| Q: |
Does UTA - College of Education offer an Alternative
Certification Program (ACP) for new teachers? |
| A: |
Strictly speaking, no. We
offer a University based, post-baccalaureate certification only program at the
graduate level. Courses within the program vary depending upon the grade level
at which you are seeking certification. Each course is 3 college credits at the
graduate level and all programs include a practicum or student teachingcourse. |
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| Q: |
How long does it take to complete teacher certification? |
| A: |
It really depends on your
ability to take the required coursework and whether or not you meet the
pre-requisites. For Mid Level, Secondary, or All Level
certification, candidates must have 24 UGRD credit hours in a specific teaching
field such as history, math or English before they can complete their
certification work. The State refers to this as your content area. At least half
of the 24 hours must be advanced class work, junior/senior level. Grade school
(EC-4) does not have to meet this requirement but will take more classes within
their certification program:
33 cr. hrs/ 11 classes for EC-4
Generalist; 30 hrs/10 classes for EC-4 Bilingual certification only
15 cr. hrs/5 classes for mid-level, secondary or all level certification only
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| Q: |
I've heard that I can begin teaching as soon as I sign up
for a teacher prep program. Is this true? |
| A: |
It is true for
Alternative Certification Programs (ACP's), not necessarily for
University based ones. In an ACP you must obtain a probationary
certificate and work for 1 year before you are eligible for the standard
certificate. UTA students must meet the following state requirements to
obtain a teacher probationary certificate: complete coursework, have
grades posted, take and pass practice exams for your content area and
for pedagogy, take and pass the State Content exam and be enrolled in a
practicum (student teaching) course. |
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| Q: |
If I get a probationary certificate and teach for a year
do I still have to do the student teaching practicum? |
| A: |
No. If you meet the State
requirements to obtain a probationary certificate you can teach for 1
year at the same grade level/subject for which you are seeking
certification and substitute that for the 1 semester of student teaching. Keep in mind that the State requires that you enroll in the
practicum for both semesters of that year. So instead of taking
the course once you will have to take it twice in order to maintain your
probationary certificate. |
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| Q: |
What subjects (content areas) can I be certified to
teach? |
| A: |
The subject you will be
teaching is referred to as your content area. Click
here for a list of Content Areas available at UT
Arlington. |
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| Q: |
How do I know if I have the right coursework to teach a
particular Content Area? |
| A: |
Candidates are asked
to meet with a Content Advisor and have their transcripts evaluated
before applying for admission. A Content Advisor is a professor in the
particular discipline that has been appointed to this position. In
addition to your transcripts you will also need to take a completed
Content Declaration Form with you when you
meet him/her. Click
here for a list of currently appointed Content Advisors. |
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| Q: |
Can I complete teacher certification completely online? |
| A: |
Secondary teacher certification
is the only program that is entirely online . To get a master's degree would require
some classroom coursework. |
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| Q: |
What if I do not meet the required GPA or GRE for
admission? |
| A: |
Certification only
programs do not require GRE scores but do require a minimum GPA of 3.0
in the last 60 hrs of
your undergraduate degree. If you do not meet that
requirement you may have to go back and take additional
junior or senior
level courses that will be added to that 60 hrs until you reach a 3.0.
