for everyone.  Education majors can find themselves working in tutoring centers, school reading & writing groups, science clubs, or teaching a class in your area of specialization.  Physical Fitness and Coaching majors might find themselves working at YMCAs, parks and recreation departments, community centers, or coaching after school sports programs.  Theatre majors, as well as other performing arts majors, can find opportunities to teach their specific art.  For example, the theatre major could teach an after school musical theater production program; the art major could teach drawing, painting, or sculpture; the dance major can teach dance classes; and the musician can give group or private lessons at school sites and non-school venues.  Basically, for every major and/or department there is a corresponding enrichment elective made available to children.

Enrichment teaching is more than an avenue to a career, though.  The experience gained as an after school enrichment teacher can be useful as an academic as well.  Thousands of degree programs across the country allow students to utilize their life and work experiences to create an Independent Study course that will meet a program’s requirements.

One example is the University of Southern California where students with a minor in dance must complete a one credit course in the teaching of dance.  As many of these students have previous experience teaching dance before even beginning to pursue their minor, personalized Independent Study courses have been created in certain instances.  To qualify, students must submit an application to the associate dean of the department for consideration.  If the application is approved, the student must create a syllabus for the class that is then presented to a faculty supervisor for approval.  This syllabus must specifically outline assignments and assessments as well as set up a timeline for completion.  In addition to a syllabus, a faculty sponsor must be garnered who will attest to the quality of the course being created.  It may also be necessary to meet with the faculty sponsor on a regular basis to discuss your progress.

Similarly, New York University offers several Independent Study options for their students.  Simply fill out the appropriate application for consideration and submit the proposal to the proper department(s).  It is essential to demonstrate how your experience as an enrichment teacher meets the requirements specified within the degree program.  The head of the academic department then determines whether to grant approval for the course.  Once approval is given, all requirements previously set up for the Independent Study course must be fulfilled in order to officially receive course credit. 

*It is important to note that an Independent Study course is not the only way in which to earn college credit as an enrichment teacher.  There are a number of universities and colleges that will grant college credit for life and work experience without requiring students to construct their own course.  However, students must be able to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of course content to the necessary academic department(s).  Most schools require students to complete a life experience application or make a formal request for evaluation of their life and work experiences.  This application or formal request is usually accompanied by a portfolio of work that demonstrates a level of proficiency in the course area.  Recognize that every school has its own requirements.  While one school might accept a portfolio, another might call for an interview with faculty members, a performance assessment, a formal essay, an audition, an examination or any combination of these. 

The following is a list of links to college and university programs that offer college credit for life and work experience and/or the opportunity for Independent Study. This is not an all inclusive list but a sampling of schools and departments. If your college is not listed, check with the head of your department or faculty advisor to see if enrichment teaching can be turned into college credit.

USC

Option A:  Degree Requirement-Related Exceptions http://www.usc.edu/dept/publications/cat2008/academic/exception.html
Option B: Subject Credit by Special Examination
http://www.usc.edu/dept/publications/cat2008/academic/exams.html#special

UCLA

Option A: Credit by Examination

http://www.registrar.ucla.edu/catalog/catalog08-09-34.htm

Option B: Academic Research Courses
http://www.registrar.ucla.edu/catalog/catalog08-09-23.htm

NYU

http://www.scps.nyu.edu/admissions/undergraduate-admissions/international-students/transferring-credits.html

University of Notre Dame

http://al.nd.edu/academic-advising-and-requirements/academic-policies/internships/

Harvard University

http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~advising/docs/Ind_Stdy.pdf

Yale

http://www.yale.edu/yalecollege/publications/ycps/chapter_iii/courses/normal.html

Princeton

http://www.princeton.edu/~chemdept/archives/dept_old/ugIS.html

MIT – Massachusetts Institute of Technology

http://sustainability.mit.edu/projects/how-to-propose-an-independent-study

Rutgers

http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/communication-major/independent-study-and-tutors.html

Stanford University

http://ed.stanford.edu/suse/programs-degrees/courses.html

University of Pennsylvania

http://www.history.upenn.edu/undergrad/independentstudy.shtml

Columbia University

http://www.music.columbia.edu/programs/undergrad/independentstudy

Duke University

http://t-reqs.trinity.duke.edu/indystudy.html

University of Florida

http://www.registrar.ufl.edu/currents/specialregistrations.html#3

Florida State University

http://registrar.fsu.edu/bulletin/undergrad/info/acad_regs.htm.

