Teacher Education

Bachelor of Arts - Teaching Program

The minimum total hours to graduate with a B.A. Teaching degree is 120 hours. Majors requiring more than 120 semester hours to graduate are identified (see specific major requirements).

• Preparation for teaching in the secondary school or in special subjects.
• Preparation for teaching in the elementary school (kindergarten and grades 1-6).
• Preparation for teaching in early childhood education (birth through grade 3).

Explore the various teaching programs UNI offers, with requirements for these programs throughout the catalog.

Educator Essentials Requirements

All candidates selecting a Bachelor of Arts-Teaching program are required to complete the Educator Essentials requirements.

Educator Essentials

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A grade of C (2.00) or higher is required in each Educator Essentials course.

Program admission and completion may include requirements and evaluations/assessments prescribed by the major, the Teacher Education Program, the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners and/or the Iowa Department of Education. Changes resulting from decisions made by the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners and/or the Iowa Department of Education can occur at any time and be binding upon both current and incoming students.

Exit Requirements

To be recommended for teaching licensure in Iowa, a student who graduates from the UNI Teacher Education Program must satisfactorily complete all courses in the major and/or minor and the teacher education requirements, have an overall GPA of 2.50 and a cumulative UNI GPA of 2.50, demonstrate acceptable dispositions via the absence of any Teacher Education Referrals, complete High Risk Behaviors training, and pass additional exit requirements as prescribed by the major, the Teacher Education Program, the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners and/or the Iowa Department of Education. A student not meeting these requirements may graduate but will not receive recommendation for licensure.

Iowa law requires that all teacher education students pursuing endorsements in 102 K-6 Teacher Elementary Classroom, 1001 Birth-Grade 3 Inclusive Settings, 148 K-8 Reading, 260 K-8 Instructional Strategist l, or 103 PK-K Teacher Pre Kindergarten-Kindergarten must complete the Foundations of Reading test administered by Pearson.

If the student plans to teach in another state, the student will need to check with that state for any additional exit examination requirements and procedures.

Admission to the Teacher Education Program

To be admitted to the Teacher Education Program, a student must fulfill the following requirements prior to registration for Professional Experience courses:

1. declare a teaching major;
2. have at least a 2.50 cumulative GPA;
3. file an acceptable Application for Admission to Teacher Education;
4. completion of 10 clinical experience hours in a school. This requirement can be completed through TEACHING 2020 Introduction to Teaching: Exploring Options or the equivalent. Any questions on the fulfillment of this requirement should be directed to teachereducation@uni.edu;
5. demonstrate acceptable dispositions (absence of any Teacher Education Referral);
6. fulfill any additional requirements as prescribed by the Teacher Education Program, the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners, or the Iowa Department of Education.

All teacher education candidates are strongly encouraged to pursue additional opportunities for experience working with children and adolescents throughout their teacher education program through paid employment and/or volunteer activities.

Admission to the Program is not guaranteed to all who apply. Students may appeal the decision to deny admittance to the Teacher Education Program or the decision to place them on academic probation in the Teacher Education Program when the decision is based on extreme circumstances over which the student has no control. In such cases, the student should contact teachereducation@uni.edu to set up an appointment to begin the appeal process.

UNI Teacher Education majors are expected to keep an active email account, using their uni.edu address.

Information concerning fee payments for tests, registration procedures, and test dates are available by contacting:

CATS Office
151 Schindler Education Center (SEC)
teachereducation@uni.edu
319-273-2265

Professional Experiences

Student involvement in all clinical experiences in teacher education is vital to the preparation of the prospective teacher. Methods coursework that provides instruction on how to teach is equally important. These experiences are provided through specific Professional Experience courses that use an EDUC prefix and are taught by individual departments offering teaching majors. See major requirements for additional details.

All students must complete a background check through the CATS Office (319-273-2265; https://teachered.uni.edu/) prior to entering PK-12 school buildings to work with pupils. Teacher candidates will be issued a certificate indicating completion of this background check process that can be accessed in MyUNIverse.