You should speak to a
Graduate Advisor to find out how many courses you
would need to take. GPA and GRE scores are required for a
Master's
program. If your scores are below the requirement you may be
admitted on probation. Click
here for
admission requirements to all programs. |
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| Q: |
Is the GRE required? |
| A: |
For all Master’s programs: yes. For certification only: no. If
a student has another Master’s degree or has taken a different
admission test such as the GMAT, they are still required to take the GRE
for admission to the Master’s program. A GRE waiver is currently granted
to students who graduated from UTA within 3 years of their application and had a
3.0 GPA or higher when they graduated. After 3 years no waiver is given. |
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| Q: |
How do I sign up for the GRE? |
| A: |
www.gre.org, register online for the computer based GENERAL EXAM. |
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| Q: |
Are any of the classes offered at night? |
| A: |
All graduate level
education courses are either in the evening or online. In most cases classes
don't start until 5 and
the
classes are usually only one day a week. A few classes start at 4:30 but those
are usually classes for people who are already teachers and will
be getting out of work earlier in the day. |
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| Q: |
How many classes can I take each semester? |
| A: |
Full time enrollment for a graduate student is 9 hours/3
classes. However since most students are also working a full time
job, 9 hrs is often too much. Many students take only 1 or 2 classes
each semester. If you are receiving
financial aid
you are required to be enrolled in at least 2 classes (6 hours) each
fall and spring semester. |
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| Q: |
Do I have to wait until the fall semester to begin a
program? |
| A: |
No, classes for most of our programs begin every
semester. The exceptions to this include the doctoral program,
superintendent certification and some cohort programs. The PhD in Educational
Leadership & Policy Studies (ELPS) begins
once a year in the first summer session. Superintendent certification begins
once a year in the fall. Please click
on the links on our
ELPS Cohort Options page for more information about starting semesters of
some of our
cohorts. You should also keep in mind that if you are applying for an add-on
certificate in Curriculum
& Instruction
that not all of the courses may be taught every semester. Consult the
appropriate program director for course
rotation. |
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| Q: |
I'm interested in getting a Master's degree & teacher
certification. Will the certification courses count towards a Masters
degree? |
| A: |
The 36-hour MEdT. is
designed for candidates wishing to obtain initial teacher certification while
they work
towards a
master's degree. If you originally enrolled in a certification only program you
will need to submit a
Change of
Program through the Graduate School before you enroll in the 4th class of your
certification
coursework.
Otherwise you may loose some credits. Provided that you have enrolled in the
master's program or
filed the
change of program properly, the following certification coursework applies to
the master's degree:
18 of the 33 certification hrs in EC-4;
All courses in EC-4 Bilingual, Mid-Level, Secondary and All Level will
count towards a master's provided you
have filed the Change of Program on time.
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| Q: |
I want to get a master's degree but I'm already a
certified teacher. What programs are available? |
| A: |
We offer a
Master's
of Education in Curriculum & Instruction and another in Educational
Leadership & Policy Studies (ELPS). The ELPS master's also provides principal
certification. |
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| Q: |
Can I complete my master's degree online? |
| A: |
The
Curriculum and Instruction M.Ed. in Reading Studies is the only
master's program that is completely online. There are several
predetermined versions of this degree, each with a slightly different
focus. All of them are 36-hours in length
and are completely online. |
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| Q: |
I already have a master's degree but now I wish to get
certified as a principal. Do I have to get another master's
degree? |
| A: |
No, if you have a conferred master's degree in any
discipline and 2 years of classroom teaching experience, you can
apply for the principal certification only program. This is a 24
hour/8 course sequence that includes 5 certification courses, 2
internships and an elective from a predetermined list. FYI:
certification courses and internships cannot be transferred in. |
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| Q: |
How do I begin the application process? |
| A: |
First make sure that you
have thoroughly reviewed the requirements for the program you wish to apply for.
Then download the
Admission Process Sheet for your program and follow the directions for how
to complete the application, what forms to submit and where to submit them. For
additional assistance please contact your
Graduate Advisor. |
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| Q: |
Are scholarships and/or financial aid available? |
| A: |
Information is available on the
Financial Aid and
Scholarships website. Additional scholarship information is
available on the College of
Education website; just click on the Scholarship link in the
Quick Link box on the right side of the COED homepage. |
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| Q: |
What is the deadline for submitting an application? |
| A: |
Please refer to the
Graduate
Calendar for the most current deadlines. |
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| Q: |
Which transcripts do I have to submit with my application
and where do I mail them? |
| A: |
You must submit an official transcript from each
individual institution that you have previously attended. A transcript that
shows courses as transferred is only official for the courses that were taken at
that university, not the transferred ones. Send all transcripts to:
The University of Texas at Arlington Graduate School; Box 19167;
Arlington, TX 76019
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| Q: |
There is a recommendation form and a personal statement
form attached to the online application but I've also seen a
form on the COED Web Portal. Which one do I use?
|
| A: |
If you are applying for a certification only program, you
do not need to submit either of these forms. If you are applying
for a master's program, please use the
Recommendation form and the
Statement of Purpose form found
on the COED web portal. Instructions are attached to these
forms; they are to be submitted electronically to the College of
Education. Ignore the forms attached to the online application. |