PITAAS Program
Preparing Indigenous Teachers & Administrators for Alaska Schools
The Challenge: Alaska needs more Alaska Native teachers
- In Alaska schools, Alaska Natives make up 25% of the student body and less than 5% of the teaching force.
- In 2000, the University of Alaska Southeast created the PITAAS Program with the help of a federal grant to address this shortage of Alaska Native teachers.
- The PITAAS Program has grown to include many services designed to meet its goals: more Alaska Native teachers and administrators in Alaskan schools, preschool through high school.
The PITAAS Program can help you earn your teaching degree at the University of Alaska Southeast!
Students who are accepted to the program receive a scholarship that generally covers tuition, fees and books. Students must be enrolled in an education degree program at UAS, have a minimum 2.5 GPA upon entry and maintain a minimum 2.5 GPA in order to continue receiving this scholarship.* The average award for full-time students during the 2011-2012 school year was $7,500.
In order to receive a PITAAS scholarship, students must be admitted to one of the following degree programs at UAS:
Master's in Education (M. Ed):
- Educational Technology
- Mathematics Education
- Reading Specialist
- Special Education
- Educational Leadership
Master's of Art in Teaching (MAT):
- Elementary MAT (Distance)
- Secondary MAT
- Special Education MAT
Scholarship for Graduate Students & Teachers Seeking a Type B Principal Endorsement
Please see the School of Education website for more information on available educaton degrees and programs.
*The PITAAS GPA requirement is higher than UAS Financial Aid and may differ from the requirements set forth by your degree program. The conditions stated here are separate and in addition to any requirements imposed by those offices.