Freshman Year/Transfer Students

Upon admission to The University of Tampa, students should declare pre-education as their major, selecting from one of the six programs:

• Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education with ESOL Endorsement and Reading Endorsement (K-6)
• Bachelor of Science in Secondary Mathematics Education with ESOL Endorsement (6-12)
• Bachelor of Science in Secondary Biology Education with ESOL Endorsement (6-12)
• Bachelor of Science in Secondary Social Science Education with ESOL Endorsement (6-12)

Please note: While students may have declared education as their major, they still need to apply for admission to the Department of Education, and they must meet ALL entry requirements before admittance is granted. View education admission requirements.

Students should start their major selection and prerequisite courses as soon as possible. They should ask to speak with an education faculty member as an advisor through their required Gateways course. Students should make sure to check with their advisor to make sure they are registering for required courses.

All education majors take a state-mandated core curriculum. See the course catalog for details. Students can also view the Candidate Handbook for Teacher Education (PDF format).

Sophomore Year

Students should create their LiveTest user account using the account information obtained from their Gateways course.

They will then need to gain acceptance into the teacher education program of their choice by meeting all of the following requirements:

• Submit a completed Teacher Education Application.
• Hold a GPA of at least 3.0 in the undergraduate general curriculum and a GPA of at least 3.0 in all EDU courses
• Demonstrate mastery of general knowledge, including the ability to read, write and use computers by passing all sections of the General Knowledge Test (GK)
• Completion of the requirements for a baccalaureate degree from any accredited college or university

Junior Year

Students must continue to maintain good standing within the teacher education program of their choice. All students must:

• Maintain a 3.0 GPA in all EDU coursework and a minimum of a 3.0 GPA overall
• In the second semester of your junior year, complete an application to sit for all remaining portions of the Florida Teacher Certification Exam (FTCE): Professional Education and Subject Area Exam
• Upload all UCC tasks to the LiveText electronic database for the purpose of review, scoring and data tracking (Coursework throughout each teacher education program will require the student to provide evidence of mastery of the designated Critical Candidate Performance Assessment Task. These will be flagged as UCC Critical Assessment Tasks and ESOL Core Tasks in the EDU syllabi.)
• Near the end of second-semester junior year, the student should apply for Teaching Practicum II (2). See teaching internships for more details.

Senior Year

In the second semester of senior year, Teaching Practicum IV (4)(final internship) takes place. All requirements must be complete to be considered for graduation.

• Maintain a 3.0 GPA in all EDU coursework and a minimum of a 3.0 GPA overall
• Register to sit for all remaining components of the FTCE exams
• Upload all targeted Critical Assessment Tasks and Core ESOL Tasks to Live Text to earn acceptable/target scores on all UCC standards measured through UCC rubrics
• Earn a minimum of acceptable scores on their final internship Teaching Practicum IV(4) Evaluation

Records to Keep for Intern Application

To prepare candidates for post-graduation teaching positions, all teacher education programs require UT candidates to complete a capstone final internship experience. All final internships are 14 weeks in length and occur full-time, Monday-Friday, at an accredited public, private or charter school located in Hillsborough County. Candidates are under the guidance of a certified clinically-trained cooperating teacher and University supervisor.

All candidates must apply for admission to Teaching Practicum IV (4), final internship. During application to the course, the following information must be provided to the director of clinical education:

1. Intern Application Form
2. Unofficial copy of transcript documenting a 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) overall grade-point average and a 3. 3.0 or better in education coursework with no "I" (Incomplete) grades, and completion of a minimum of 30 credit hours in the University of Tampa Teacher Preparation program.
3. Criminal Record Information Form
4. Educator Disposition Assessment
5. Documentation providing proof of fingerprinting form,
6. Official documentation of pass scores on the Professional Area Exam (PED), and Subject Area Exam (SAE) of the FTCE or proof of registration for either of the sections not yet passed.

Please note: Other paperwork is required for the application. The list above will alert students to information that must be saved by them for later use.

In order to enroll in the Teaching Practicum IV (4), students must have achieved a level of acceptable on ALL UCC critical tasks and ESOL core tasks. Failure to do so will necessitate the enrollment in EDU 380 Professional Development Clinical, the cancellation of the student's enrollment in Teaching Practicum IV (4) and the delay of graduation.

NOTE: The Teaching Practicum IV (4) application packet will be distributed and collected as a requirement during Teaching Practicum III (3). Physical Education K-12 majors are asked to obtain the Teaching Practicum III (3) application packet from the UT Department of Education office by the end of their second semester of junior year (a full year before final internship).