Nearly 100% Tuition and Fees covered

Get help paying for school. Project R.E.A.D.Y. - Initial Certification (IC) covers nearly 100% of total tuition and fees for four semesters at the in-state, Texas resident tuition rate.

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FUTURE STUDENTS START HERE

Want to teach special education in Texas? Schedule a virtual appointment with a recruiter, request information, or register for an information session to learn more about Project R.E.A.D.Y. -  Initial Certification (IC) funding options through the grant, admissions, and all we have to offer.

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Are you a paraeducator?

Apply for an Educational Aide Exemption

If you are already working in a school as a teacher's aide, paraprofessional, or paraeducator, you may be eligible to apply for an Educational Aide Exemption through the Texas Education Agency to remain working in the classroom during your clinical teaching semester.


Apply by Nov. 1 for Bachelor's Degree (Juniors)

Are you a junior in your first semester, and have you been admitted to UTA's Educator Preparation Program (EPP)? The deadline to apply is Nov. 1 for our spring cohort. Start your application now and a member of our team will reach out to guide you through your next steps.
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Federal Work Requirements

Requirements

As part of the funding, scholars admitted to the program agree to work with students with disabilities for two years after graduation for every one year of funding.

Additionally, students must:

  • Begin their two-year commitment within five years of graduating.
  • Maintain eligible employment on a full-time or full-time equivalent basis, and for a period of at least two years for every academic year for which scholarship assistance was received.

How is eligible employment defined? 

Eligible employment is defined as a position in which:

  • At least 51 percent of the infants, toddlers, and children to whom the scholar provides services are receiving special education, related services, or early intervention services from the scholar;
  • The scholar spends at least 51 percent of their time providing special education, related services, or early intervention services to infants, toddlers, and children with disabilities; or
  • If the position involves supervision including in the capacity of a principal, teaching at the postsecondary level, research, policy, technical assistance, program development, or administration, the scholar spends at least 51 percent of their time performing work related to the training they received through their scholarship.

COURSE OF STUDY

Required Spring Courses

Field Based Experiences
 COURSE NUMBER COURSE TITLE  HOURS 
 SPED 4304  Assistive Technology  3
 SPED 4301  Strategies: Reading/Writing  3
 SPED 4302  Collab Prac & Transition Plan  3

 

Required Summer Courses 

COURSE NUMBER  COURSE TITLE  HOURS
 LIST 4373  Lit Learning: Read/Write  3
 LIST 4376  Assessment in Literacy Learning  3

 

Required Fall Courses

Field Based Experiences

 COURSE NUMBER COURSE TITLE  HOURS 
 EDUC 4319  Classroom Assessment  3
 SPED 4303  Advanced Strategies: Content areas  3
 ELED 4312  Teach Science  3
 SPED 4601  Practicum in SPED  6

 

Required Spring Courses

Clinical Teaching

 COURSE NUMBER COURSE TITLE  HOURS 
SPED 4687 Clinical Teaching   6

 

 

 

ABOUT THE MASTER'S DEGREE PROGRAM

• Fall and Spring courses are 8 weeks long.
• Summer courses are 5 to 7-weeks long and may begin in May.
• Must maintain a 3.0 GPA to remain in the program.

 

REQUIRED CORE COURSES

 

FALL SEMESTER

 COURSE NUMBER COURSE TITLE  LENGTH OF TIME 
 SPED 5301  Characteristics of Individuals with Disabilities SPED  First 8 weeks
 SPED 5307  Special Education Policy  First 8 weeks
 SPED 5302  Applied Behavior Analysis for Teachers  Second 8 Weeks

 

SPRING SEMESTER

COURSE NUMBER  COURSE TITLE   LENGTH OF TIME
 SPED 5303  Collaboration and Transition  First 8 Weeks
 SPED 5306  Assistive Technology  Second 8 Weeks
 SPED 5304  Instructional Strategies  Second 8 Weeks

 

SUMMER SEMESTER

Take licensure exams.

