Programs of Study

Students interested in becoming teachers have four options at The University of Tulsa

 
Option I: Secondary School Teacher. Students majoring in biology, chemistry, economics, English, geology, history, mathematics, physics, political science, psychology, sociology, or theatre have the option of pursuing alternative certification (depending on the major) to teach in grades six through twelve.

Option II: Elementary School Teacher. Students majoring in elementary education have the option of pursuing standard certification in grades one through eight. Students in elementary education also minor in another subject area. Options for minors include, but are not limited to, subject areas preparing students to teach in middle school (grades 5-9) language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies.

Option III: K-12 School Teacher. Students majoring in art, music, exercise and sports science, French, German, Russian, or Spanish have the option of pursuing standard or alternative certification (depending on the major) to teach in grades kindergarten through twelve.

Option IV: Special Education Teacher. Deaf education and speech-language pathology majors in the College of Arts and Sciences are eligible to pursue standard certification to teach in grades kindergarten through twelve. Speech pathology certification requires completion of a master’s degree (see 2008-2010 Graduate Bulletin).

Program Phases


There are three phases to the Teacher Education Program:

  1. declaration of a major in Education
  2. admission to the Teacher Education Program
  3. student teaching

In the first phase, the student formally declares Education as a major through the College of Arts and Sciences Advisor. The student also takes Educ 1101, Introduction to Education.

In the second phase, the student takes Educ 2104, Foundations of Education, and applies to the Teacher Education Program. Students normally apply for admission to teacher education no later than the second semester of their sophomore year. Junior and senior transfer students and students with baccalaureate degrees seeking teacher certification should apply during their first semester on campus.

Criteria for Admission into the Teacher Education Program

  •  Achievement of an overall grade point average of at least 2.50 in 40 semester hours of college credit.
    Achievement of a grade point average of 2.75 in Professional Education courses (Educ 1101, 2104, 3172, 3713, 3733 and 4013 that have been taken up to this point)
    Achievement of a grade point average of 2.75 in major. 
  • Completion of at least 25 semester hours of the Tulsa Curriculum. 
  • Passing score on the Oklahoma General Education Test (OGET). 
  • Achievement of at least a “C” in Engl. l033, and FS l973, or equivalents. 
  • Achievement of at least a “C” in Education 1101 and Education 2104. 
  • Satisfactory completion of interview with Education advisor. 
  • Signed statement of knowledge of and compliance with pertinent State laws.
  • Satisfactory review of Professional Portfolio by Education advisor. 
  • Recommendation of Education Advisor.

Following admission to Teacher Education, the student completes all required course work.

The third phase begins with the student’s application for student teaching. Students must reserve one semester for student teaching and the student teaching seminar.

Graduate Program

The graduate programs in education are designed to strenthen and deppend students' analytical understanding of education while preparing them for futures in teaching, policymaking, and scholarly research.