PHOENIX — Today, the Arizona Education Association announced a new partnership with Augustana University to provide Arizona educators with access to high-quality graduate education at one of the lowest costs available in the state. Through the partnership, educators can deepen their professional skills, earn graduate credit, and potentially qualify for salary advancement in their districts through the completion of online micro-credentials.
“Arizona educators are brilliant, hard-working professionals who should be able to advance their education without going into debt,” said AEA President Marisol Garcia. “As underfunded school districts continue to scale back professional development opportunities, this partnership gives educators an affordable way to strengthen their practice and better serve students across Arizona.”
Micro-credentials are industry-recognized professional learning opportunities that award certification badges through 15-hour, competency-based, job-embedded coursework. Some Arizona school districts already accept these certification badges as part of salary advancement plans, pay-for-performance systems, or educator evaluations. For districts that require college credit, this new partnership allows educators to convert those credentials into graduate credit at a significantly reduced cost.
Under the partnership, micro-credentials are free for union members and cost $75 for non-members, with an additional $50 transcription fee to record the credential as graduate credit. Union educators can earn up to nine graduate credits toward a Master of Arts in Teaching from Augustana University for as little as $450. Non-union educators can complete the same nine-credit program for approximately $1,125— still among the lowest graduate tuition rates available in Arizona.
Sample micro-credential offerings include:
- Exploring New Perspectives and Approaches with AI (in partnership with Microsoft)
- Connecting Primary Sources & Technology for Formative Assessment (in partnership with the Library of Congress)
- Model with Mathematics (in partnership with the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics)
- Activating Learning for American Indian/Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Students (in partnership with the National Indian Education Association)
About Augustana University
Founded in 1860, Augustana University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. The university offers more than 100 majors, minors, and pre-professional programs, as well as nearly a dozen master’s and doctoral degree programs.
About the Arizona Education Association
The Arizona Education Association (AEA) is the labor union for Arizona public school educators. The union represents more than 22,000 education professionals — including librarians, custodians, cafeteria workers, counselors, classroom teachers, and more — who believe in public education and care deeply about the work they do each day.