Address
701 Planetarium Place
Hammond Hall, Room 132, Box 19227
Arlington, TX 76019-0227
Advising Emails
Undergraduate Students: coedadvising@uta.edu
Graduate Students: coedgrad@uta.edu
Phone
817-272-2956
Steps to Become an Educator for Undergraduate Students
Are you an incoming freshman or transfer student who wants to teach in Texas? Explore your next steps and learn how to become certified to teach in Texas.
Three Options to Choose From
We offer three undergraduate options for aspiring teachers who have need to earn a bachelor’s degree and their initial teacher certification in Texas. Candidates who already have a bachelor’s degree should look at our graduate certification options.
Connect with Us
Request information from UTA, or register for a UTA admissions’ event, including Campus Tours, Transfer Tuesdays, and Maverick Experience.
Decide What You Want to Teach
Need help choosing the grade level you want to teach? Browse our degrees or talk to an advisor. If you want to teach Grades 4-8, 7-12, or all levels, you will also choose a subject/content area. For some certifications, you may enroll with another UTA college/department but complete your certification through the College of Education.
Apply for Grants, Scholarships, and More
UTA offers many resources to help you pay for school! These include TEACH grants of up to $3,772/year and the Blaze Forward Program, which covers 100% of tuition and course fees for eligible students. Please remember that the deadline may be several months before you start school.
Accept Admission & Register for Orientation
Once you are admitted to UTA, you will have several steps to finish! You need to accept your admission, register for orientation, and get advised, among other steps. Please note that advising occurs during orientation.
Apply to the Educator Preparation Program
To pursue a Texas Teacher Certificate, you are required to apply to and complete an Educator Preparation Program (EPP). The EPP includes pedagogy coursework, classroom experience, and student/clinical teaching. Your advisor will instruct you on when and how to apply. For some students, this may be before you start class at UTA. View EPP requirements here, and view the essay requirements here.
Register for Classes
Your advisor will be able to guide you through the process of completing both teacher certification and degree requirements. Most students will get advised during orientation. Once you've been advised, you'll register for classes through your UTA MyMav account.
Complete Program Requirements & Get Involved
Throughout your degree program, you'll complete a number of different experiences designed to give you the expertise you need to become a successful teacher. We also encourage our students to give themselves the opportunity to meet other students on campus by getting involved at UTA with a student organization.
Pass the State Certification Exams
To be certified, you must receive approval to test for the Texas Examinations of Educator Standards (TExES), the state's certification exam. To receive approval to register for TExES, candidates must meet the requisites for their specific certification program and should work with their program coordinator to receive approval and instructions to apply for exam registration. Candidates must then pass the exam to move onto the next step.
Apply for TEA Certification
Once you pass all your certification exams (which include content, pedagogy, and supplemental), you must also submit a certification and fingerprinting application to the Teas Education Agency (TEA) and pay TEA's application fee. This certification application will be recommended to the TEA for final processing by the certification officer at UTA once all certification requirements have been met.
Apply to Graduate
UTA students must apply online to gradate during their Clinical Teaching semester, which is the final semester of coursework. The online Graduation Application is available from the 12th day of class (4th day in summer) until the mid-semester deadline.
Start Your Teaching Career!
Need a status letter to show future employers? Request one below.
Additionally, the college's Office of Field Experiences provides opportunities for job placements through the annual Education Career Day (job fair). This takes place on the UTA campus during the middle of spring semester. UTA's Career Center is another resource to assist you in excelling in your career as an educator.