MUM is one of three universities in the State of Iowa approved to offer an alternative route to teaching — in Iowa, an “Intern Program.” This program at MUM has been called the “Fast Track” program.

The Fast Track option for secondary education is designed to accommodate candidates with at least three years of work experience in a field related to their major teaching field. For example, a person might gain a B.A. degree in literature, work in the field of journalism for three or more years, and then decide to become a teacher. Such a person is eligible for a more rapid entry into the field of teaching, and this person can be accepted to the Fast Track program.

Fast Track	Standard Track
Three years of full-time work experience is required before entering the program.	No work experience is required before entering the program.
You can earn a teaching license in: art, biology, business, English, industrial technology, family and consumer science, mathematics, physics, general science, foreign language, music, agriculture	You can earn a teaching license in: art, biology, business, English, mathematics, physics, general science
$24,000 tuition is paid in two installments over 18 months.	$12,000 tuition is paid before each of three semesters.
After two semesters (9 months) of coursework you earn an Iowa Intern License. If you have located an internship, you teach in your subject area for one year in an Iowa secondary school. You receive the salary and benefits of a full-time teacher.	After two semesters (9 months) of coursework you begin one semester pf student teaching.  There is no stipend associated with student teaching. It is a tuition-based course.
You are responsible for locating an internship, and your internship must be in Iowa. If you are not able to locate an internship by May, you have the option to enroll in student teaching in the fall.	The Education Department locates a student teaching position for you. You may student teach in Iowa or another part of the country.
During your internship year you are responsible for a full load of classes.	During your four months of student teaching you gradually assume teaching responsibilities.
You teach in your own classroom. A teacher/mentor in your school meets with you regularly to give guidance and feedback. You are also visited and given feedback by a university supervisor. You are evaluated quarterly by your principal.	During student teaching, you gradually are given more responsibility until you are co-teaching or teaching solo a full load. Your cooperating teacher gives you daily feedback and evaluates you monthly.
After two semesters of coursework, two semesters of a teaching internship and 6 weeks of summer courses, you are eligible for an Iowa Initial License, which allows you to teach for one more year in Iowa.	After two semesters of coursework and one semester of student teaching you are eligible for an Iowa Initial License, which can then be used in other states as the basis for another state's license.
You graduate with an M.A. in Education in January after your intern year, two years after beginning the program.	You graduate with an M.A. in Education in January, after three semesters.
After teaching in Iowa for two years you are eligible for the Iowa Standard License, which is valid for 5 years.	After teaching for two years you are eligible for the Iowa Standard License, which is valid for 5 years.
Many states will accept a license earned through an alternative certification program in another state, however some states may require minor additional coursework, testing or even student teaching. We recommend you contact the department of education in the state in which you’d like to teach, to see what its policies are.	After graduation, you can apply for a license in the state in which you would like to teach, rather than an Iowa license. There may be minor additional coursework or testing required. Many of our graduates teach in different parts of the country, as well as internationally.
One may start working and earning a living after two semesters or, for the August 2013 entry, in August of 2014.	One may start working and earning a living after three semesters or, for the August 2013 entry, in January of 2015.