College of Education and Human Development

“Expanding Possibilities, Creating Solutions”

Mission

The College of Education and Human Development at Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi, devoted to excellence in instruction, research, and service, prepares leaders representing diverse backgrounds and experiences, to serve the educational needs in the global community.

Catalog Subject To Change

Our programs may be required to respond to inter-catalog edition mandates for curricular and or policy changes required by outside accreditation, licensing and certification requirements. Required timelines for these responses may not allow for standard college and university-based review process. In such cases, programs will publish and disseminate information about changes on website and current student handbook addenda. Examples include Texas Education Agency (TEA), Texas Coordinating Board for Higher Education (TCBHE), Council for Accreditation of Counseling & Related Educational Programs (CACREP) and the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE).

Undergraduate Programs

The College of Education and Human Development (COEHD) offers the Bachelor of Science Degree with majors in Elementary Education, Kinesiology, and Sport Management. The Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences in Childhood Development/Early Childhood Education degree is designed for graduates of Applied Arts and Sciences programs in Child Development, as well as child care providers who seek additional qualifications (see College of Liberal Arts for degree program description). Students may also receive a military commission through the Military Science program and a minor in Military Science.

Field-Based Program

The COEHD is committed to a field-based professional development program. Early in their program, students are required to spend a significant portion of their professional development courses observing and working with experienced teachers in the local school districts. Subsequent course work is taught at the school sites, with the students utilizing the setting to become actively involved in applying the concepts learned in the lectures. The field-based program culminates in the clinical teaching experience, wherein the student is assigned on a one-to-one basis with an experienced master teacher and moves from observation, through cooperative teaching, to full responsibility for a class.

Undergraduate Program General Requirements

General University degree requirements are discussed in the “Undergraduate Programs” section of this catalog. COEHD degree requirements follow:

Total Hours

A minimum of 120 semester hours of credit is required for graduation. Some curricula or combinations of fields require more. No developmental course work may be applied toward the degree.

Grade Point Average

Requirements for graduation include a minimum grade point average of 2.00 on a four-point scale on all academic work attempted, and a minimum grade point average of 2.00 in the major field(s) of study. For admission to and retention in teacher education, the GPA requirement is 2.75 on all any coursework previously attempted or on the last 60 hours attempted at a public or private institution of higher education (TEC 21.0441).

Texas Success Initiative (TSI) Requirement

Before entering the final phase of a teacher education program, the state requires that you demonstrate your critical thinking and analytical skills. The TSI test is designed to evaluate this. The required scores and exemptions are below. Please contact Carol Pike at Carol.Pike@tamucc.edu or 361-825-3074 for exemption clarifications.

Score Section
Reading 351
Mathematics 340
Writing Multiple Choice & Essay 353 with an essay of (4)

You do not have to take the TSI Assessment test if you:

  • have graduated with an associate or baccalaureate degree from an institution of higher education; or
  • have transferred from a private or independent institution of higher education or an accredited out-of-state institution of higher education and have satisfactorily completed college-level coursework as determined by the receiving institution; or
  • have previously attended any institution of higher education and have been determined to have met college readiness standards by that institution; or
  • are student who is enrolled in a certificate program of one year or less (Level-One certificates, 42 or fewer semester credit hours or the equivalent) at a public junior college, a public technical institute, or a public state college; or
  • are serving on active duty as a member of the armed forces of the United States, the Texas National Guard, or as a member of a reserve component of the armed forces of the United States and have been serving for at least three years preceding enrollment; or
  • on or after August 1, 1990, were honorably discharged, retired, or released from active duty as a member of the armed forces of the United States or the Texas National Guard or service as a member of a reserve component of the armed forces of the United States; or
  • are enrolled at TAMU on a temporary basis as a non-degree-seeking or non-certificate-seeking student (must be classified as a “U0″ at TAMU)

The following tests can be used to exempt you from one or more parts of the TSI Assessment:

SAT (administered prior to March 2016):

  • A minimum combined critical reading and mathematics score of 1070 with a minimum score of 500 on the mathematics test for a TSI exemption in math;
  • A minimum combined critical reading and mathematics score of 1070 with a minimum score of 500 on the critical reading test for a TSI exemption in both reading and writing

SAT (administered on or after March 5, 2016):

  • A minimum score of 530 on the Mathematics test for a TSI exemption in math (no combined score required);
  • A minimum score of 480 on the Evidenced-Based Reading & Writing (EBRW) for a TSI exemption in both reading and writing (no combined score required)

Mixing or combining scores from the SAT administered prior to March 2016 and the SAT administered on or after March 5, 2016 is not allowable. 
Students must attend college within five (5) years from the date of the SAT test in order to use the scores for an exemption.

