UTeach-Liberal Arts | College of Liberal Arts
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Certification

  1. Create a TEA ID and account. Click here for instructions. 
  2. Apply and be admitted to the Professional Development Sequence (PDS).
  3. Enroll and complete UTL 640.
  4. In order to register for a certification exam, you must create a testing account through the Pearson Education Texas Educator Certification Examination Program site. You must create one even if you already have an ETS testing account. Click here to find out about the transition from ETS to Pearson.
  5. Register for the appropriate certification exams and pass them. (Review a step-by-step guide for preparing to test, registering to test, and scheduling your exam.)
  6. Information on certification fees. 
  7. What happens if you do not pass the certification exam? Contact the UTeach-Liberal Arts academic advisor immediately to set up an appointment. Note: It takes 45 days from the day you receive your scores before you will be allowed to retake the exam. You must have approval from the UTLA academic advisor to register to retake the exam.
  8. Successfully complete all coursework for the UTeach-Liberal Arts program and the degree program.
  9. Your final degree posts. Click here for degree posting information. (NOTE: Fall 2020 degree posting has changed from January 8 to January 12.)
  10. Apply for certification through ECOS (Educator Certification Online System) accessed through TEAL (Texas Education Agency Login). 
  11. Once you apply for certification, you will receive instructions on the TEA required Fingerprinting process. If you completed Substitute Teacher Fingerprinting with your school district during student teaching, then you will not need to repeat this step. Please note that you will need a valid SSN to complete the fingerprinting AND certification processes.
  12. Certification Timeline: All students who have graduated and completed the certification checklist will be recommended on the degree posting date. Students who have not completed all checklist items will be recommended at a later date. Students are certified by TEA within 3-5 business days of receiving the University Recommendation. Online Access to certification statuses is available through the Official Record of Educator Certificates.

Criminal History Acknowledgement

As required by HB1508, teacher certification applicants need to be aware of the following:

  • In order to receive teacher certification in Texas, you must pass a criminal history background check.
  • 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.
  • 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 fee for this criminal history evaluation.
  • More information on the Preliminary Criminal History Evaluation may be found here.

Please do not hesitate to contact our office if you have any questions regarding the certification process. 512-232-2143 (Kaitlyn Crawford).

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