Jun. 16—University of the Cumberlands has been a college of choice for Kentucky educators and school administrators for years, and now the university has added two new concentrations to its online Option 6 program offerings: school counselor and school principal. The EPSB (Education Professional Standards Board) recently approved these as acceptable university-based Option 6 programs. Educators who wish to apply for these online programs can visit www.ucumberlands.edu/apply.

Kentucky educators can pursue either school counseling or school principal as part of an online Master of Arts in Education (MAED) degree program or online Education Specialist (Ed.S.) certificate program at Cumberlands.

Option 6 is the most commonly used alternative certification route for Kentucky educators. Teacher candidates who are into the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT), MAED/Ed.S. School Principal, or MAED/Ed.S. School Counselor program at University of the Cumberlands are eligible for hire via Option 6. Upon receiving an offer for hire in a qualifying position, Option 6 candidates may earn a temporary/provisional license for employment as a teacher while concurrently completing coursework in their master’s program.

Cumberlands already offers several online master’s programs that provide eligibility for Option 6 upon full admission, including art (P-12), integrated music, physical education, health, business and marketing, interdisciplinary childhood education, Elementary (P-5), middle school (5-9), secondary (8-12), and special education: learning and behavior disorders (also known as SPED-LBD) (P-12).

The instructional leadership: principal concentration includes classes covering topics such as school law, curriculum leadership, and resource allocation. Cumberlands’ online school counseling concentration covers topics such as advanced human behavior, development, and learning; characteristics, identification, and instruction of students with disabilities; and lifestyle and career development.

Option 6 programs are for individuals enrolled concurrently with employment as a teacher or school administrator. For more information, visit www.ucumberlands.edu/academics.