Programs Leading to Post-Baccalaureate Initial Teaching Certification

Program Description

Graduate Level Educator Preparation Program

The Educator Preparation Program is integrated as the initial portion of the Master of Science degree in Elementary Education or the Master of Science degree in Secondary Education and Alternative Certification for Educators (ACE) programs. Students with an undergraduate degree seeking an initial teaching certification must meet University admissions requirements as outlined in the Graduate Admissions section of this catalog.

Admission Requirements

Admission to and Retention in the Teacher Education Program

Requirements for admission to and retention in the Graduate Level Initial Teacher Certification Program includes:

1. Completion of the application process for admission to teacher education, (If denied admission, the student must reapply in order to be reconsidered for admission.) including passing the TExES PACT exam in compliance with TEA guidelines; https://tea.texas.gov/texas-educators/certification/educator-testing/pre-admission-content-test.
2. A minimum grade point average of 3.0 on all academic work attempted.  (To remain in the program, a minimum GPA of 3.00 is required in all graduate work. See “Scholastic Probation and Enforced Withdrawal” in this catalog.)
3. Completion of EDUC 5351 Foundations of Education in America (3 sch), EDUC 5352 Planning, Teaching, Learning Processes (3 sch), and EDUC 5353 Classroom Management and the Student (3 sch) with a grade of “B” or better.
4. Completion of TB screening.
5. An interview with a Curriculum, Instruction, and Learning Sciences faculty member is required.

Note:

Every individual, upon application for initial teacher certification, will receive a national background investigation for a record of activity by the TEA/State Board for Educator Certification prior to issuance of the standard teaching certificate. Applicants for the Educator Preparation Program are subject to a criminal background check by the partner school district. Districts have the right to refuse individual access to their schools and/or students at ANY time and Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi is obligated to honor that request. Inability to complete field requirements will preclude an individual from successfully meeting course requirements.

Individuals enrolled in the Graduate Educator Preparation Program are required to complete face-to-face field experiences during the day as part of their course work. Please contact your faculty advisor to discuss this requirement.

Admission to Clinical Teaching or Teaching Internship

All educator preparation programs offered by this University require robust clinical experiences. Students may register for clinical teaching or, if employed by a Texas school district on an emergency teaching certificate, the student may register for a teaching internship.

Other requirements include:

1. Admission to the Educator Preparation Program.
2. A minimum GPA of 3.0 on all academic work attempted or 3.0 on the last 60 hours attempted.
3. Completion of all instructional methodology courses and required reading courses with a grade of "B" or better.
4. Transfer students are to complete a minimum of 6 semester hours of required instructional methodology courses at the student's level of certification at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.
5. Completion of a "Fall Experience" (beginning of the year activities in a public school) and submission of a written summary of the experience is required for all students seeking clinical teacher placement. 
6. In order to be admitted into clinical teaching or internship, the student must pass the TExES content exam.

Recommendation for Initial Teacher Certification

Initial teacher certification by the TEA/State Board of Educator Certification is not automatically granted with the completion of an approved program of study. The student must first be recommended for certification by the COEHD. In order to be recommended, a student must:

1. Successfully complete the appropriate approved certification program with an overall GPA of 3.0.
2. Complete the appropriate clinical teaching or teaching internship experience with a grade of "B" or better.
3. Have passed all appropriate TExES tests. In addition, students seeking certification in Bilingual Education must have passed the Bilingual Target Language Proficiency Test (BTLPT).
4. Submit an application online through the TEA/State Board for Educator Certification website for certification and provide documentation to the Certification Office in the COEHD. Application fees are required.

Courses