At this time, ITEP is only offered in person on the University of Arizona Main Campus in Tucson, AZ. As a program, we are always having conversations within our department to (hopefully) begin offering classes online so students may stay in their home communities. However, once students reach their final semesters of the program, they may be able to complete their student teaching in a community closer to home. In which, they will work with our field placement team to secure a site. 

Courses and field experience will vary among the 4 semesters; however, general information is provided below:

• Courses will be held at a local Elementary School in Tucson (Monday-Thursday)
• A unique, 2-hour reflective seminar session held 3x per semester, entitled “Indigenous Pedagogies Speaker Series” is required.
• Field Experience will be at a partner school (e.g., Tohono O’odham schools, Tucson Unified School District, Baboquivari Unified School District, Gila River Indian Community Schools, Sacaton Public Schools). Hours vary each semester.
• Student Teaching will be either at a partner school or any school that serves a high population of Native students.

Please refer to our funding page.

All tuition (unless funded by ANS or outside funding sources) and mandatory expenses accrued during your time in ITEP will be tracked and logged within your own account during the two years of the training program. After completing the program, participants “payback” the loan through service in schools/programs serving Indigenous students. The service payback requirement is based on the length of time you received funding. This means that if you received two years of funding through ITEP, you will be expected to provide service at a school/program serving Indigenous students for two years. During the service payback, you do not have to pay back any actual money. This means that the salary you earn at your job will not be affected.