Field Experiences

Teacher stands in front of a group of elementary students

The Field Experiences Office oversees the Professional Development Sequence (PDS) that encompasses all the professional development courses and on-site training that may lead to a recommendation for teacher certification

Students apply during the long semester prior to entering the program, the length of which varies by certification program. Admission to the PDS is dependent upon meeting the required GPA and successful completion of prerequisite coursework.

The PDS application runs from February 1 to March 1 for fall entry and September 1 to October 1 for spring entry. 

Check the COE Field Experiences Wiki for important information, documents, and forms needed for the teacher education program. Please send us feedback so we can continue to make improvements to better suit your needs.

Our Mission

Field Experiences at The University of Texas at Austin are an integral component of our teacher preparation programs, built on strong collaboration between school districts and colleges of the University.  Our future teachers engage in purposefully crafted field experiences that cultivate depth of knowledge, research-based practices, and professional ethics. These experiences are designed to be sequential, cumulative and performance-based while preparing our graduates to implement and evaluate effective practices with diverse student populations in varied settings.  As a result, teachers prepared at the University will master subject knowledge and pedagogical skills, work collaboratively with all stakeholders, develop dispositions to be active citizens and offer their students the opportunity to develop these characteristics themselves.

Our Staff

Katie Tackett headshot

Dr. Katie Tackett

Director, Education Services
Dr. Tackett oversees Field Experiences and the Certification Office. She also serves as a lead liaison with the University, school districts and education-related entities working with our preservice teachers.

Phone: (512) 471-1511


Elsa Rennie

Elsa Rennie

Senior Administrative Associate
Elsa is responsible for general office payments and purchasing. She pays cooperating teacher honoraria as well as tracking the School Law Seminar requirements. Elsa also coordinates the preparation and scheduling of EC-6 Core Subjects Representative Test and serves as assistant to the director of Education Services.

Phone: (512) 471-7841


Jenny Carney

Jenny Carney

Administrative Associate
Jenny oversees the general administrative duties of the office. She also tracks mentor training, is responsible for website updates and coordinates the PDS Orientations.

Phone: (512) 232-9574