Eligibility
You are eligible to apply for the Longhorns in Residence Program if you:
- Will have completed any bachelor’s degree from an accredited university by June 1 of the year you apply.
- Have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. GPAs below 3.0 will be considered holistically.
- Are seeking your initial teaching license.
- Are able to work in a district partner school for the duration of the program.
- Have advanced academic proficiency in reading and writing in Spanish that is comparable to a native speaker who has completed higher education coursework in Spanish, if applying for the bilingual certification program.
Bachelor’s degrees earned outside the United States are accepted as long as the degree is from a comparable foreign academic institution. Visit the Graduate School’s website to learn about TOEFL requirements and more.
Already certified to teach?
Those who have completed an educator preparation program in Texas or already hold a teaching certificate from another state or another country may already be eligible for a teaching certificate in Texas. Learn more on TEA’s website:
- Becoming a certified teacher in Texas
- Out-of-state certified educators
- Out-of-state application checklist
- Additional certification by exam information
What You Will Accomplish
Longhorns in Residence teacher residents are required to complete:
- 50 hours of field-based experience in the summer (first semester) of the program.
- 60-100 hours of independent online learning throughout the year.
- 18 semester hours of online coursework – one course each in Summer I and Summer II semesters, two courses in the fall semester and two courses in the spring semester.
- Resident orientation with your local school district as well as planning and preparation prior to the first day of school.
- A full academic year of clinical teacher residency experience from the first day of school to the last day of school in the partner school district
- Pass all required exams for your program:
- Science of Teaching Reading (all students)
- TExES Core Subjects (EC-6th grade students)
- Bilingual Education Spanish Supplemental Exam (bilingual students only)
- English as a Second Language (generalist students only)
- SPED EC-12 Specialist (special education students only)
Residency (Student Teaching)
A residency is a type of educator preparation program. Residents in our program will work four days a week in a partner school district under the guidance of a host teacher who supports the resident’s learning and practice. Residents also receive face-to-face coaching and field support from UT Austin personnel.
- Potential residents will be placed in a local partner school district. After placement, the resident will apply for the role and pass a criminal background check.
- Residents are required to be on campus at one of our district partners’ schools for 50 hours of field-based experience in June/July at the beginning of the program and four days a week during the school year.
- Residents will attend their school district’s required new staff orientation in early August before starting work at their assigned campus.
Background Checks
Teacher resident candidates are required to pass a criminal background check before starting the clinical teacher residency experience. Additionally, candidates are required to complete a fingerprinting process and national criminal background check when applying for teacher certification with TEA.
International Students
TEA also has specific TOEFL requirements for students pursuing teacher certification. Please visit the TEA website for more information.
Since our students enroll as non-degree seeking and work towards a certificate rather than a degree, we are unable to issue visas for the program.