ACT

A student must first achieve a minimum composite score of 23 with:

  • At least 19 on math for an exemption in math and/or
  • At least 19 on English for an exemption in reading and writing

Students must attend college within five (5) years from the date of the test in order to use the scores for an exemption.
 
TAKS

  • A minimum score of 2200 in math for an exemption in math and/or
  • 2200 in English Language Arts–with a writing sub-score of 3–for an exemption in reading and writing.

Students must attend college within five (5) years from the date of their 11th grade exit-level Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) test in order to use the scores for an exemption.

SSTAAR End-of-Course (EOC) Assessment

  • Algebra II – a minimum score of Level 2 (4000 for the 2016-17 academic year) for an exemption in mathematics
  • English III – a minimum score of Level 2 (4000 for the 2016-17 academic year) for an exemption in integrated reading and writing

Students must attend college within five (5) years from the date of their STAAR End-of-Course (EOC) test in order to use the scores for an exemption.

More information is available at the TSI web site.

Degree Plans

Students interested in seeking a degree offered by the College of Education and Human Development are encouraged to see an academic advisor to discuss their interests. After consultation with the student, the academic advisor will prepare a degree plan and assign a faculty advisor who will mentor the student regarding academic and career interests. Once reviewed by the faculty advisor and the certification officer, the degree plan will be labeled “official” by the academic advisor. The degree plan will follow the student through to graduation. Students are encouraged to visit their academic and faculty advisors once a semester to audit their progress and ensure they are following their designated plan. Students may change official degree plans by seeing an academic advisor and repeating the process.

Requirements for Programs Leading to Teacher Certification

Admission to and Retention in the Teacher Education Program

Students following a degree plan leading to teacher certification must be admitted to the Teacher Education Program at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi PRIOR to enrolling in any 4000 level EDUC courses. Applications for admission to the teacher education program may be obtained online at COEHD website.

The student expecting to enter a program leading to teacher certification should apply for admission to the Teacher Education Program while enrolled in EDUC 3311 School and Society (3 sch). This application may be accessed from COEHD Student Services and online at the COEHD website at http://education.tamucc.edu/.

In addition to the requirements listed below, students must meet any additional requirements set by the specific certification teaching fields. See catalog sections for individual teaching fields (e.g., Mathematics, English, History) for these requirements. Requirements for admission to, and retention in, the Teacher Education Program include:

  1. Completion of the application process for admission to teacher education. (If denied admission, the student must reapply.)
  2. A minimum grade point average of 2.75 on all academic work attempted or a 2.75 on the last 60 hours attempted.
  3. Conduct an interview with Department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Learning Sciences faculty while enrolled in EDUC 3311 School and Society (3 sch).
  4. Completion of EDUC 3311 School and Society (3 sch) with a grade of “C” or better.
  5. Prerequisite Courses.
  6. Thirty-nine hours of the General Education Requirements.
  7. A minimum GPA of 2.75 on all academic work taken in the student’s teaching field(s), area of specialization or delivery system. Teaching certificate areas (i.e., History, English, Science and others) may require above the minimum grade point average of 2.75 and may not accept grades below “C”. Students are to check the catalog section that pertains to the certificate area for required GPA’s.
  8. Completion of a criminal background check form.
  9. Completion of TB screening.
  10. Pay the ASEP Technology Fee as directed.

Verified admission to teacher education from another Texas institution of higher education will be accepted, provided that the quantitative standards from such other institutions equaled or exceeded those that existed at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi at the time the student was admitted at the other institution.

