UTEP’s graduate initial licensing program provides persons with bachelor degrees outside of education the opportunity to obtain teacher certification and credit towards the Master’s degree.
During a year-long teaching practicum non-certified teaching interns are matched with mentors who model effective teaching techniques, observe the intern’s teaching, and apprise the intern of school policies and routines, Option II teaching interns also have weekly contact with university professors, Accompanying the internships is a curriculum of 27 semester hours of coursework at Â̲èÖ±²¥ developed and continuously refined with input from both the school systems and the university.
The internship during the academic year includes university courses in content-area methods, testing and measurement and reflection upon urban school setting.
The summer courses are spent examining the urban school to greater societal needs and the urban context.
UTEP Option II graduate initial licensing differs from other current alternative routes to teacher certification. Many alternatives certification programs have been called “quick-fix” solutions to the urban teacher shortage. Criticisms include the recruitment of persons with inappropriate commitment, classroom placement of substandard teachers and inadequate exposure to child development and psychology in pre-service preparation.
Option II addresses such concerns through:
- Admission standards which examine content area preparation and overall academic achievement;
- A rigorous interview to determine candidates’ motivation and aptitude;
- Close monitoring of interns by school system and university;
- A professional education curriculum developed by the collaborative; and
- Frequent assessment and feedback.
The Option II courses students take are researched-based.
First Spring
EDUC S510 Methods of Teaching in Secondary Urban Schools
EDUC S508 Problems in Secondary Education: Content Area Methods in the Urban Classroom Separate sections for English/Mathematics/Science/ Social Studies/Foreign Language/Visual Arts - Part I
Summer Sessions I & II
EDUC P507 Testing in the classroom (Summer I)
EDUC T550 Cultural/Community Forces and the School (Summer II)
EDUC K505 Introduction to Special Education (Summer I)
Fall Semester
EDUC S508 Problems in Secondary Education: Content Area Methods in the Urban Classroom Separate sections for English/Mathematics/ Science/Social Studies/Foreign Language/Visual Arts - Part II
EDUC M501 Field Experience in Urban Classrooms
Second Spring
EDUC M550 Student Teaching(12 weeks)
EDUC L517 Reading in the Content Area
EDUC K505 Optional to students who could not register in the summer
Click here for Option II course descriptions.
UTEP Modern Languages (French and Spanish)
Candidates can choose to earn teaching licensure at the secondary level in either French and Spanish through the undergraduate or graduate Urban Teacher Education Program (UTEP). The UTEP track is designed for the candidate who possesses a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in subjects other than education with at least a 2.5 grade point average and appropriate coursework in either French or Spanish. Further information on entering the UTEP program can be provided by the Graduate Student Advisor.
Prior to the beginning of Block 4 or Student Teaching, student must pass all sections of the Praxis Core examination. It is strongly recommended that student begin taking these exams in Block 1 to ensure passage by Block 4. All students will take the French or Spanish Methods Course in the Fall semester of their matriculation.
Pre-Professional requirements include: Educ-F200 Examining Self as Teacher (3 cr.), Educ-W200 using Computers in Education (3 cr.), K205 Introduction to Exceptional Children (3 cr.), and Educ-P250 Educational Psychology (3 cr.)
First Block:
6 credits of professional education courses including EDUC-M314 General Methods (3 cr.)
Second Block:
9 credits of professional education courses including EDUC-H340 Education and American Culture (3 cr.)
And, EDUC- M301 Field Experience (3 cr.)
Third Block:
9 credits of professional education courses including EDUC-M300: Teaching in a Pluralistic Society (3 cr.), EDUC-P407 Psychological Measurement in the Schools (3 cr.), EDUC-M304 Field Experience (3 cr.)
Fourth Block:
12 credits of professional education courses consisting of Student Teaching (EDUC-M480: Student Teaching in the Secondary School)