Teachers are in demand across Texas and the nation. According to the U.S. Bureau of
Labor Statistics, by 2025, an estimated 316,000 new teachers will be needed per year,
and teacher demand is projected to increase 14 percent.
The University of North Texas College of Education offers students options to becoming
a state certified teacher. Teaching is more than a job — it's a calling. For those
who have a devotion to lifelong-learning and want to make a difference in the lives
of students, the College of Education offers various paths to teacher certification.
The Early Childhood through Grade 6 with Science of Teaching Reading and English as
a Second Language Supplemental Teacher Certification Program at the University of
North Texas is designed for students whose goal is to become a teacher in classrooms
from Pre-K through 6th grade. This certification path includes preparation in the
Science of Teaching Reading, a new initiative in the State of Texas that prepares
teachers to implement instruction in reading, especially with young learners. English
as a Second Language courses develop knowledge and skills critical to the success
of English Language Learners in today's diverse classrooms.
The fully redesigned degree program associated with this certification features:
A program vision focuses on equity-oriented, anti-racist, and humanizing pedagogies
as represented in a set of core commitments for both faculty and teacher candidates.
Opportunities for undergraduates to choose a specialization area. Specializations
offer deep, focused exploration in an area of interest. Options include Early Childhood
Education; Language, Literacy and Activism (ESL); Inclusive (SPED) Education; and
Bilingual Education.
Begin foundational coursework in education earlier during Freshman and Sophomore years as
students complete their general core requirements.
Expanded opportunities for field experiences in actual classrooms and a variety of
learning contexts starting early in the program and continuing through clinical teaching.
Choose from an increased number of electives based on interest with courses designed
to allow students to explore topics more deeply or to learn about new and exciting
concepts.
The rapid expansion of Dual Language programs in Texas offers a unique opportunity
to work with emergent bi/multilingual students and their families in this high-needs
area. This is a job that is constantly in demand and also offers pay supplements and
tuition supports from districts.
The Bachelor of Science in Education with Bilingual Education certification builds
theoretical and historical perspectives on the unique contexts of Bilingual, dual- and
multi-language learners. Through inquiry-based approaches embedded in area schools
and communities, future teachers develop informed, culturally-responsive instructional
practices that positively impact learners and families.
Many courses are taught in Spanish or Spanish and English. Topics include:
Latina/o/x Children's and Young Adult Literature
Biliteracy Practices for the Dual Language/Bilingual Classroom
Dual Language Programs, Policy and Practice
Teaching and Learning Processes for the Dual Language/Bilingual Classroom
The Bachelor of Science in Education with certification in Special Education results
in both Early Childhood through Grade 6 and All-Level Special Education certification.
Coursework and field experiences orient students to the historical foundations of
special education, explore current knowledge of innovative instructional techniques,
and prepare future teachers to employ evidence-based practices to support students
with disabilities.
UNT's Special Education program emphasizes strengths-based and culturally responsive
practices and is committed to changing perspectives on “dis”/abilities to prepare
future special educators who intentionally support learners by building learning on
what is possible for each individual. Coursework and experiences develop critical
perspectives and knowledge necessary to determine students' strengths and needs, and
to individualize curriculum to accommodate and modify instruction based on learner
characteristics. Additionally, students develop skills to promote positive collaboration
with parents and other professionals to enhance the lives of children and youth with
disabilities across their life span.
As part of the coursework for the Special Education Certification, students will have
experiential and practical opportunities in classrooms and communities to enhance
the understanding and skills of future teachers. Course topics include:
Educational Aspects of Exceptional Learners
Educational Assessments and Evaluation of Exceptional Learners
Advanced Educational Strategies for Exceptional Learners
Classroom and Behavioral Management Strategies for Exceptional Learners
Strategies to Support Diverse Learners in General Education
Transition Education and Services for Exceptional Learners
The Secondary Education Program works in collaboration with partner departments across
UNT to prepare future middle school and high school teachers in a variety of subject
area disciplines. Students interested in teaching at the secondary level major in
their subject and minor in secondary education.