 COURSE NUMBER COURSE TITLE  LENGTH OF TIME 
 SPED 5311  Assessment of Students with Disabilities  First 7 weeks
 SPED 5313  Single Case Research Methods  Second 7 Weeks

 

FALL SEMESTER

Includes face-to-face full time Clinical Teaching - 5 days a week.

 COURSE NUMBER COURSE TITLE  LENGTH OF TIME 
 SPED 5601  Clinical Teaching Full Semester

 

Information for Out-of-State Students

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) requires candidates seeking certification to complete all practica in a TEA-approved site. Out-of-state students who do not complete the practicum at a UTA College of Education and TEA-approved site and meet all other TEA requirements do not qualify for Texas educator certification. If seeking certification outside of Texas, please work with your state agency in the state in which you are seeking certification to determine eligibility and to complete any additional requirements. Please note that after successful completion of your UTA College of Education degree, you may request a memo indicating your degree completion. UTA cannot recommend out-of-state students for certification and cannot recommend out-of-state students to take Texas certification exam(s). Additionally, UTA faculty and staff cannot complete out-of-state form requests for individuals seeking certification, licensure, and/or endorsements in another state according to TEA.

Additional Changes

Program requirements may change as state/TEA certification requirements change.

As required by Texas HB1508, applicants need to be aware of the following.

  1. In order to receive a teacher certification in Texas, you must pass a criminal history background check.
  2. If you have been convicted of an offense that is considered not appropriate for an educator, you could be ineligible to earn this certification from the state of Texas.
  3. You have a right to request a preliminary criminal history evaluation letter from the Texas Education Agency prior to admission into this program. The Texas Education Agency currently charges a $50 fee for this criminal history evaluation.

For more information on Preliminary Criminal History Evaluation: Click Here

  • Pursuant to the Texas Education Code (TEC), §22.083, candidates must undergo a criminal history background check prior to employment as an educator.
  • Pursuant to the TEC, §22.0835, candidates must undergo a criminal history background check prior to clinical teaching.

PROGRAM DIRECTORS

Dr. Ambra Green

Interim Department Chair

Associate Professor, Special Education

green

Email: ambra.green@uta.edu

Phone #: 817-272-2515

Office: 412 Hammond Hall

Research Interests: Multi-tiered systems of support and equity, disproportionality, equity, behavioral disorders : Ambra L. Green, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Special Education within the College of Education at The University of Texas at Arlington. Dr. Green is a national scholar with publications and research focused on students of color with and at-risk for disabilities, issues related to inequitable school practices experienced by students of color (i.e., disproportionality in special education and discipline practices), behavior disorders, positive behavioral interventions and supports, and teacher use of evidence-based practices. She is the Primary Investigator on a $1.1 million U.S. Department of Education Office for Special Education Programs (OSEP) personnel preparation grant which provides rigorous training for master’s special education and social work students to support K-12 students with disabilities and high intensity needs. Dr. Green also has experience working within the U.S. Department of Education Office for Special Education Programs (OSEP) and serves on the OSEP National Technical Assistance Center on PBIS Equity workgroup  Dr. Green was a special educator at the middle school level and a PBIS Coach. She holds current teacher certifications in EC-6 Generalist, 4-8 Generalist, and EC-12 Special Education in the state of Texas. 

Dr. John Romig

Assistant Professor

Research Interests: Writing assessment and writing instruction, SCRD, meta-analyses, RCT

romig

Email: john.romig@uta.edu

Office: Hammond Hall 418

Bio: Dr. John Romig is an Associate Professor in the Department of Teacher and Administrator Preparation in the College of Education. A former classroom teacher, Dr. Romig earned his Ph.D. in Education from the University of Virginia with a concentration in special education where his research and teaching focused on writing assessment and writing instruction. Dr. Romig is especially interested in using assessment data to make instructional decisions and teaching struggling students to read and write.

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