College of Health, Education and Professional Studies
Tennessee regulations stipulate that the applicant for an initial teaching license or additional endorsement must be recommended by the designated certifying officer and dean of an approved teacher training institution. To receive this recommendation, the applicant must:
- Obtain official admission to the TEP.
- Earn a minimum grade point average of 2.5 in courses completed at UTC, a cumulative 2.5 grade point average on all courses, a 2.5 grade point average in professional education courses with no grade lower than C, a grade point average of 2.5 in content area courses with no grade lower than C.
- Satisfactorily complete the student teaching experience or an approved alternative.
- Fulfill specific departmental requirements in the area of concentration.
- Achieve minimum scores on the Praxis II tests mandated by the Tennessee Board of Education. (Credit for student teaching will not be granted without fulfillment of this requirement.)
*Final responsibility for satisfying all requirements for licensure recommendation by UTC rests with the individual applicant.
UTC does not guarantee that satisfactory completion of a program listed in the UTC Catalog at the time of a student’s initial admission to the University will meet all the licensure requirements at the time the person applies for initial licensure. This means that UTC will recommend only those applicants who have met all the licensure requirements in effect at the time of the University recommendation.
Any student who completes a licensure program at UTC, regardless of whether he or she intends to teach in Tennessee, should apply for Tennessee licensure since many states require an applicant to be licensed in the state where he or she graduated and/or completed an initial licensure program. Licensure standards change frequently; hence, it is prudent to apply for licensure immediately upon graduation or program completion.
A student is considered to have completed UTC's teacher preparation program when Tennessee standards for the Praxis II tests for licensure are met, all course work requirements have been fulfilled, and the degree appropriate to the program has been awarded.
A student who anticipates teaching outside Tennessee is strongly encouraged to request a check sheet of certification requirements from the Department of Education Office of Certification for the state in which he or she plans to teach. Course and competency requirements to satisfy out-of-state certification standards may be in addition to Tennessee licensure requirements and UTC approved degree requirements.
Graduation with a master’s degree from UTC does not guarantee licensure in any specific area. However, in some instances a student may satisfy all the Tennessee requirements for licensure by completion of a state approved master’s degree program at UTC.