Note: A fingerprint-based national criminal background investigation is conducted on all applicants for initial certification by the State Board for Educator Certification in Compliance with State Statute 19 TAC SS 141.5. Applicants for the Teacher Education program will also be subject to a criminal background check by the partner school district. Districts have the right to refuse any 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

Admission to Clinical Teaching

All teacher preparation programs offered by this University require appropriate professional laboratory experiences. All programs require nine semester hours of clinical teaching experiences. Students may register for clinical teaching during their senior year only after they have been granted admission in writing by the Clinical Experiences Office. Clinical teaching must be completed at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, unless the Director of Clinical Experiences has approved a cooperative agreement with another university and written documentation is on file in the Office of Field Experiences.

Requirements that must be fulfilled before admission to clinical teaching can be granted include:

  1. Admission to the Teacher Education Program.
  2. Completion of a minimum of 100 semester hours of acceptable university work.
  3. A minimum grade point average of 2.75 on all academic work attempted.
  4. Completion of the required semester hours in general education.
  5. Completion of EDUC 3311 School and Society (3 sch),  EDUC 4311 Classroom Management (3 sch), and EDUC 4605 Planning, Teaching, Assessment and Technology (6 sch), and any ECED, BIEM, SPED, READ, MATH, KINE courses with a grade of “C” or better.
  6. Completion of the courses required in the student’s teaching field(s), areas of specialization, or delivery system.
  7. A minimum GPA of 2.75 on all academic work taken in the student’s teaching field(s), area of specialization, or delivery system. Teaching certificate areas (i.e., History, English, Science and others) may require above the minimum grade point average of 2.75 and may not accept grades below “C”. Students are to check the catalog section that pertains to the certificate area for required GPA’s.
  8. Completion of “Fall Experience” (beginning-of-the-year activities in the public schools) and submission of a written summary is required for ALL students seeking placement. In order to be scheduled for this, candidates should sign up in the Office of Field Experiences during the month of May PRIOR to the fall or spring semester they will student teach.
  9. Concurrent enrollment in EDUC 4321 Instructional Design for Special Populations (3 sch), if required in your degree plan, for undergraduate or field-based students only.
  10. Students must pass their TExES content test prior to clinical teaching.

Clinical teaching is a Monday through Friday, all-day, all-semester assignment. The demands are equivalent to a full course load.

Program of Field Experiences

Students enrolled in degree programs that lead to teacher certification are required to complete a comprehensive program of structured laboratory experiences. These will range from classroom observations to extensive classroom involvement as the student progresses through his or her program. Courses that are designated as Field-Based will require students to spend a minimum of 51% of the course time in a school setting. Students should check with the instructor to determine the field experience requirements for specific courses.

Texas Examinations of Educator Standards (TExES)

In addition to successful completion of all courses, to be recommended for teacher certification, students must pass all appropriate TExES examinations required by the State Board for Educator Certification.

Certification programs must be completed or permission must be obtained from the program coordinator or designated person from the teaching field on the student’s degree plan before permission will be granted to take certification examinations.

Recommendation for Teacher Certification

Teacher certification by the State of Texas 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. Have successfully completed the appropriate degree program.
  2. Have successfully completed the appropriate approved certification program with an overall GPA of 2.75.
  3. Have completed the appropriate clinical teaching experience with a grade of “C” or better.
  4. Have passed all appropriate TExES tests. In addition, students seeking certification in Bilingual Education must have passed the Bilingual Target Language Proficiency Test (BTLPT) and the Bilingual Supplemental Test. Submit an application on line for certification and an application fee to the Texas Education Agency (TEA).

Certification for Persons Holding Degrees

See “Graduate-Level Initial Teaching Certification Program” in the College of Education and Human Development section of the Graduate Catalog.

Undergraduate Courses

The College of Education and Human Development offers undergraduate courses in the following fields:

  • Bilingual/ESL/Multicultural (BIEM)
  • Early Childhood (ECED)
  • Health (HLTH)
  • Instructional Design and Educational Technology (IDET)
  • Kinesiology (KINE)
  • Military Science (MSCI)
  • Reading Education (READ)
  • Special Education (SPED)
  • Sport Management (SMGT)
  • Teacher Education (EDUC)

All course descriptions are located in Courses A-Z.

Programs