With Texas' population rapidly increasing and many current teachers reaching retirement age, the state faces a critical shortage of certified teachers. In Dallas alone, more than 200 additional teachers are usually needed each fall when classes begin. In many Texas school districts, salaries range from $25,000 to $29,000 at the beginning level. The average salary for all teachers in the Dallas Independent School District is $39,000, with many schools offering bonuses for shortage areas such as bilingual, English as a second language and special education.
Job search and career planning assistance is available to students enrolled at the Dallas Campus. Students can learn resume and letter writing skills, job search strategies, interview preparation tips, and research current job openings and area employers.
The Texas State Board for Educator Certification has implemented new certification levels, to include the following:
The UNT interdisciplinary studies teacher certification programs for EC-4 and 4-8 at the Dallas Campus will prepare students to teach at these levels and to pass the certification examinations required to enter the field of education as a certified and highly qualified teacher.
Before taking courses for the interdisciplinary studies program, students must be admitted to the teacher education program. That program requires 61 semester hours to be completed, including all courses in the core curriculum. Admission requirements include an overall GPA of at least 2.75 and passing scores on the Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP) test, with a minimum score of 240 on the reading portion, or passing scores on the Texas Higher Education Assessment (THEA).
For individuals interested in becoming certified teachers at the levels of early childhood-fourth grade and fourth-eighth grade, UNT offers a bachelor of science degree with a major in interdisciplinary studies. The 139-credit-hour EC-4 program includes 58 semester hours in the major and 24 semester hours in education, among other components. The 137-credit-hour 4-8 program includes 51 semester hours in the major and 24 semester hours in education, in addition to other requirements. Students enrolled in either the EC-4 or 4-8 program will take the education courses at the Dallas Campus and will be involved in the UNT professional development school program that includes extensive field experiences in the Dallas Independent School District at Cowart Elementary and Stockard Middle schools.
Courses in the required education sequence that may be offered at the Dallas Campus include the following:
EDEE 3320 Foundations of Education/The School Curriculum
EDEE 3380 Teaching and Learning in Grades EC-8
EDRE 4820 Reading and Writing in Grades 4-8 or EDRE 4450 Reading and Writing (Birth-Grade 4)
EDRE 4840 Language and Literacy for Diverse Students (ESL)
EDRE 4850 Assessment and Evaluation of Reading and Writing (Birth-Grade 4)
EDRE 4870 Cross-Curricular (Content Area) Literacy Materials and Resources
The following courses are taken in the professional development school program year and will be offered at the Dallas Campus, with required field experiences at one of the two Dallas schools:
EDEE 4101 and 4102 Student Teaching in Grades EC-4, or
EDEE 4103 and 4104 Student Teaching in Grades 4-8
EDEE 4330 Science in Grades EC-8
EDEE 4340 Social Studies in Grades EC-8
EDEE 4350 Mathematics in Grades EC-8
EDRE 4860 Reading and the Language Arts in Grades EC-4 and 4-8
EDSP 4350 Strategies to Support Diverse Learners in General Education
Because the State Board for Educator Certification issues teacher certificates, candidates are required by the state to pass both a professional test and a test in the academic area. Both EC-4 and 4-8 candidates must take the Professional Practices and Responsibilities (PPR) exam and the comprehensive Generalist exam. A requirement of the student teaching semester at UNT is achieving passing scores on departmental examinations in these two areas. Students in these two programs are also required to develop a program portfolio, which will be presented in its final form as part of the student teaching semester.
The virtual library at the UNT Dallas Campus provides electronic access to several thousand periodicals, more than 400 electronic databases and a collection of thousands of books in digital format that will continue to grow. A core print collection of frequently used reference books is available on site.
An on-site staff of two professional librarians and several student assistants provides reference service. Additional reference service is available from librarians on the Denton campus. An online virtual reference desk chat room is available to students needing information from the Denton campus library system. The reference desk chat room allows users to interact directly with librarians in real time. Students may also work with Denton campus librarians via e-mail and telephone. Document delivery services from the UNT library system in Denton are provided for non-electronic resources.
The UNT Dallas Campus offers junior-, senior- and graduate-level courses leading to bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees. The Dallas Campus also offers programs leading to certifications and endorsements, and courses for career advancement. Courses and programs offered are of the same high quality as those offered at UNT in Denton and are taught by faculty from both the Dallas and Denton campuses. Dallas Campus students earn their degree from the University of North Texas.
The UNT Dallas Campus features the region's first virtual library, state-of-the-art classrooms, computer labs with Internet access and other services to help students achieve success.
The Dallas Campus is conveniently located at 7300 Houston School Road, three blocks north of Interstate 20, and is accessible by public transportation.
Since its opening in January 2000, enrollment at the UNT Dallas Campus has increased every semester. When enrollment equals 1,000 full-time equivalent students, UNT can begin the process to open UNT at Dallas - the first public university within the Dallas city limits.
The University of North Texas is a student-centered public research university and the flagship of the UNT System. One of Texas' largest universities, UNT offers 96 bachelor's, 111 master's and 50 doctoral degree programs, many nationally and internationally recognized. UNT's 33,500 students Discover the Power of Ideas.
UNT offers private-school quality at an affordable cost. More transfer students enroll at UNT than at any other college or university in Texas.
UNT is repeatedly listed as one of America's top 100 colleges for Hispanic students. UNT has been named one of America's 100 Best College Buys® for 12 consecutive years.
With 5.8 million in cataloged holdings, UNT's library system has been designated a major research library by the U.S. Department of Education.
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UNTDC Academic Advising Office
E-mail: dallasadvising@unt.edu
Phone: (972) 780-3645
Fax: (972) 780-3636
7300 Houston School Rd.
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