University of Chicago

http://www.college.uchicago.edu/academics/reading_research.shtml

Dartmouth College

http://www.dartmouth.edu/~mals/program/indstudy.html

Northwestern University

http://www.english.northwestern.edu/undergraduate/

Indiana University

http://www.iusb.edu/~sbgens/coursesgenstu.shtml

Cornell University

http://www.sce.cornell.edu/ss/courses/independent_study.php

Vanderbilt University

http://www.vanderbilt.edu/cft/resources/teaching_resources/activities/one_on_one.htm

Carnegie Mellon University

http://www.hss.cmu.edu/careers/istudy.html

Georgetown University

http://www12.georgetown.edu/scs/ls/pdfs/independent_study_bals.pdf

University of Michigan

http://sitemaker.umich.edu/detroit.initiative/independent_study
Ohio State University

http://mansfield.osu.edu/HTML/handbook/Forms/indStudy.pdf

University of Massachusetts

http://www.umass.edu/uww/programs_courses/pl_portfolio.html

Boston College

http://www.bc.edu/schools/cas/psych/undergrad/opportunities/indepstudy.html

Washington University

http://depts.washington.edu/safs/pdfs/498_form.pdf

Washington State University

http://placement.wsu.edu/content/careersmajors/courses.asp#u300

University of Oklahoma

http://www.ou.edu/admissions/home/credit_by_advanced.html

Oklahoma State University

http://admissions.okstate.edu/pdf/CreditByExamination.pdf

University of Tennessee

http://www.artsci.utk.edu/advising/deg_prog/indiv_prog.asp

LSU – Louisiana State University

http://slis.lsu.edu/syllabi/7909.pdf

Wake Forest University

http://www.wfu.edu/wgs/students/independentstudy.htm

Penn State University

http://www.nk.psu.edu/Academics/NKHonorsIndStudy.htm

University of Miami

http://www6.miami.edu/bulletins/grad/arts_sciences.pdf

University of Georgia

http://www.georgiacenter.uga.edu/gcq/gcqsum01/usgis.html

University of Pittsburgh

http://www.pitt.edu/~ppw/is.html

Clemson University

http://www.clemson.edu/ces/psu/study_abroad.html

DePaul University

http://liberalstudies.depaul.edu/docs/docs/JYEL_IndependentStudyForm.doc

University of Oregon

http://registrar.uoregon.edu/students/advancedCredit.html#exam

Oregon State University

http://oregonstate.edu/accreditation/handbook/standards/std023.html

University of Texas

http://www.utexas.edu/cola/insts/llilas/content/forms/ug_academic/las379.pdf

Texas Tech University

http://www.depts.ttu.edu/officialpublications/pdfs/2008-09ODECatalog.pdf

Texas A&M University

http://www-ims.tamu.edu/index.aspx?page=95

Purdue University

http://www.healthsciences.purdue.edu/courses/independent_study_authorization.pdf

University of Arizona

www.planning.arizona.edu/docs/IndepStudyFormPolicies.doc

Arizona State University

http://www.asu.edu/provost/intergroup/courses/

University of Connecticut    

http://www.registrar.uconn.edu/indstudy.pdf

University of Nebraska

http://www.ses.unomaha.edu/testing/credit.php

University of Colorado

http://www.colorado.edu/catalog/catalog08-09/general/undergraduateadmission.html

Brandeis University

http://www.brandeis.edu/summer/registration/forms/indstudyrequirem.pdf

Pace University

http://www.pace.edu/page.cfm?doc_id=26471

University of Minnesota

http://admissions.tc.umn.edu/admissioninfo/trans_evaluation.html

The University of Memphis

http://www.memphis.edu/univcoll/experiential-learning.php

Texas Christian University - Texas

http://www.admissions.tcu.edu/apply/clep_port.asp

University of Utah

http://www.sa.utah.edu/testing/programs/challenge-exams.html

UNLV – University of Nevada, Las Vegas

http://hotel.unlv.edu/studentsProspFAQ_6.html

University of Wisconsin

http://www.ls.wisc.edu/handbook/ChapterFive/chV-18.htm

University of North Carolina

http://www.unc.edu/depts/polisci/internships.html

California State University – Los Angeles

http://www.calstatela.edu/academic/senate/handbook/ch4c.htm

Santa Monica College