Student Teaching

Student teaching is a period of guided teaching which is up to a full semester in length. During this time, the student assumes increasing responsibility for the teaching-learning activities in the classroom. The student receives twelve (12) semester hours of credit for student teaching, evaluated on a credit/no-credit grading basis. 

One year in advance of the time a student plans to enroll in student teaching, the student will be invited to attend a Student Teaching Orientation during which the student will complete the necessary steps to apply to student teach and to receive a student teaching assignment. To be eligible for assignment to a student teaching placement, the student must have completed the following requirements:

1. FULL admission to the teacher education program;
2. a certificate in High Risk Behaviors/Substance Abuse;
3. a cumulative GPA of 2.50 or higher on work at all colleges and universities;
4. a UNI GPA of 2.50 or higher;
5. a 2.50 GPA in the appropriate academic department or department approval;
6. a grade of C (2.00) or higher in each Educator Essentials course;
7. completion of all professional experiences courses, besides student teaching, with a grade of C (2.00) or higher as well as other departmental requirements;
8. second background check within 6 months of starting student teaching;
9. demonstrate acceptable dispositions (absence of any Teacher Education Referral);
10. Health Education and Physical Education majors and minors are required to have current First Aid and CPR certification prior to student teaching.

The final student teacher placement is based upon fulfillment of all established requirements stated above, successful completion of EDUC Internship l and EDUC Internship ll (and a minimum of 80-100 contact hours in PK-12 schools), no open Teacher Education Referrals, and availability of placement.

For the completion of any undergraduate curriculum the student must earn four (4) to twelve (12) semester hours of credit in student teaching at this university. Not more than twelve (12) hours of credit in student teaching may be used toward the hours required for graduation.

Progressing Through the Teacher Education Program

This section provides an overview of practices that may delay a student from progressing through the Teacher Education Program in a timely fashion.

Four Decision Points are established to mark progression through the Teacher Education Program:

1. admission to the university,
2. admission to the Teacher Education Program,
3. admission to student teaching, and
4. recommendation for licensure.

Professional Education Faculty members, staff, and/or administrators may delay a student in moving through the Decision Points if a student demonstrates deficiencies in meeting course or Program Standards. Teacher Education Referrals may be filed by faculty, staff, and/or administrators, which can prevent a student form being recommended for licensure. Correcting the Teacher Education Referral may allow the student to move forward in the Program and be recommended for a teaching license.

Suspension from the Teacher Education Program

Any student who has one or more unresolved Teacher Education Referrals indicating significant deficiencies in meeting the standards for the UNI Teacher Education Program may be considered for suspension from the Program. Suspension from the Program is determined by the Teacher Candidate Professional Review Committee and is for a minimum of one calendar year. Only the most extreme circumstances would warrant consideration for re-admission before one calendar year has elapsed. At the time of suspension, students are informed of the conditions and procedures for re-admission to the Program. Students may appeal their suspension from the Teacher Education Program to the appropriate Teacher Education Senate. Should a student believe the Senate made a procedural error during the appeal process, the student may appeal to the Teacher Education Executive Council. Contact the CATS Office, 319-273-2265 for more information.

Emergency Suspension: Any student may be suspended immediately by the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies and Teacher Education for extreme, unforeseen circumstances such as endangerment of students, disruption of schools/classes, felonious behaviors, or ethical violations. Such suspensions will be referred to university officials and may become permanent.

Re-admission to the Teacher Education Program

Students wishing to be re-admitted to the Teacher Education Program should seek probationary re-admission. Contact the CATS Office, 319-273-2265 for more information.

The decision to re-admit students on a probationary status will be made by the Teacher Candidate Professional Review Committee. Conditions for probationary re-admission are determined on a case-by-case basis by the Committee and in accordance with conditions determined at the time of suspension. Upon successful completion of the probationary period, the Teacher Candidate Professional Review Committee determines conditions for full re-admission. 

Suspension for a second time is considered permanent. Only the most extreme circumstances would warrant consideration for re-admission a second time. Consideration of readmission following a second suspension from the teacher education program is determined by the Teacher Education Executive Council.

