City Year AmeriCorps members serve in Ƶ as student success coaches who partner with classroom teachers to provide students with ongoing academic support and interpersonal skill development. They help students engage more deeply in their learning and stay on track to graduate from high school. For many corps members, the first step toward becoming a teacher is their City Year service, a powerful workforce development experience.
City Year’s Graduate Teaching Fellowships provide student success coaches an affordable path to a teaching degree and certification, enabling these coaches to more than double their student teaching hours through our university partnerships.
In a graduate returning AmeriCorps member teaching fellowship role, corps members return to City Year for a second year of school-based service—while continuing to earn a biweekly stipend and other benefits like all City Year corps members—and receive licensure upon completion of the program coursework with scholarships and reduced costs. Service counts towards student teaching, which is traditionally unpaid in a majority of residency programs.
"We want to build a welcoming classroom community—a place where students feel like they are cared for and can have joyful interactions with the teacher, students and the learning material. ”
Casey Phalen (Boston ’21, ’22; Teaching fellow ’22) Middle school math teacher in Boston Public Schools
From supporting to leading a classroom in communities near you
Benefits offered by City Year’s teaching fellowships
Students need great teachers. City Year’s teaching fellowships support young adults who have already demonstrated leadership, empathy and a commitment to serve as AmeriCorps members in becoming the great teachers our students deserve.
Teaching Fellows can expect to:
Save money. Earn an AmeriCorps stipend and full benefits, including a Segal Education Award for past or future study, while enrolled in a cost-effective teacher training and master’s degree program, paying on average one-third of the cost of your peers in teacher training programs.
Be mentored. Receive hands-on teaching experience under the guidance and coaching of a mentor teacher while taking on gradual ownership of classroom responsibility to earn your teacher’s license and endorsements.
Build community. You’ll collaborate with a team of City Year fellows and alums from around the country. Attend weekly City Year professional development to support you in fostering joy and belonging in the classroom.
Support every student. Become part of a group of City Year fellows and alumni teachers who are committed to success for every student and who tend to stay in the teaching profession longer than the national averages. Over 75% of our Fellows teach in CY partner districts after graduating from City Year.
The experience
Year 1: City Year or AmeriCorps service
During their first year of service, City Year AmeriCorps members develop essential skills that help them to build strong relationships, partner with classroom teachers and support student growth. For many corps members, completing this year of service is the first step in entering the field of teaching and serving students long term.
Year 2: City Year's teaching fellowship
In this second year of service, Teaching Fellows earn their teaching license while developing high-quality academic instruction under the guidance of a mentor teacher and graduate program. Our Fellows receive robust coaching and support rooted in City Year's Whole School, Whole Child® services.
Year 3 and beyond: Classroom leadership
Graduates of City Year’s Teaching Fellowship work as fully licensed, prepared classroom teachers in City Year aligned Ƶ. Our graduates enter their classrooms with tangible tools and knowledge to keep students engaged and at the center of a welcoming classroom.
Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Milwaukee Arizona State University (ASU)
New York City Relay Graduate School of Education
Greater Boston UMass Boston
Program Length
3 terms: Summer, Fall, Spring Start Date: Mid-May
4 Terms: Summer, Fall, Spring, Summer Start Date: Recommended – Mid July; Optional – late June
3 Terms: Summer, Fall, Spring Start Date: Late June
Instruction Method
Fully online, asynchronous
Fully online courses, with in-person opportunities with cohort outside of courses
Hybrid courses at UMass Boston both in-person and online
Program Cost*
* Cost mostly paid by two Segal Ed Awards
Masters with Certification – $12,000
$450/credit hour x 30-31 credits = $13,500 – $13,950
$5,600 per semester x 3 semesters = $16,800
License Areas and Degree Programs
• Special Education (K-12)
• Elementary
• Secondary with content area certifications**:
• Art
• Biological Science
• Business Education
• Chemistry
• Chinese (Mandarin)
• Earth and Space Sciences
• Economics
• English
• French
• General Science
• Geography
• German
• History
• Mathematics
• Physical Education
• Physics
• Political Science/American Government
• Spanish
**Content areas may vary based on state. Reach out to the site lead at the City Year site to confirm content.
Elementary or Secondary but only primary school and middle school placements
Degree Programs
• 30 credits: MAT in Elementary Education, Middle Grades Education, Mathematics Education, Social Studies Education, English Language Arts Education, Science Education, Early Childhood Education
• 31 credits: MAT in Special Education
Certification Endorsement Areas
• Childhood Education (Grades 1-6)
• Generalist in Middle Childhood Education (Grades 5-9)
• Mathematics (Grades 5-9)
• Mathematics (Grades 7-12)
• Social Studies (Grades 5-9)
• Social Studies (Grades 7-12)
• English Language Arts (Grades 5-9)
• English Language Arts (Grades 7-12)
• Biology (Grades 5-9)
• Biology (Grades 7-12)
• Chemistry (Grades 5-9)
• Chemistry (Grades 7-12)
• Earth Science (Grades 5-9)
• Physics (Grades 5-9)
• Physics (Grades 7-12)
• Early Childhood Education (Birth-Grade 2)
• Teaching Students with Disabilities (All Grades)
• Elementary
• Secondary (middle school and high school) with subject areas in Math, Science, History, or ELA specifically:
• Middle (5-8) Math
• Secondary (8-12) Math
• Middle (5-8) General Science
• Secondary (8-12) Science (Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Engineering)
• Secondary (5-12) English Language Arts (ELA)
• Secondary (5-12) History and Social Studies
• Elementary (1-6) level
Optional additional licenses to add on:
• English as a Second Language (ESL)
• Moderate Disabilities (Special Education)
Next steps
Interested in returning to serve as a Graduate Teaching Fellow? Applications are open every year November – February.
Have questions about City Year’s teacher pathways? Feel free to reach out!
