Education

About Our Programs

Heritage offers multiple undergraduate program pathways to obtain your Washington State teaching certificate and Bachelor’s Degree. If you have any questions, please reach out to the College of Education directly at collegeofed@heritage.edu or 509-865-8650.

Our undergraduate Education programs give individuals like you a pathway into this rewarding career so you can make a real and lasting impact. Best of all, you can leverage your existing Associate’s of Arts- Direct Transfer Agreement (AA-DTA) degree or 45 quarter/60 semester credits to earn a Bachelor’s degree and the credentials you need to become certified to teach at the K-8, 4-9, 5-12, or K-12 level.

You can earn a Bachelor’s degree in as little as four semesters. Simply choose the path that best fits your goals, learning style, and life situation.

Bachelor’s Degree Program Specifics

Delivery Format: The education program is designed for individuals who want to work in the education field. Education classes primarily take place over the Fall and Spring semester, on Monday-Thursday evenings with an occasional online or Friday course to accommodate work and internship hours within the school districts.

Delivery Method: Classes in the education program are offered in a traditional face to face model (in keeping with Health Department recommendations), a synchronous hybrid online model, and in an asynchronous online format.

Regions and School Districts Served: Heritage University primarily serves South Central Washington schools in Education Service Districts 105 and 123, but will accomodate students throughout Washington State.

Heritage University exists on Yakmumamí Tiichám (the land of the Yakama People).  We acknowledge and honor with gratitude the land and the first peoples who have stewarded it throughout the generations, and recognize their continuing connection to the land, to the water, and to their ancestors.

Location – Heritage University’s education programs are offered through our main campus in Toppenish, WA and our satellite campus on the grounds of Columbia Basin College in Pasco, WA.

Admissions – Priority Application Deadline: February 15th.  Applications received after Feb. 15th  will be considered on a case by case basis. 

For any student interested in any of the below educational pathways, a Heritage University Application and a Teacher Preparation Application must be submitted. In addition, all education students must complete their WEST-B, SAT, or ACT  exams for Reading, Writing, and Mathematics prior to the start of the program. Following the completion of the HU application, Teacher Preparation Program Application, and WEST-B, SAT, or ACT exams, an interview will be scheduled prior to the start of the program.

Pathways 

Please complete our Program Inquiry Form if you are interested in any of the below education programs.  A copy will be sent to you, the education and content-specific advisor.

Program Inquiry Form

Bachelors of Arts in Education Degree: Elementary Education (Grades K-8) with an endorsement in English Language Learning/ Bilingual Language Education (Grades K-12) and an Emphasis in STEM Education

HU Innovate is a teacher preparation program for a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education with an English Language Learners/ Bilingual Language Education endorsement and emphasis in elementary STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). The program is four semesters, the last of which is a semester of student teaching in a classroom!

This degree is offered at both the Toppenish and Tri-Cities campus. The course schedule for this program includes courses that take place in the evenings or online. This program is ideal for candidates who are working their way through school and also have an interest in teaching with a STEM emphasis and/or English Language Learners.

• Course Schedule

Upon successful completion, a student in the Innovate  program will earn a Bachelor’s of Arts in Education with a WA State Teaching Certification with an Elementary Education K-8 Endorsement and an ELL/BLE Education K-12 Endorsement.

Other Undergraduate Education Pathways Offered at the Toppenish Campus 

 Non-Teaching Certificate Pathways

• Associate of Arts Degree: Concentration in Elementary Education

• Bachelors of Arts Degree: Interdisciplinary Studies in Education/Psychology

Middle Level (Grades 4-9 Teaching Certificate) Pathways 

• Bachelors of Arts in Education Degree: Middle Level Humanities (Grades 4-9)

• Bachelors of Arts in Education Degree: Middle Level Mathematics (Grades 4-9)

Secondary Level (Grades 5-12 Teaching Certificate) Pathways 

• Bachelors of Arts: Secondary English (Grades 5-12)

• Bachelors of Arts: Secondary Mathematics (Grades 5-12)

All Grade Levels (Grades K-12 Teaching Certificate) Pathways

• Bachelors of Arts: Visual Arts (Grades K-12)