What Subject Can I Teach without a Teaching Degree?

If you’ve ever imagined yourself in front of a classroom, helping students learn and grow, you may be wondering: What subjects can I teach without a teaching degree?

The good news: If you hold a bachelor’s degree in any field, you become a certified teacher—without returning to college. Alternative teacher certification makes this possible. Continue reading to see how you can choose the subject you want to teach and get started on a flexible, affordable path to the classroom.

Teach the Subject That Inspires You

One of the biggest myths about becoming a teacher is that your college major must match your teaching subject. That’s not true. Again, alternative teacher certification makes it possible to teach almost any subject, independent of what you studied in college.

In particular, American Board’s certification program allows you to teach a wide range of subjects—even if you didn’t study that subject in college.

For example:

• Have a degree in Psychology but love literature? You can teach English.
• Studied Engineering but want to teach high school students? You can pursue Physics or Math.
• Interested in working with young learners or students with special needs? You can choose Elementary or Special Education.

With American Board, your teaching subject is based on your interests, passion, and desire to be an expert—not your undergraduate major.

What Subject Can I Teach without a Teaching Degree?

American Board offers certification in the following areas (subject to state approval):

• Elementary Education
• Special Education
• Biology
• Chemistry
• Physics
• General Science
• Reading
• English Language Arts
• U.S. and World History

If you want to explore options in your state, visit our website to see what subjects are offered where you live.

State-Specific Subject Certification Rules

Each state has its own requirements, so the subjects available to you may vary depending on where you live.

Here are a few examples:

• States like Alabama, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Wisconsin offer the full catalog of American Board certifications, including Elementary Education and Special Education. This is noteworthy because some states don’t allow alternative teachers to pursue Elementary Education and Special Education, but American Board is often an accepted exception.
• South Carolina only approves certification for grades 5–12. This means Elementary and Special Education are not available in that state.
• Ohio requires candidates to pass a state-specific subject test rather than American Board’s subject exams. Because of this, over 20 subjects are available in Ohio—including Business, Family and Consumer Sciences (Home Economics), and World Languages.

For a full breakdown by state, you’ll want to visit American Board’s website for the most up-to-date information: www.AmericanBoard.org.

Why Choose American Board?

American Board is designed for career changers, working adults, and paraprofessionals who want a direct path to the classroom. You’ll benefit from:

• Wide variety of subjects available
• 100% online, self-paced program
• No student teaching or university courses required
• Affordable tuition and payment options
• State approval in multiple regions across the country

More than 20,000 people have already made the switch to teaching with American Board. You can, too. Are you ready to find out what subject you can teach without a teaching degree? Start your free trial today and explore your certification options.

What Subjects Can I Teach without a Teaching Degree: FAQs

• What is the easiest subject to teach as a teacher? The short answer is anything you feel passionate about! As an example, you’re not going to find History very easy to teach if it bores you. But someone with a passion for the past and why events happened as they did may find it easier to memorize important dates etc. Interestingly, a layperson may assume Elementary is the easiest because Elementary math doesn’t seem that difficult. But on the contrary, Elementary teachers must have a mastery of all four core subjects, which is no easy feat!
• What subject has the biggest shortage of teachers? STEM subjects and Special Education are always on the shortage lists, placing these teachers in high demand.
• What grade is the least stressful to teach? Of course this is complete subjective. Some teachers like K-2nd because standardized testing has yet to enter the picture. Other teacher prefer the curiosity of middle grade students, while high school teachers may enjoy the growing maturity of their students.