UT Austin Teacher Preparation Programs

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:

1. choosing a major in a specific field and
2. 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 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.

Bachelor’s Options

Elementary School (Early Childhood through Grade 6)

I Want to Teach	I Need to Major in	In the College of
Elementary Core Subjects/Generalist (ESL)	EC-6th Grade English as a Second Language Core Subjects/Generalist	Education
Elementary Bilingual Core Subjects/Generalist	EC-6th Grade Bilingual Core Subjects/Generalist	Education

Secondary School (Grades 7 – 12)

I Want to Teach	I Need to Major in	In the College of
Computer Science	Computer Science	Natural Sciences
Dance (6 – 12th grade)	Dance	Fine Arts
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
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 UTeachUrban 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 Major in	In the College of
Elementary Core Subjects/Generalist (ESL)	EC-6th Grade English as a Second Language Core Subjects/Generalist	Education – Longhorns in Residence Program
Elementary Bilingual Core Subjects/Generalist	EC-6th Grade Bilingual Core Subjects/Generalist A new program plan will be available soon.	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)
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

Master’s 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

Each program offers on-level certification. Not all levels are available through all programs.

• Early Childhood to Sixth Grade Certification: for teaching pre-kindergarten through sixth grade.
• Secondary Certification: for teaching seventh through twelfth grade.
• All-level Certification: for teaching pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade.

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