Teacher Certification

The College of Education Teacher Certification Programs seek to enable students to become successful educators. The College offers two paths to certification:

1. The undergraduate certificate, which is earned simultaneously with an undergraduate degree, and
2. The post-baccalaureate certificate, for students who have already earned an undergraduate degree or higher and wish to continue their education to become certified to teach

Students in each field of study will have different requirements and deadlines, and each program can take a different amount of time to complete. Students should talk to an adviser to get information about the deadlines specific to each program. Program requirements and deadlines can be found on this Web site. 

The University of Texas at Austin offers four different levels of certification:

• Early Childhood to Fourth Grade Certification, for which students may become certified to teach pre-Kindergarten through fourth grade;
• Middle Grades Certification, for which students may become certified to teach fourth through eighth grade;
• Secondary Certification, for which students may become certified to teach eighth through twelfth grade; and
• All-level Certification, for which students may become certified to teach pre-Kindergarten through twelfth grade

Our section on Certification Levels provides more information on these programs.

Alternate Routes to Teaching

These are NOT offered through the University of Texas at Austin

Alternative Certification:

UT Austin does not offer an alternative certification program (ACP). ACP's allow college graduates to become teachers without graduating from a traditional teacher education program, or without completing a traditional university-based certification program. ACP's have their own State-approved teacher preparation programs. For more information about alternative certification or program locations, please call the State Board for Educator Certification at 1-888-863-5880.

Emergency Certification:

Emergency Certification allows an individual holding a bachelor's degree to begin teaching under a deficiency plan until he/she has completed all remaining certification requirements. A candidate for Emergency Certification must work with a university that can sponsor the certification program and simultaneously allow the candidate to work as a teacher. The University of Texas offers certification classes during the day, which makes it impossible to sponsor a deficiency plan for initial certification, as our classes would conflict with the time a teacher is in the classroom.

For more information please call (512) 471-3223

Also find information regarding ExCET/TExES/TOPT testing, Post-Baccalaureate Certification, Apprentice Teaching, or view Frequently Asked Questions about Certification.