Interested students should consult with their academic advisor in the college of their
major for program and degree plan details. Once a student has earned 60 semester credit
hours and meets the eligibility requirements listed below, they must apply for admission
to the College of Education Teacher Education Program.
Following advisor verification of requirements and approval of the Teacher Education
Program Admissions Interview questionnaire by COE faculty, students who meet admission
requirements will receive a formal offer of admission. This offer must be accepted
within 72 hours to complete the admission process.
60 or more earned credit hours
12 or more earned credit hours in the teaching field
2.75 or higher Overall GPA
2.75 or higher UNT GPA
TSI completion or appropriate SAT/ACT scores
Approved Interview Questionnaire
Active enrollment at UNT
Official degree audit that includes certification
Students interested in teaching high school Computer Science, Biochemistry, Biology,
Chemistry, Math or Physics, visit Teach North Texas for information.
A teacher's impact extends far beyond the academic classroom. As a teacher, you can
affect your students in a positive way every day. If you've ever dreamed of making
a difference in a child's life by helping learners become more physically active,
a Kinesiology major with teacher certification at the University of North Texas is
the path for you.
A Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology is the next step toward your career goals. With
an EC- 12 teacher certification, career options may include:
Children's experiences during their early years are foundational to build their social
and emotional well-being and academic learning. Understanding young children's ways
of being and knowing is essential to creating environments and nurturing relationships
in the classroom that are culturally sustaining. A major focus of this specialization
is to re-imagine early childhood education, which involves re-humanizing processes
of schooling for young children and including children in the movement for social
justice and equity.
The faculty working in this specialization look to a near future in which young children
are viewed and treated as intellectual and social agents who are knowledge-producers
and complex cultural beings. Our goal is to provide early childhood educators (Pre-K-3rd
grade) with the tools to see children in more expansive ways. These ways of seeing
and knowing young children on their own terms can support us to critically reconceptualize
pedagogies, practices, and policies that impact the lives and identities of young
children, particularly those from minoritized communities, considering the intersectionality
of race, ethnicity, culture, languages, abilities, gender, and other identity markers.
We also examine relationships children have with technology and the natural world
around them in order to consider our collective role in ecological justice.
The goal of this specialization is to prepare UNT educators to teach about race and
ethnicity by focusing on the experiences, histories, and perspectives of people of
Color in the United States. Preservice teachers will explore the ways in which race,
class, gender, sexuality, immigration status, dis/ability intersect and have been,
and continue to be, powerful forces that impact the experiences of people of Color.
The focus will be to prepare educators to create and teach a curriculum that centers
the knowledge and experiences of communities of Color and work alongside culturally
and linguistically diverse students and communities.
This specialization program will primarily center on the following tenets/focus areas:
Interdisciplinary approach with critical theoretical foundations that explores historical
and contemporary issues that explore factors that interrogate the relationships between
social, historical, cultural, and political contexts that are focused on the lives,
experiences, and needs of historically marginalized communities;
Students will develop an understanding of and utilize theoretical frameworks that
promote the reconstruction of education that reflects critical race, Black feminist,
raciolinguistics, multicultural, Indigenous, and queer theories on education;
Building an abolitionist community of co-conspirators who seek to restore humanity
back in teaching and learning.
This Bachelor of Science in Education specialization offers future educators a deep
dive into building inclusive education, opportunities, equity and access in partnership
with students with dis/abilities and their families. Taking a socio-historical perspective,
students will critically analyze systems of oppression for students with disabilities
and build advocacy skills that will help elevate the voice of children and youth with
dis/abilities from a strengths-based perspective and with an intersectional and culturally
relevant lens. Pragmatic skills include how to navigate special education and school
systems, develop inclusive pedagogies, implement evidence-based practices and build
accessible communities to revolutionize inclusive education in schools.
The specialization seeks to amplify the voices of students and individuals with dis/abilities,
especially those diverse racial/ethnic, cultural, linguistic, and socio-economic communities.
The goal of the Inclusive Education specialization is to reimagine, redesign, and
implement inclusive education in our schools and communities.
