The College of Education and Human Services houses the departments of Counseling; Curriculum and Instruction; Educational Leadership; Health and Human Performance; Higher Education & Learning Technologies; Psychology & Special Education; as well as the School of Nursing and Health Sciences and the School of Social Work. The departments and schools offer programs of study that lead to bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees.

College Mission

College of Education and Human Services provides excellence-driven programs that prepare student-scholars to become scientists, teachers, administrators, and practitioners who proactively address the transformational challenges of a complex digital environment and global society. We promote instructional engagement, responsive research, quality service, and active partnerships with external constituencies.

The College of Education and Human Services prepares personnel for elementary, middle and high schools, and for higher education positions. The college also prepares social workers, nurses, and professionals in the fields of psychology and counseling. Specifically, the professional personnel for which programs are provided include:

• Nurses that meet the educational requirements of the Texas Board of Nursing to take the licensure examination to become Registered Nurses
• Teachers for certification at all levels and in virtually all subject areas offered in the public and private schools of Texas
• Teachers working toward professional certificates and/or master’s degrees or doctoral degrees
• School administrators working toward professional administrator’s certificates and master’s or doctoral degrees
• School counselors working toward professional certificates and master’s or doctoral degrees
• School supervisors working toward professional certificates and master’s or doctoral degrees
• Educational diagnosticians
• School psychologists
• Vocational supervisors and counselors
• Educational technology leaders in schools, colleges, businesses, and service industries 
• Curriculum directors and supervisors of instruction in public and private schools
• Teachers working toward school library certification or master’s degrees with school library certification
• College teachers of education, guidance, and psychology. (Qualifications for these usually require a doctoral degree)
• College and university administration
• Athletic Trainers that meet the educational requirements of the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation to take the licensure examination to become Licensed Athletic Trainers
• Public health practitioners at the undergraduate and graduate level, equipped with the knowledge and skill in epidemiology and programming planning and assessment, the necessary foundation for tackling our emerging population-based health needs
• Preparation for careers as nutritionists, health coaches, dietary managers, and other nutrition-related professions, while also providing opportunities for those working towards master’s or doctoral degrees in nutrition-related fields
• Social workers
• Psychological associates working towards licensure
• Other educational workers to meet the emerging needs of public and private schools, colleges, business and industry

A certificate required for teaching in accredited public and private schools of Texas is issued by the Texas Education Agency upon completion of all Teacher Education Program and University Requirements, and recommendation from the university.

Additionally, the College prepares students for generalist social work practice. Upon successful completion of the program, students receive the Bachelor of Social Work degree (BSW) and are eligible for licensure by the State of Texas as a social worker.

Center for Educator Certification and Academic Services

Sherri Harwell, Director of Educator Preparation, Accountability, and Certification Officer; Young Education North Building, Room 202; 903.468.8186

A unified system of records for students in teacher education is maintained in the Center for Educator Certification and Academic Services. This provides a central record system pertaining to our professional educators, school counselors and school administrators. These records are available to the Teacher Education Admission, Retention, and Appeals Committee members, the Dean of the College of Education and Human Services, and any faculty member participating in the teacher education program.

Mission of the Teacher Education Program

The primary mission of the Texas A&M University-Commerce teacher education program is to develop a force of high-quality, current, and versatile school personnel sufficiently skilled to educate a diverse population.

Admission to the Field-Based Teacher Education Program

Formal admission to the Educator Preparation Program through the Center for Educator Certification and Academic Services is required prior to being approved for clinical student teaching, year-long residency, or approval to register for the applicable certification exams.

Step One:  As part of your degree plan for teacher certification, you will enroll in a course that includes the program application process. The course instructor will inform you of the process and students wishing to pursue certification should follow all application details. The application uses software called TK20 and requires the student to purchase an account to access the application.

Step Two: Program Admission

Completed applications submitted by published deadlines will be evaluated for certification program admission. Minimum requirements for admission include:

 an overall GPA of 2.65 or higher, being TSI complete, and a minimum number of content area hours. A student must have successfully completed 12 hours in their content area for most certifications. Math and science certifications require a minimum of 15 hours of content area successful completion. Applications are also screened for dispositions for the teaching profession to ensure readiness. Disposition screening is conducted by Curriculum and Instruction Faculty through the information submitted within the TK20 application. Students who meet program admission requirements will be sent an acceptance survey through TK20. Students must complete the acceptance survey within the communicated timeframe in order to be fully admitted to the program. Students who do not complete the acceptance survey will need to reapply in a future semester to be considered for admission.
Step Three:  Admitted students apply for student teaching placement during the semester prior to student teaching. This means students with two semesters of clinical teaching on their degree plan will apply before the first semester of clinical teaching. Students with one semester of student teaching will apply the semester before they begin their only semester of clinical teaching.