Teacher Licensure

Teaching licenses are issued by state departments of education and are valid only in the state of issue. A college or university recommendation is required for issuance of a license.

Students in the UNI Teacher Education program must meet requirements for an Iowa teaching license if they are to be recommended for licensure from the University of Northern Iowa. At graduation they are eligible for the Initial License, valid for a period of two years for the kind of service indicated by the endorsement on the license; e.g., elementary and early childhood teaching, secondary teaching in content areas, or teaching in a special area such as art or music. The student usually can secure appropriate licensure in other states by making proper application and fulfilling any additional requirements.

In addition to holding a license valid for a specific teaching level, the secondary teacher must also have endorsement in each subject to be taught. Endorsements are issued by the Iowa Department of Education on the recommendation of an institution. To secure the recommendation of the University of Northern Iowa, the student must meet the requirements for a teaching program (or equivalent) in the subject. Exceptions are made only with the authorization of the university department offering the program.

This university may recommend for licensure those graduates of other colleges or universities who complete the requirements of a Teacher Education program at UNI. 

Program completion may include evaluations/assessments prescribed by the major, the Teacher Education Program, the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners, and/or the Iowa Department of Education.

For additional information, contact: 

Office of the Registrar
University of Northern Iowa
Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0006

Students will need to work directly with the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners (BOEE) for an evaluation, sending transcripts, and recommendation for any endorsement where UNI does not offer an approved program in this catalog for. 

Board of Educational Examiners
Grimes State Office Building
400 E. 14^th St.
Des Moines, Iowa 50319-0147
Website: www.boee.iowa.gov

Hours of Credit Needed to Renew or Reinstate a License

Renewal and reinstatement requirements are established by the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners and are subject to change by that body at any time. Information concerning the renewal or reinstatement requirements may be obtained from the:

Board of Educational Examiners
Grimes State Office Building
400 E. 14^th St.
Des Moines, Iowa 50319-0147
Website: www.boee.iowa.gov

Teacher Education Programs

Majors

• Art Education - Teaching B.A.
• Biology - Teaching B.A.
• Business - Teaching B.A.
• Chemistry - Teaching B.A.
• Communication-Theatre - Teaching B.A.
• Comprehensive Secondary Science - Teaching B.A.
• Early Childhood Education - Teaching B.A.
• Earth Science - Teaching B.A.
• Elementary Education - Teaching B.A.
• Elementary Education: Purple Pathway - Teaching B.A.
• English - Teaching B.A.
• History - Teaching B.A.
• Mathematics - Teaching B.A.
  • Secondary Mathematics
  • Upper Secondary Mathematics
• Middle Level Education Dual Major - Teaching B.A.
• Middle Level Science Dual Major - Teaching B.A.
• Music Education - Teaching B.M.
  • Choral/General
  • Instrumental/General
  • Jazz/General
• Physical Education - Teaching B.A.
• Physics - Teaching B.A.
• Social Science - Teaching B.A.
  • All Social Science
  • Basic Social Science
• Spanish - Teaching B.A.
• Special and Inclusive Education - Teaching B.A.
• Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) - Teaching B.A.
• Technology and Engineering Education - Teaching B.S.
• TESOL/Modern Language - Teaching B.A.
  • TESOL/French
  • TESOL/Spanish

Minors

• Art Education - Teaching
• Basic Science (K-8) - Teaching
• Biology - Teaching
• Communication-Theatre - Teaching
• Deaf or Hard of Hearing - Teaching
• Early Childhood Education - Teaching
• Early Childhood Special Education - Teaching
• Earth Science - Teaching
• English - Teaching
• History Social Sciences Endorsements - Teaching
• Instructional Strategist - Teaching
• Literacy Education - Teaching
• Mathematics - Teaching
• Mathematics (K-8) - Teaching
• School Health Education - Teaching
• Social Studies (K-8) - Teaching
• Spanish - Teaching
• Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) - Teaching
• Technology Education - Teaching

Certificates

• Computer Science Education (K-8) - Teaching
• Computer Science Education (5-12) - Teaching
• CTE Information Technology - Teaching
• History Social Science Endorsements - Teaching
• Physics - Teaching