TAP Students/STEM Professionals
TAP Students that are also STEM Professionals are individuals who hold a degree in a Noyce-eligible STEM discipline and are either recently graduated or have a career in a STEM field. Typically these would be students in the UNO Teacher Academy Project (TAP) program. The UNO Noyce program aims to recruit TAP students in STEM fields that are interested in transitioning into careers as secondary teachers in high-need schools, providing them with the necessary financial support and preparation to become effective educators. Eligible STEM Professionals/TAP students that are accepted into the program are offered $10,000 or more to pursue a teaching certificate in their STEM field.
Eligibility Requirements for TAP Students/STEM Professionals
- Be a United States citizen, national, or permanent resident alien.
- Hold a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in a STEM field as defined by the NSF at any stages of their career (recent graduate to retiree.)
- Demonstrate a commitment to pursue a teaching certification (within the UNO TAP program.)
- Teach in a high-needs secondary schools district for two years within eight years of graduation.
- Demonstrate financial need.
Scholarship Application for TAP Students/STEM Professionals
Noyce STEM Professional Application for UNO TAP Students only: TAP Students/STEM Professional Application
If you have any questions, please email the UNO Noyce Project Manager, Deanna Johansen.
FAQs
Am I limited to teaching in Nebraska or can I teach anywhere?
You can teach anywhere in the USA, as long as it is considered a “high-needs school district” However, your ability to teach in another state will depend on that state's requirements for teacher certification and reciprocity agreements with Nebraska.
What is a “high-needs school”?
The term "high-need local educational agency (or high-need LEA)", as defined in section 201 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1021), means a U.S. local educational agency (e.g., school district) that has at least one school that:
1. Meets at least one of the following criteria:
- not less than 20% of the children served by the agency are from low-income families;
- serves at least 10,000 children from low-income families;
- is eligible for funding under the Small, Rural School Achievement Program under 20 U.S.C. 7345(b); or
- is eligible for funding under the Rural and Low-Income School Program under 20 U.S.C. 7351(b);
AND
2. Meets at least one of the following criteria:
- has a high percentage of teachers not teaching in the academic subject areas or grade levels in which the teachers were trained to teach;
- has a high teacher turnover rate or a high percentage of teachers with emergency, provisional, or temporary certification or licensure.
Note: The UNO Noyce Leadership team will help you to identify high-needs school districts.
What happens if I do not teach in a 'high-needs school district" at the completion of the program?
You are required to teach for two years in a high-need school district for each year of scholarship funding you received. This commitment must be completed within eight years of graduating. If you do not fulfill this teaching requirement, the scholarship money will revert to a loan that must be repaid with interest.
Must I demonstrate financial need to apply?
Anyone can apply, but preference is given to those who demonstrate financial need.
Return to the Noyce STEM Teacher Scholarship Program Home Page
Acknowledgments
The Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program, authorized under the National Science Foundation responds to the critical need for K-12 teachers of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) by encouraging talented STEM students and professionals to pursue teaching careers in elementary and secondary schools.
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. DUE-2448147.