Urban Teachers
Department of Curriculum and Instruction
Change the world through the University of Texas Urban Teachers program. This 18-hour, three-semester teacher preparation sequence is designed to help equity-minded teacher candidates develop knowledge, skills and dispositions to support teaching and learning in linguistically and culturally diverse urban settings.
Concentration for YCS Students
Students within the College of Education who major in Youth and Community Studies can work towards teacher certification in English Language Arts or Social Studies as part of the Urban Teachers concentration.
Minoring in Education
All university students outside the College of Education are welcome to apply to minor in the Urban Teachers program to work toward teacher certification in English Language Arts or Social Studies.
Requirements
Prospective applicants must meet the following requirements before applying to the Professional Development Sequence in the fall of their junior year:
- Be an undergraduate student enrolled at UT Austin.
- Have a minimum 3.0 GPA in an accepted major.
- Complete EDU 327 and EDU 331 with at least a “C” (no appeals accepted).
Students pursuing the Urban Teachers minor also will need to complete a course before finishing the program related to teaching students learning English as an additional language. Recommended courses include EDU 329 Acquisition of Language & Literacies second language acquisition, ESL Methods or another course pre-approved by the program advisor.
Direct questions about the application process, eligibility, choosing a subject area or how your major qualifies for the program to utut@utexas.edu.
Application Process
Call the College of Education’s Office of Student Affairs at (512) 471-3223 to schedule an appointment with the Urban Teachers liaison to review your timeline, address coursework recommendations and learn more about the program.
Submit your application and essay online through the Professional Development Sequence application (EID required) September 1 – October 1. Applications received after October 1 will be considered on a space-available basis.
Your essay should be approximately 500 words long and double-spaced. Additional information about the essay will be provided in the PDS application.
Be sure to follow the directions provided in the application to create a TEA account and receive a TEA ID number.
Schedule
Decisions are sent in early November and successful applicants will start the program the spring of their junior year.
In addition to major coursework, students will take one or two Education classes per semester while gaining valuable experience in classrooms and community organizations such as Breakthrough Central Texas.
Total Minimum Hours: 18
English Language Arts
Spring Junior Year: Intern I
- EDC 339F Adolescent Literacy
- EDU 329 if not completed already
Fall Senior Year: Intern II
- EDC 370S Secondary Advanced English Methods
Spring Senior Year: Student Teaching
- EDC 371S Secondary English
- EDC 651S Secondary School Teaching Practicum
Additional information is available on this program guide.
Program questions should be sent to Deborah Kelt.
Social Studies
Spring Junior Year: Intern I
- EDC 350 Teaching Secondary Social Studies
- EDU 329 if not already completed
Fall Senior Year: Intern II
- EDC 370S Advanced Methods in Social Studies
Spring Senior Year: Student Teaching
- EDC 351 Secondary Social Studies
- EDC 651 Student Teaching Practicum
Additional information is available on this program guide.
Program questions should be sent to the Urban Teachers program.
Liberal Arts majors should contact program advisor Giovanni Paz.
University-wide requirements and available options can be found in the university’s Undergraduate Catalog.
Certification Recommendation
Once you successfully complete all of the steps to become a teacher, including passing the relevant exams approved by the Texas Education Agency, you may be recommended for certification to the TEA by our certification officer. Be sure to reference the Certification Checklist on the Field Experiences wiki for additional information.
Academic Advising Coordinator
Giovanni Paz
