Obtaining Professional Certificates

Students seeking Professional Certificates must already hold an initial certificate and undergraduate degree, and in some cases have completed a minimum of two years teaching experience.

All professional certificates offered at the University of Texas at Austin are offered in conjunction with a graduate degree program. Students should contact department advisors for specific requirements before enrolling in the Professional Certificate programs.

Probationary certificates may be available to eligible students 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

All students completing professional certification programs are required to take the appropriate Texas Examinations for Educator Standards tests (TExES) or Texas Examinations for Master Teachers (TExMaT) before they can be certified. Students are granted test approval during the final semester of the program or upon program completion. Please note that students are limited to a total of five test attempts per certification exam. Please check TEA’s Educator Testing website for additional information about taking and retaking the tests.

University Recommendation

The Certification Officer recommends students for certification on the Texas Education Agency (TEA) website 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.

Some certifications require two years of teaching in a public or accredited private school. 

The recommendation process for professional certification often takes longer than two weeks.

TEA will notify the student directly when the student is certified.