Professional Development for Educators
Build new skills, earn an endorsement or explore our graduate programs for educators. With a long-standing reputation, award-winning faculty and dedicated support staff, the University of Northern Iowa is the right choice for professional development for educators.
Expand your teaching skills and career opportunities in reading, literacy, or school library studies, with our entirely online programs - designed specifically for current, licensed teachers.
Literacy MAE
Develop and extend your literacy education expertise in both leadership and the classroom.
- Begin in Fall 2025
Reading Endorsement
Learn how to help students become skilled and successful readers, while adding an Iowa endorsement to your teaching credentials.
- Begin in Summer 2025
School Library Studies MA
Prepare to serve as a leader in technology and literacy, teachers of digital citizenship, media specialists and advocates for lifelong readers.
- Begin in Spring 2025
Teacher Librarian Endorsements
Earn one or more Iowa teacher librarian endorsements: K-8 Elementary School Teacher Librarian (#108), 5-12 Secondary School Teacher Librarian (109), or K-12 School Teacher Librarian (#174)
- Begin in Spring 2025
Work-Based Learning Micro-Credential Webinars
The University of Northern Iowa, in collaboration with the Iowa Department of Education, is now offering a webinar series that provides up-to-date training and information on how to use Work-Based Learning (WBL) in Career and Technical Education (CTE) and non-CTE classrooms.
See below for webinar details.
Current Work-Based Learning Micro-Credential Webinars
Webinar #1: Essentials of Work-Based Learning
Learn the types of work-based learning, basic steps needed to start a successful program in your school and how to gain buy-in from stakeholders. Enroll anytime and complete the course in four weeks.
Webinar #2: Finding and Maintaining Business Partners
Explore the ways to overcome challenges in developing a business network, learn how to evaluate quality work-based learning projects and discover new avenues to create industry partners. Enroll anytime and complete the course in four weeks.
Register for a Webinar
- Create a Blackboard account
- On the login screen, choose "Non-UNI User Login" and enter your newly created username and password.
- Navigate to the course listing, click the seminar title and select "Enroll Now" to access the seminar.
Early Childhood Education BA program
UNI is now accepting applications for the new Early Childhood Education Online Transfer Program. This flexible online program allows students with an AA or AS degree to earn their teaching degrees online, preparing for a meaningful and fulfilling career working with young children.
Current Workshops
Strategies for Innovative Teaching in Art Education
Explore and reflect on how to maintain balance as an artist and teacher, especially with the growing demands of life. Through a series of workshops, panels, and presenters during the AEI conference, we will work to listen to others, strengthen our understandings and connections, and reflect on diverse perspectives and learning in these areas.
Iowa's Environmental Resources Workshop
Earn two units of graduate credit and learn about Iowa's environmental resources through an activity-based short course. Participate in several exciting, hands-on activities in the field, and meet other Earth science teachers from across the state. Discuss what’s working and what’s not in your classrooms and share your tried-and-true methods for teaching about the geology of Iowa.
Strategies for Innovative Teaching in Music Education
This workshop is a credit option for attendees of the Iowa Music Educators Association (IMEA) Fall Conference. Sessions presented at the conference cover a variety of strategies for innovative teaching that include musical literacy, emerging ensembles, dance, inclusive music, and many others. There are over 70 sessions for attendees to choose from. The meeting pattern for this course requires 15 hours of direct instructional time and 30 hours of outside work for assignments and research.