Student Teaching in the Field-Based Teacher Education Program

Students may submit the student teaching application for the Teacher Education Program once pre-requisites are met. The student teaching application is available first class day of the fall and spring semester and is accessed and submitted through TK20. The application process is available one semester prior to the planned student teaching semester. No applications will be accepted after the date provided on the application.

Student Teaching Application Screening Criteria

1. Senior standing (completion of approximately 80 semester hours of college coursework);
2. Required overall GPA of 2.75;
3. Completion of all professional development/teacher education coursework with no grade below a “C” and a 2.75 GPA.
4. All content teaching/specialization required courses completed  prior to student teaching with a required 2.75 GPA and no grade below a “C”. (Refer to content department for individual departmental requirements);
5. Prior to the first semester of clinical teaching, 50 hours of required field-based observation and interactive engagement must be completed and on-file within the student’s TK20 account. These observation hours are completed during prerequisite professional development coursework.
6. EC-6 and 4-8 students may lack no more than 4 semester hours in addition to the first and second semesters of clinical teaching coursework.
7. EC-6 and 4-8 students must have all courses in the Education Core completed to obtain approval for the first semester of student teaching.
8. Secondary and All-level students may lack no more than 6 semester hours in the teaching field to begin clinical teaching.
9. Note:  Each certification program has specific requirements that must be met prior to approval to take the Texas Examination of Educator Standards (TExES). Refer to your department and the field-based student handbook or contact your center coordinator for the specifics for your program. 

Student Teaching Placement Process

1. Approved applicants will be contacted with further directions about next steps in the student teaching process.
2. Students who have expressed interest in a paid year-long residency as part of their student teaching application may need to complete additional steps as advised by program faculty. ;
3. Placements for EC-6 and 4-8 certifications will include an interview process with the prospective school district(s).
4. Placement procedures for secondary and all-level certifications vary by school district. Some will require an interview process with prospective student teachers, and some will not.

(NOTE: A department may prevent a student from interviewing or beginning student teaching for academic or professional behavioral reasons. In addition, a department may require a higher GPA and/or course grade requirements than the TEARAC Field-based Teacher Education Program requirements listed. The department is responsible for notifying students of specific departmental concerns preventing them from interviewing or beginning internship.)

EC-6 & 4-8 Approval to Progress to Second Semester Student Teaching 

1. Students must enroll in the appropriate coursework for the first semester of clinical teaching (refer to your Degree Audit).
2. Maintain admission requirements, i.e. required GPA and minimum grade of “C” or above on professional development and content teaching specialization coursework;
3. Complete coursework required prior to the second semester of clinical teaching with a required GPA and no grade below a “C”;
4. Maintain and successfully complete First Semester Clinical Teaching Requirements including required state teacher examinations;

Individual content areas may have specific requirements for the Texas Examination of Educator Standards (TExES) in relation to their clinical teaching semester(s). Please refer to your department.

Second Semester of Student Teaching Coursework (refer to your Degree Audit)

1. Students must enroll in the appropriate coursework (refer to your Degree Audit).

Retention in the Field-Based Teacher Education Program
In order to be retained in the Teacher Education Program a student must:

1. Continue to meet all admission standards;
2. Maintain a professional, ethical relationship in the classroom and with the placement school, including the Principal, cooperating teacher and university field supervisor;
3. Remain in good standing with the Instructional Leadership Team (ILT) and school placement Principal; and
4. Make satisfactory progress toward teacher certification.

Certification in the Field-Based Teacher Education Program
After the completion of all degree and certification requirements, students must apply for their Standard Texas Teaching Certificate through the TEA: https://tealprod.tea.state.tx.us./.  Upon completion of the online application for certification, applicants are sent instructions for completing fingerprinting through a Texas Education Agency (TEA) vendor. Before TEA issues a certificate, a thorough criminal history background check will be conducted and could result in the denial of certification to a candidate with a felony or misdemeanor conviction. The following must be completed prior to the university recommending an individual for their teaching certificate:

• Successful completion of all student teaching requirements;
• Conferred bachelor’s degree in the certification area sought;
• Successful completion of all required TExES examinations;
• Application for Texas Standard Teaching Certificate
• Complete Fingerprinting
• Pay TEA application fee and fingerprinting fee. The Texas Education Agency will not issue a teaching certificate if fees are not paid.

Note: Refer to https://www.tamuc.edu/programs/undergraduate-field-based-teacher-certification-programs/ or the Teacher Education Program Handbook for complete program guidelines.

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