http://www.smc.edu/projects/2/forms/petition_for_special_consideration_form.pdf

University of Phoenix - Arizona

http://www.phoenix.edu/admissions/prior_learning_assessment.aspx

National-Louis University – Illinois

http://www.nl.edu/centers/assessment/

Thomas Edison College – New Jersey

http://www.tesc.edu/939.php

Belmont Abbey College – North Carolina

http://www.bac.edu/adult-education/experiential.aspx

Old Dominion University - Virginia

http://uc.odu.edu/elt/experiential/requirements/ugrad.shtml

Community College of Vermont

http://www.ccv.edu/APL

Wilmington University - Delaware

http://www.wilmu.edu/catalog/catalogundergrad_2008.pdf

University of Southern Maine

http://usm.maine.edu/pla/

University of Maine

http://www.uma.edu/portfolioassessment.html

Columbia College of Missouri

http://www.ccis.edu/day/admissions/CreditPriorLearning.asp

New Mexico State University

http://education.nmsu.edu/projects/place/resources.htm

North Dakota State University

http://www.ndsu.nodak.edu/prospective_students/about/credit_by_exam.shtml

Middle Tennessee State University

http://www.mtsu.edu/ucat/0709/2007-09_EXL.pdf

Idaho State University

http://www.isu.edu/csed/progEi/credit_challenge.pdf.pdf

University of New Hampshire

http://www.colsa.unh.edu/handbook/creditbyexam.html

University of Rhode Island

http://www.uri.edu/catalog/cataloghtml/courses/pla.html

Wellesley College – Massachusetts

http://www.wellesley.edu/Economics/Courses/honors.html

Colgate University – New York

http://www.colgate.edu/pdfs/catalog/academicregulations.pdf

Vassar College – New York

http://education.vassar.edu/courses.html

Mount Holyoke College – Massachusetts

http://www.mtholyoke.edu/wcl/16259.shtml

Trinity College – Connecticut

http://www.trincoll.edu/Academics/IDP/



Opportunities in Enrichment

As we have said, the subjects being taught by enrichment teachers are as diverse as the people teaching them.   In addition, the work available in the after school enrichment industry affords you a variety of opportunities as well.   You can obtain work in a number of capacities on a full time or part time basis.  Teaching jobs and other opportunities are not confined to after school programs and their corresponding hours.  For example, enrichment teachers have gained additional work in the mornings, evenings and on weekends by tutoring privately, through a tutoring company or leading after school tutoring clubs on public and private school campuses.  There are also different venues at which enrichment teachers can obtain teaching jobs.  These venues include community centers, parks and recreation departments and YMCAs as well as private classes at studios.  Summer camp jobs are also an excellent way for enrichment teachers to add to their incomes.  Camp director, camp counselor and camp instructor are some of the many summer camp jobs that are available to enrichment teachers when school is not in session.  Summer camp jobs also vary based on the camp’s theme or specialty subject.  Enrichment teaching is a vocation which is easily molded to suit your needs and ambitions.  Enrichment teaching can be a part-time endeavor that you do to earn college credit and extra income.  If you so choose, the full complement of available teaching opportunities can enable you to make enrichment a full time teaching job. 

Whether a teaching career is your ultimate ambition or just a stepping stone to other pursuits,working in the enrichment industry while in school will benefit you in a number of ways by:

Providing you a mechanism with which to earn college credit
Enhancing your professional experience on your resume
Gaining real world work experience while in school
Making contacts and cultivating relationships with working professionals
Gaining requisite in-class teaching hours towards a degree in education
Earning income while in school