The Curriculum
The Department of Education offers teacher preparation programs in the following certification levels: Early Childhood (age 3)- Grade 4; Middle Grades 4-8; High School Grades 8-12; Combined Certification for Middle Grades and High School (Grades 4-12); and All-Level Certification (Music, Art, and Theater Arts). Supplemental certificates are available in Special Education and English as a Second Language (ESL).
The teacher education sequence is a five-year program. The B.A. degree in an academic discipline is awarded at the completion of the undergraduate studies. The fifth year, which Trinity students must complete to satisfy Texas certification requirements, consists of a summer and two regular term semesters. Upon completion of the fifth year, students receive the M.A.T. (Master of Arts in Teaching), a professional degree, and certification in the area of preparation.
The Trinity curriculum includes courses in general education, the discipline(s) the student plan to teach, and professional education. The department expects that Trinity undergraduates who plan to apply for the M.A.T. program will follow one of the plans for certification described in the Course of Study Bulletin (or see pages 157-183 in the bound copy). Required courses within each academic major have been carefully selected to best prepare future teachers for a successful career in Early Childhood-Grade 12 education.
The purpose of the undergraduate requirements in teacher education is to ensure that students achieve the academic content mastery, the intellectual habits of mind, and the pedagogical readiness that are required to gain admission to the fifth year graduate program and, ultimately, to meet state teacher certification standards. We expect that Trinity undergraduates who plan to apply for the M.A.T. program will follow one of the plans for certification described in the course of study bulletin. In certain exceptional cases - for example, post-baccalaureate candidates and Trinity students who make a late decision to apply to the fifth year program - applicants may be able to demonstrate that they have attained the prerequisite academic knowledge and skills, intellectual habits of mind, and pedagogic readiness through assessments other than a transcript review. These supplemental assessments may include: outstanding grades in courses in the proposed teaching field, additional standardized examinations such as the PRAXIS II in the proposed teaching field, and other performance exhibitions that the faculty determine.
In addition to fulfilling the requirements of your academic major, applicants to Teacher Education are also expected to complete several courses within the Education Department. Students preparing to teach at the lower grade levels, early childhood (age 3) through grade 4, complete a major in Humanities. Students planning to teach at the upper grade levels, 4-8, or 8-12, major in the discipline(s) they will teach. The professional education curriculum features an "early experience," and a series of one-hour seminars is available to students during their first and second year. Students apply to the teacher education program when they have completed 30 semester hours and at least one program. At that point, students officially enter the teacher education program.
The professional education curriculum provides opportunities to engage in independent learning and problem solving, and the program is characterized by a variety of seminars, laboratories, and practica scheduled in the public and private schools of greater San Antonio.
Students may wish to consult the general undergraduate course sequence or the special education course sequence for registration information.
