Admissions Requirements

General Information

The Educator CAFE manages formal admissions for all students seeking educator certification through undergraduate or graduate programs in the university's College of Education & Human Development.

The requirements for admission are different for each program and questions should be directed to the specific program's point of contact.

Credit for Prior Service or Training

Texas Administrative Code: 19 TAC §228.35 (a)(5)

The Educator CAFE will evaluate and may accept prior service, training, or education from military or non-military experiences toward the fulfillment of program prerequisite admission requirements. Military and non-military service, training, or education must be directly related to the certificate being sought and may not take the place of certification examinations. Service, training, or education may not count as part of the internship, clinical teaching, or practicum requirements and must have been provided by an approved Educator Preparation Program or accredited institution of higher education within the past five years. The Director of the Educator CAFE will determine whether military service, training, or education is relevant and could be applied as a substitution.

Admissions Requirements

I. Teacher Candidates - Admission to the Educator CAFE

Point of Contact: Dr. Erica Villarreal, evillarreal@tamusa.edu

Students are ready for admission to the Educator CAFE once they have met the following requirements. Information about admissions requirements for Field Residency 1 and 2, as well as Traditional Clinical Teaching and Yearlong Teacher Residency are found on the Field Experiences for Teachers webpage.

Educator CAFE Admissions Requirements:

1. Currently enrolled as an undergraduate student at Texas A&M University-San Antonio.
2. Minimum cumulative or last-60-hours GPA of 2.75. (NOTE: All admitted candidates must maintain a minimum cumulative or last-60-hours GPA of 2.75 to remain in the program.)
3. Completed all General Education Core Curriculum coursework with a grade of C or higher in every course.
4. Submit a writing sample and earn a score of proficient on the program rubric.
5. Interview with a program faculty member and earn a score of proficient on the program rubric.
6. Additional course requirements, specific to the certification the student seeks:

Content Certification Area(s)	Course Requirements
Core Subjects EC-6 Core Subjects 4-8 Bilingual Core Subjects EC-6 or 4-8	MATH 1350 MATH 1351 HIST 2301 EDCI 1301
English Language Arts & Reading (ELAR) 7-12 Social Studies 7-12 History 7-12 Languages Other Than English (LOTE) Spanish EC-12 Physical Education EC-12	12 Semester Credit Hours (SCH) in certification-area content
Math 7-12 Natural Sciences 7-12	15 SCH in certification-area content
Dual Certification (Content plus Special Education EC-12)	Courses listed in this table for the content certification-area EDCI 1301

Admissions requirements for Field Residency 1 and 2, as well as for Traditional Clinical Teaching and Yearlong Teacher Residency can be found on the Field Experiences for Teachers webpage.

II. Graduate-Level Certification Admissions Requirements

All students interested in admission to a graduate-level educator certification program must meet initial Graduate Admissions requirements, as well as the requirements of the specific program.

General Requirements

1. Complete the online application for Graduate Admissions to Texas A&M University-San Antonio through GradCAS. Click here to visit the Graduate Admissions webpage.
2. Have earned a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution of higher education. All official undergraduate and graduate transcripts from every prior college and/or university attended must be uploaded to GradCAS. Degrees must be posted on the transcript of the awarding institution.

3. Minimum overall undergraduate GPA of 2.6 on a 4.0 scale, or an average minimum GPA of 3.0 on the last 60 hours of undergraduate coursework. (NOTE: All admitted candidates must maintain a minimum cumulative or last-60-hours GPA of 3.0 to remain in good standing in the Graduate School.)

4. Submit official Graduate Test Scores by mid-semester of their first application term of graduate courses to register for subsequent semesters.

Program-Specific Requirements

A. Educational Diagnostician

Department of Educator & Leadership Preparation website
Department Catalog webpages
Point of Contact: Dr. Eric Lopez, elopez@tamusa.edu

1) Option A: Master of Education, Special Education-Assessment track leading to Educational Diagnostician certification.

In addition to the General Requirements listed above for all graduate-level certification programs, a student must meet the following program-specific requirements for admissions:

1. Valid teaching certificate.

2. Have a Texas Education Agency Identification Number.

3. Have three (3) creditable years of teaching experience as a classroom teacher.

4. Submit a resume and Letter of Intent.

5. Submit two (2) professional letters of recommendation.

6. Interview with program faculty (for qualified applicants).

2) Option B: Educational Diagnostician Certificate-only

All of the requirements stated above for the Master of Education, Special Education-Assessment track, as well as the following additional requirements:

1. Earned master’s degree from an accredited institution of higher education.

B. Principal

Department of Educator & Leadership Preparation website
Department Catalog webpages
Program Contact: Dr. W. Sean Kearney, wkearney@tamusa.edu

1) Option A: Master of Arts in Educational Administration leading to Principal certification

In addition to the General Requirements listed above for all graduate-level certification programs, a student must meet the following program-specific requirements for admissions:

1. Principal program GPA requirement:

a) Undergraduate cumulative GPA between 3.0 and 4.0 on a 4.0 scale.

b) Undergraduate cumulative GPA between 2.6 and 2.99 on a 4.0 scale, or an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher for the last 60 semester credits (or 90 quarter credits); and, a minimum GRE composite score of 297 (1000 for tests taken prior to August 2011) or a minimum MAT score of 388 (MAT scores are for Education majors only).

2. Valid teaching certificate.
3. Texas Education Agency Identification Number.
4. Two (2) creditable years of teaching experience as a classroom teacher.
5. Writing sample with an earned score of 3 or 4 on the program rubric.
6. Letter of recommendation from a current or former school leader, peer, or A&M-SA Education Leadership Program alumni or a current student with an earned score of 3 or 4 on the program rubric.
7. Interview with program faculty for qualified applicants with an earned score of 3 or 4 on the program rubric.

2) Option B: Principal Certificate-only

All of the requirements stated above for the Master of Arts in Educational Administration, as well as the following additional requirements:

1. Earned master’s degree from an accredited institution of higher education.

C. Reading Specialist

Department of Curriculum & Instruction website
Department Catalog webpage
Point of Contact: Dr. Rebekah Piper, rebekah.piper@tamusa.edu

1) Option A: Master of Science in Reading leading to Reading Specialist Certification

In addition to the General Requirements listed above for all graduate-level certification programs, a student must meet the following program-specific requirements for admissions:

1. Valid teaching certificate.

2. Texas Education Agency Identification Number.

3. Two (2) creditable years of teaching experience as a classroom teacher.

4. Interview with program faculty for qualified applicants.

2) Option B: Reading Specialist Certificate Only

All of the admissions requirements stated above for the Master of Science in Reading, as well as the following additional requirements:

1. Earned master’s degree from an accredited institution of higher education.

D. School Counselor

Department of Counseling, Health, & Kinesiology website
Department Catalog webpage
Point of Contact: Dr. Carla Smith, carla.smith@tamusa.edu

1) Option A: Master of Arts in Counseling & Guidance: School Counseling

In addition to the General Requirements listed above for all graduate-level certification programs, a student must meet the following program-specific requirements for admissions:

1. Valid teaching certificate.

2. Texas Education Agency Identification Number.

3. Two (2) creditable years of teaching experience as a classroom teacher.

4. Resume or CV

5. Personal Statement

6. Two (2) interviews with program faculty (for qualified applicants).

2) Option B: School Counseling Certificate Only

All of the admissions requirements stated above for the Master of Arts in Counseling & Guidance: School Counseling, as well as the following additional requirements:

1. Earned master’s degree from an accredited institution of higher education.

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