The University of Texas at Austin provides several paths to those of you who want to become teachers. All of these paths have two steps in common:
- choosing a major in a specific field and
- completing a professional development sequence specifically designed to prepare you for the classroom.
Several colleges offer programs that may lead to a recommendation for teacher certification. Regardless of the path you take and the college you choose, you will need to follow the steps to becoming a teacher in order to obtain the recommendation to sit for certification exams.
Preparation programs are offered for undergraduates, non-degree-seeking post-baccalaureates, and graduate master’s students. Use the tables below to determine the school and major that may lead to your desired teacher certification.
Undergraduate Options
Elementary School (Early Childhood through Grade 6)
| I Want to Teach | I Need to Major in | In the College of |
|---|---|---|
| Elementary generalist certification, specialization options in | Education | Education |
Middle School (Grades 4 - 8)
| I Want to Teach | I Need to Major in | In the College of |
|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts & Reading | Education - Youth and Community Studies (Also see UTeach Urban Teachers) OR Content Area, e.g., English |
Education OR Liberal Arts |
| Life Sciences | Biology | Natural Sciences |
| Mathematics | Math | Natural Sciences |
| Science Composite | Biology, Chemistry, Physics, or Geology | Natural Sciences |
| Social Studies | Education - Youth and Community Studies (Also see UTeach Urban Teachers) OR Content Area, e.g., History |
Education OR Liberal Arts |
Secondary School (Grades 7 – 12)
| I Want to Teach | I Need to Major in | In the College of |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | Computer Science | Natural Sciences |
| English Language Arts & Reading | Education - Youth and Community Studies (Also see UTeach Urban Teachers) OR Content area, e.g., English |
Education OR Liberal Arts |
| Dance (6 - 12th grade) | Dance | Fine Arts |
| Life Sciences | Biology | Natural Sciences |
| Mathematics | Math | Natural Sciences |
| Mathematics/Physics | Math or Physics | Natural Sciences |
| Physical Science | Chemistry or Physics | Natural Sciences |
| Science Composite | Biology, Chemistry, Physics, or Geology | Natural Sciences |
| Social Studies | Education - Youth and Community Studies (Also see UTeach Urban Teachers) OR Content Area |
Education OR Liberal Arts |
All-level (Early Childhood through Grade 12)
| I Want to Teach | I Need to Major in | In the College of |
|---|---|---|
| Special Education | Education - All-level Special Education | Education |
| Art, Music, or Theatre | Art, Music, or Theatre | Fine Arts |
| Languages Other Than English | The language you wish to teach | Liberal Arts |
Postbaccalaureate Non-Degree Options
| I Want to Teach | I Need to Become Certified in | In the College of |
|---|---|---|
| Elementary Core Subjects/Generalist (ESL) (EC-6th grades) | EC-6th Grade English as a Second Language Core Subjects/Generalist | Education |
| Elementary Bilingual Core Subjects/Generalist (EC-6th grades) | EC-6th Grade Bilingual Core Subjects/Generalist | Education |
| English Language Arts | Urban Teacher English Language Arts or UTeach Liberal Arts in English |
Education (7th-12th grades) or Liberal Arts (4th-8th or 7th-12th grades) |
| Social Studies | Urban Teacher Social Studies or UTeach Liberal Arts in Social Studies |
Education (7th-12th grades) or Liberal Arts (4th-8th or 7th-12th grades) |
| Special Education (All-level) | Special Education | Education |
| Art, Music, Theatre, or Dance | Art, Music, Theatre, or Dance | Fine Arts |
| Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Geology, Math, or Computer Science (7th-12th grades) | The subject you wish to teach | Natural Sciences |
| Languages Other Than English (All-level) | The language you wish to teach | Liberal Arts |
Learn more about postbaccalaureate options.
Graduate Options
| I Want to Teach | I Need to Major in | In the College of |
|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts (7th-12th grades) | Urban Teachers M.Ed. in Secondary English and Language Arts | Education |
| Social Studies (7th-12th grades) | Urban Teachers M.Ed. in Secondary Social Studies | Education |
Learn more about graduate options.
Each program offers on-level certification, not all levels are available through all programs.
- Early Childhood to Sixth Grade Certification: Enables students to teach pre-Kindergarten through sixth grade.
- Middle Grades Certification: Enables students to teach fourth through eighth grade.
- Secondary Certification: Enables students to teach eighth through twelfth grade.
- All-level Certification: Enables students to teach pre-Kindergarten through twelfth grade.