Administrator, School Counselor and Librarian Programs
The University of Texas at Austin offers highly acclaimed school administrator, counselor and librarian certification preparation programs that ready you for the next phase of your career.
You must already have an undergraduate degree and, in some cases, an initial teaching certificate and two years minimum teaching experience in a public or accredited private school to enroll in one of these programs.
All of these programs are offered in conjunction with a graduate program. You should review the program details and contact department advisors for specific requirements before applying.
Probationary certificates may be available after the completion of the first year in the program. Approval from the program or area chair is required. Probationary certificates will not be granted to students lacking the appropriate teaching experience.
Required Exams
You are required to take the appropriate Texas Examinations for Educator Standards tests (TExES) or Texas Examinations for Master Teachers (TExMaT) before you can be certified. You will be approved to take the test during the final semester of the program or upon program completion.
Please note that you are limited to a total of five test attempts per certification exam. Check TEA’s Educator Testing website for additional information about taking and retaking the tests.
| Certification Sought | Required Test |
|---|---|
|
School Counselor |
TExES #152 |
|
Principalship |
TExES #268 and PASL |
|
Superintendency |
TExES #195 |
|
School Librarian |
TExES #150 |
University Recommendation
The Certification Officer may recommend you for certification with TEA after confirming all course grades (and degree, if applicable) are posted, all tests are successfully completed and all signed approval forms confirming that the appropriate courses and possible internships have been completed have been received from the faculty advisors.
TEA will notify you about your certification status once it is finalized.
Programs
School Counselor
The Counselor Education Program in the Department of Educational Psychology is a 48-hour master’s degree program that prepares you for certification in the state of Texas. In addition to a master’s degree in counseling, the state requires counselors to have two years of classroom teaching experience.
Principal
Recognized by TEA for preparing our graduates for long-term success, the Texas Principal Leadership Academy will put you on a challenging and highly rewarding career path as you strive to make schools work for all children. You will earn a Master of Education degree (M.Ed.) to pursue a career in school leadership. As part of the nationally-ranked Department of Educational Leadership and Policy, we transform educators into reform-minded, culturally responsive, data-savvy and instructional school leaders for public schools.
Superintendent
Our top-ranked Cooperative Superintendency Program is at the forefront of preparing executive-level educational leaders. This program combines traditional coursework, independent directed research and varied field-based internships with mentor superintendents under the supervision of clinical professors with proven executive leadership experience. These opportunities provide a rich balance to theory and practice and develop executive-level decision-making skills. All candidates must have principal certification and principal experience or its equivalent.
School Librarian
The School of Information currently offers the Standard School Librarian Certificate developed by the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) for the certification of public school librarians in Texas. This program prepares the holder for work at all levels of public education in Texas, from kindergarten through high school.
