Educator Prep Program (EPP) Compliance Information

EPP Effect of Supply and Demand
EPP Formal Complaint Policy
Teacher Education Handbook

EPP Military Community Information

The Texas Education Agency requires all Educator Preparation Programs to outline procedures for crediting prior or ongoing military service, training, or education toward the training, education, work experience or related requirements for educator certification (19 TAC 234.5). Candidates including military service personnel, veterans, and military spouses may be granted course credit for prior military service, training or education toward fulfillment of program prerequisite admission requirements. Military service, training or education must be directly related to the certification sought in order to be considered. Military Service, training and experience may not count toward field-based experience, clinical teaching, or internship requirements.

For additional information, see Texas Education Agency TPP Military Community.

Important: All candidates will be required to undergo a criminal background check by the State of Texas prior to clinical teaching and prior to issuance of a Texas Teacher’s Certification. You may request a Preliminary Criminal History Evaluation from TEA prior to admission if you are concerned you may not pass. See TAC 227.1(d) and TAC 249.16 for details.

In-State Clincal Experience Required

Our educator preparation degrees are offered fully online, enabling students to complete all coursework from any location. However, students who wish to earn Texas educator certification through the Texas Education Agency (TEA) must also satisfy state-required field-based and clinical experiences that involve supervised work in authentic school settings.

In accordance with TEA educator preparation requirements, field-based experiences (including observations and instructional activities) and culminating clinical/practicum/internship experiences include in-person components that cannot be completed entirely online. While some observation hours may be supported by virtual methods when permitted, state rules require that a significant portion of fieldwork and all clinical teaching/practicum placements occur in person in TEA-approved school settings.

Degree coursework may be completed online from anywhere.
TEA certification requires that required field-based, practicum, and/or clinical experiences occur in Texas or TEA-approved school settings, in accordance with state rules.
For initial teacher certification (including secondary content-area candidates completing educator preparation through the Division of Education), required face-to-face observations and clinical experiences must be completed in person. To support required supervision, these in-person field experiences must occur within approximately 100 miles of the university.
For advanced and professional certifications (such as Principal, Superintendent, or Educational Diagnostician), field-based experiences must occur in Texas or TEA-approved school settings, but observations and supervision may be conducted virtually when permitted, consistent with TEA requirements.

EPP 5-Year Performance

ASEP Accreditation Status
Certification Examination Pass Rates for Pedagogy Tests
Certification Examination Pass Rates for Content Pedagogy Tests

TEA Required Training

All educator preparation students in Texas are required by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) to complete specific state-mandated trainings prior to clinical teaching or internship. These trainings are located in your educator portal. For more information, contact education@tamut.edu.