School curriculum and instruction often derives its content and methods from disciplines
in the social and physical sciences. In this specialization, students will consider
how disciplines exert control over school curriculum, to whose advantage and disadvantage,
and the benefits and drawbacks of interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary, and multidisciplinary
studies. A definition of interdisciplinary understanding is to “...integrate knowledge
and modes of thinking from two or more disciplines (or well established fields of
study) in order to create products, raise questions, solve problems, and offer explanations
of the world around them in ways that would not have been possible through single
disciplinary means” (adapted from Boix Mansilla & Gardner, 1996). The course will
examine how knowledge is produced and for whose benefit. The course will consequently
center social and educational justice as a lens and outcome. The aims of the specialization
include:
Demonstrate the ability to be a critical consumer and producer of curriculum, pedagogy,
and research;
Demonstrate how disciplinary, interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary, approaches to
schooling might support social and educational equity;
Demonstrate how interdisciplinary studies might be applied to classroom teaching in
K-6 settings;
Synthesize research on interdisciplinary approaches and their educational and social
impact on students and communities; and Integrate technology as is appropriate, ethical,
and just.
Rapid changes in technology and human mobility challenge educators to prepare critically
aware cosmopolitans: citizens of the world who respect the dignity of all human beings.
Students who choose this specialization will consider what it means to become globally
competent teachers of empowered, globally aware citizens. Students will investigate
the world, recognize perspectives, communicate ideas, and act while exploring education
and schooling from an international perspective.
This area includes a broad focus on global issues such as:
Interconnectedness, communication, and cultural exchange; Connections between the
local and global;
Cosmopolitan practices;
Migration patterns and policies affecting migrant populations; and Equity in economic
development, educational access, and health and well-being.
Emphasizing critical and decolonizing perspectives, supporting coursework will build
understanding and enhance knowledge of:
Local-global citizenship;
Diverse cultures, interculturality, and cultural competence; and Educational policies
and systems, and teaching practices.
Students enrolled in this specialization are encouraged, but not required, to engage
in study abroad and/or other international experiences. Opportunities for in-person
and/or virtual exchange will be embedded in coursework.
Literacy is the curriculum area that receives the most attention in elementary schools.
Engaging children/youth in the language arts is essential work for teachers in classrooms
and therefore a major focus in your preparation program. Literacy and Activism in
Teaching is the only specialization option that is directly tied to a required certification
examination (i.e., the Science of Teaching Reading) that all preservice teachers must
take and pass for certification. The focus on multilingual children in this specialization
will also serve as additional preparation in working with Emergent Bilinguals and
support preservice teacher preparation for the ESL supplementary certification exam.
The faculty working in this specialization are particularly focused on working with
children/youth, families, and communities that represent diverse racial/ethnic, linguistic,
cultural, and economic experiences. Consistent with the core values and commitments
in the preparation program, our goal is to prepare UNT graduates to engage in transformative
literacy practices that position all children as capable and curious. We emphasize
activism as central to the work of teachers engaging children/youth with the world
around them through literacy practices that promote equity, especially for children/youth
from families that have been historically marginalized and have been denied equal
educational opportunities.
This Bachelor of Science in Education specialization introduces students to the discipline
of the Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics to designing integrated
learning environments. Students enrolled in these courses will explore innovative
venues for STEAM learning and teaching with an emphasis on diversity and equity. Consistent
with the core values and commitments in the preparation program, our goal is to prepare
UNT teachers to engage in transformative STEAM practices that create math and scientific
communities which positively influence and grow STEAM education in schools. As a community
we envision innovative methods to social issues from analyzing climate patterns and
new sources of energy to the influence of social media and voting trends. We emphasize
social justice and activism as central to the work of teachers engaging students with
the world around them through STEAM practices that promote equity.
Students in this specialization will learn methods of learning and teaching science
and math that are equity and asset-based, rigorous, foster children's positive mathematics
and science identity development, and transform classrooms into spaces that challenge
marginalizing processes and use STEAM practices as a tool to critically examine the
world.
University of North Texas 
Early Childhood Education
Ethnic Studies in Education
Inclusive Education
Interdisciplinary Studies
International Studies
Language, Literacy and Activism
STEAM Education
