Being a Fellow

Marian University

Marian University is a Catholic University located in the heart of Indianapolis and is the exclusive university partner of the Indianapolis Teaching Fellows program.

Marian University’s School of Education has developed an innovative Master of Arts in Teaching program. This program was designed specifically for Indianapolis Teaching Fellows to enable Fellows to teach full-time in high-need schools while earning their teaching license. The Master of Arts in Teaching program is immediately relevant to the work you do in your classroom with your students each day and accommodates the busy schedule of a first year teacher. Coursework with Marian is designed to give Fellows the knowledge, instructional strategies, classroom management techniques, and disposition they will need to be successful in the classroom. The classroom-based practicum during the school year will focus on delivery of curriculum through instruction, assessment of student learning, and cultural competency.

All Fellows must enroll in Marian University’s Master of Arts in Teaching program and remain in good standing with the university. Please note: Indianapolis Teaching Fellows will provide you with information on when to complete enrollment with Marian University. No action on your part is necessary at this point.

The Marian University Master of Arts in Teaching is designed to be completed in two years. Fellows will begin university coursework in the summer of 2010 during ITF Summer Training Institute, and will complete the coursework cycle for each semester including fall 2010, spring 2011, summer 2011, fall 2011, and spring 2012. Fellows should anticipate a substantial time commitment – typically attending two courses per week during each semester while teaching full-time. Fellows will graduate from Marian University with a Master of Arts in Teaching and an Initial Practitioner License in May, 2012.

In addition to streamlined coursework, Marian University will provide each Fellow with a university supervisor who is responsible for supporting the Fellow in the classroom. Supervisors make regular visits to the Fellows’ classroom throughout the two-year program to observe and provide feedback on how to improve the delivery of their instruction by using many different methods, including those learned in their licensure courses.

Upon completing the two-year licensure program, Fellows will apply to the Indiana Department of Education for an Initial Practitioner License. Marian will provide assistance to Fellows as they complete the necessary steps to submit their application for an Initial Practitioner License to the state. The Initial Practitioner License is valid for two years while teachers complete state and district requirements to professionalize their license.

Please visit the Marian University website for more information about Marian University and its history, tradition and values.

Program Cost

The Indianapolis Teaching Fellows program and Marian College have agreed to a reduced tuition rate for the Master of Arts in Teaching program.

• The full cost of the Marian University program for Fellows teaching General Education and secondary special education is $6,000.
• The full cost of the Marian University program for Fellows teaching elementary special education is $7,000 due to an additional required summer semester to complete elementary content coursework.

Financial Assistance

Fellows are responsible for all costs associated with the Marian University Master of Arts in Teaching program.

Fellows may be eligible for loan cancellation or deferment of Perkins and Stafford student loans. For details about eligibility, please contact your loan provider directly to confirm whether programs are available for individuals who make a commitment to teach full-time in under-resourced schools. For additional information on loan forgiveness programs, please visit http://www.finaid.org/loans/forgiveness.phtml.

Indianapolis Teaching Fellows is currently a member of AmeriCorps, the national service network. Through this relationship, Fellows may be eligible to receive an AmeriCorps Education Award for their service as a teacher in a high-need school. The Education Award is $5,350 for a year of full-time service and can be used to pay education costs at qualified institutions of higher education, for educational training, or to repay qualified student loans. Once Fellows receive the award after their term of service, they have up to seven years to claim and use the award.

While Indianapolis Teaching Fellows  is currently a member of AmeriCorps, we cannot guarantee these benefits for the 2010 Teaching Fellows cohort given the nature of the AmeriCorps competitive grant process. We anticipate receiving final confirmation on education awards in early summer 2010.