College of Liberal Arts
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Required Coursework

The UTeach-Liberal Arts Program begins with four core courses taken sequentially, regardless of the semester you enter the program. Semester 3 and Semester 4 (UTL 640 and UTL 360/670) must be taken consecutively.  The coursework involves consistent and continuing classroom exposure, and courses are offered during long semesters (spring and fall) only.
In addition to attending the seminars on the UT-Austin campus, UTL 101, 202, 640, 360 & 670 require field placement in schools for an increasing number of hours each semester. This means that you must allow time during the day (preferably morning) to complete this field experience. Be sure to plan for more than just your scheduled classroom time—factor in additional time for traveling to and from your assigned school.

Students who are further along in their academic journey may be eligible to take UTL 101 and UTL 202 simultaneously, allowing them to complete the program in just three semesters. To pursue this option, you must meet all eligibility requirements and schedule a meeting with a UTeach-Liberal Arts advisor to create a personalized course plan and determine if this pathway is the right fit for you.

For detailed course descriptions and requirements, visit the Course Descriptions page.

The UTeach-Liberal Arts program requires full-time class attendance during the day. UTeach-LA does not offer online, evening or distance-learning courses for the pedagogy content required coursework, and does not give credit for current or previous teaching experience or pedagogy teaching courses from other programs. At least six semester credit hours needs to be taken at UT-Austin in your certification area.

Pedagogy Training: The Undergraduate Four-Semester Sequence

Semester 1

  • UTL 101 – Introduction to the Teaching Profession
  • Seminar plus 10 hours of field experience

Semester 2

  • UTL 202 – Introduction to Teaching in the Middle School
  • Seminar plus 20 hours of field experience

Semester 3

  • UTL 640 - Teaching in Secondary Schools
  • Seminars plus 50 hours of field experience

Semester 4

  • UTL 360 – Problems and Principles in Secondary Education
  • UTL 670 – Directed Teaching in Secondary Schools
  • 490 hours of student teaching in a secondary school during the final semester of the UTeach-Liberal Arts program. UTL 670 is taken on a pass/fail basis; UTL 360 must be taken for a letter grade.

Developmental Coursework

  • SED 322C - Individual Differences Prerequisite: Psychology 301 or the equivalent.
  • EDP 363M** is now EDP 350G - Adolescent Development
  • EDC 339F - Adolescent Literacy Required for students seeking English 4-8, English 7-12, and Social Studies 4-8 certification.

Pedagogy Training: The Undergraduate Three-Semester Sequence

Semester 1

  • UTL 101 – Introduction to the Teaching Profession & UTL 202 – Introduction to Teaching in the Middle School
  • UTL 101 Seminar plus classroom coursework
  • UTL 202 Seminar plus 20 hours of field experience

Semester 2

  • UTL 640 - Teaching in Secondary Schools
  • Seminars plus 50 hours of field experience

Semester 3

  • UTL 360 – Problems and Principles in Secondary Education
  • UTL 670 – Directed Teaching in Secondary Schools
  • 490 hours of student teaching in a secondary school during the final semester of the UTeach-Liberal Arts program. UTL 670 is taken on a pass/fail basis; UTL 360 must be taken for a letter grade.

Developmental Coursework

  • SED 322C - Individual Differences Prerequisite: Psychology 301 or the equivalent.
  • EDP 363M** is now EDP 350G - Adolescent Development
  • EDC 339F - Adolescent Literacy Required for students seeking English 4-8, English 7-12, and Social Studies 4-8 certification.

Content Area Coursework

Refer to the College of Liberal Arts website for sample degree plans for Chinese, economics, English, French, geography, German, government, history, Japanese, Latin, and Spanish majors. You may also meet with an advisor in your major to obtain and review your official degree plan.
Each content area has different required content area coursework that supports your professional development in teaching. Review UTeach-LA Course Requirement Handouts for specific content coursework in your area. Special attention should be paid to ensure you take the correct content area courses each semester. You may also meet with your content area advisor to review UTeach-Liberal Arts requirements.

Coursework for the UTeach-Liberal Arts program is dictated by the State Coordinating Board for Higher Education and the State Board for Educator Certification, not by University catalogs. Therefore, changes in requirements may be independent of major and university requirements and may take place at anytime.