About Certification

Earn Your Certification in Houston

Everything you need to know about getting certified to teach in Houston.

Earn Your Certification in Houston

Everything you need to know about getting certified to teach in Houston.

To get certified to teach in Texas:

Determine what you want to teach.
Choose the right certification area.
Review your pathway to certification.
Review other resources, if you're still exploring.

Note: We do our best to keep all information updated, but because certification requirements are regularly reviewed and revised, it is best to confirm requirements with your educator preparation program and the Texas Education Agency (TEA) before applying.

Which statement fits you best?

In Texas, teachers are awarded certification that allows them to teach a specific set of grades and subjects.

I already know what subject/grade I want to teach
I’m open to teaching different subjects
I'm already certified to teach

If you know what you’d like to teach—the grade level and subject matter—your next steps are to:

Identify your certification area (next section).
Select an educator preparation program that offers your desired certification area.
Apply to your educator preparation program.

Note: Each certification area requires its own set of exams. Don't forget to keep an eye on their deadlines!

I already know what subject/grade I want to teach
If you know what you’d like to teach—the grade level and subject matter—your next steps are to:
- Identify your certification area (next section).
- Select an educator preparation program that offers your desired certification area.
- Apply to your educator preparation program.
Note: Each certification area requires its own set of exams. Don't forget to keep an eye on their deadlines!
I’m open to teaching different subjects
If you're open to teaching different subject areas and grade levels, get a feel for what certifications are available by browsing the next section.

Pro Tip: You can narrow down which grade levels and subject areas to teach by considering state-designated shortage subjects, or a school that serves students from a low-income community, where the need for teachers is greatest. Your employment prospects will be strong, since there’s extra demand for these subjects, and you'll know you're making a difference.

According to the Texas Education Agency (TEA), for the 2017-2018 school year, high-needs subject areas were:
- Bilingual / English as a Second Language
- Career & Technical Education
- Computer Science / Technology Applications
- Mathematics
- Science
- Special Education
I'm already certified to teach
If you’re already certified to teach—in Houston or elsewhere—your next step is to learn more about your eligibility by reviewing the Texas Education Agency certification page.

These resources will help determine your pathway to certification if you are:
- An out-of-state educator looking to teach in Houston.
- An out-of-country educator looking to teach in Houston.
- A Houston educator looking to renew your certification.

Choosing a Certification Area

Once you know your grade and subject preferences, you can select a certification area. We've compiled all of them below.

Pro Tip: You can obtain endorsement certifications in different subjects throughout your teaching career. You don’t have to get all your certifications at once. ?

In some cases, you may have multiple certification options to choose from. For example, if you want to teach fourth, fifth or sixth grade, you could get (a) a certification for PK-6th grade and/or (b) a certification for 4th-8th grade.

These are the most common certification areas in Texas, per the State Board of Educator Certification (SBEC):

To use this tool:

Select the grade(s) and/or subject(s) you're interested in teaching, and the chart will update to show you what certifications you need.
Hover to explore additional notes and details.

Explore

Core Subjects

These certifications allow you to teach multiple subjects at the elementary and middle school levels. When you become certified to teach Core Subjects 4-8, you'll need to pass all four components of the exam (math, science, reading and social studies) to teach any one of those subjects.

Pro Tip: If you want to teach middle school, we think it's smart to get certified in Core Subjects 4-8. Why? You'll be more marketable as a teacher to school district employers!

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Certification Area	Subjects
Core Subjects: Early Childhood - Grade 6	• Art• English Language Arts / Reading• Health• Mathematics• Music• Physical Education• Science• Social Studies• Technology Applications• Theater
Core Subjects: Grades 4-8	• English Language Arts / Reading• Mathematics• Science• Social Studies

Core Subjects (Single)

This certification allows you to teach one or more single core subject area(s) at the middle school and high school levels. If you want to be a high school teacher, you should get certified in one of the single core subjects.

Heads Up: If you want to teach middle school, you have options. You can either take a core subject exam (see the Core Subjects section above) or you can get certified in a single subject.

Subject Area	Certification Area, (Grades)	Subjects
English Language Arts and Reading	English Language Arts and Reading (7-12)	All ELA/Reading courses, except journalism and speech
Journalism (7-12)	All journalism courses
Speech (7-12)	All speech courses
Social Studies	History (7-12)	• All social studies courses (7-8)• All history courses (9-12)
Social Studies (7-12)	• All social studies courses (7-12)• All economics courses (9-12)
Mathematics and Science	Chemistry (7-12)	• All science courses (7-8)• All chemistry courses (9-12)
Life Sciences (7-12)	• All science courses (7-8)• Biology, environmental systems, environmental science, and aquatic science courses (9-12)
Mathematics (7-12)	All mathematics courses
Mathematics / Physical Science / Engineering (6-12)	• All mathematics courses (6-12)• All science courses (6-8)• All physics and chemistry courses (9-12)
Physical Sciences (6-12)	• All science courses (7-8)• All physics and chemistry courses (9-12)
Physics / Mathematics (7-12)	• All mathematics courses (7-12)• All science courses (7-8)• All physics courses (9-12)
Science (7-12)	All science courses

Enrichment Subjects (Single)

This certification allows you to teach a single enrichment subject area in pre-K through high school classrooms.

Subject Area	Certification Area, (Grades)	Subjects
Fine Arts	Art (EC-12)	All art curriculum
Dance (6-12)	All dance courses
Music (EC-12)	All music curriculum
Theater (EC-12)	• All theater curriculum (PK-12)• Musical theater (9-12)
Health	Health (EC-12)	All health curriculum
Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps	Junior ROTC (6-12)	All Junior ROTC coursesNote: Instructor certificate issued by a military branch also required.
Languages other than English	American Sign Language (EC-12)	All courses in certified language
Arabic (EC-12)
Chinese (EC-12)
French (EC-12)
German (EC-12)
Hindi (EC-12)
Italian (EC-12)
Japanese (EC-12)
Korean (EC-12)
Latin (EC-12)
Portuguese (EC-12)
Russian (EC-12)
Spanish (EC-12)
Turkish (EC-12)
Urdu (EC-12)
Vietnamese (EC-12)
Physical Education	Physical Education (EC-12)	All physical education curriculum
Technology Applications and Computer Science	Computer Science (8-12)	• Computer Science I, II and III (8-12)• Digital Forensics, Robotics Programming and Design, Fundamentals of Computer Science, Advanced Placement Computer Science Principles, Game Programming and Design, Mobile Application Development (9-12)
Technology Applications (EC-12)	All technology applications curriculum, except for Computer Science I and II

Academic Specialty

In Texas, specialty teaching areas require “supplemental” certifications, meaning you must first get a “base” initial certificate for grade/subject area, and then complete additional coursework and/or testing to receive the supplemental certification.

Check with the programs you’re interested in to understand how they prepare teachers in these certification areas and to get additional details around timing and process.

Subject Area	Certification Area, (Grades)	Subjects
Bilingual Education	Bilingual Supplemental Certificate	Any bilingual or English as a Second Language program at the same grade levels and in the content area(s) of your base certificate.
English as a Second Language	English as a Second Language Supplemental Certificate	• Any English as a Second Language program at the same grade levels and in the content area(s) of your base certificate.• The English component of a dual language immersion/one-way or two-way bilingual program model (PK-6).
Gifted and Talented Education	Gifted and Talented Supplemental Certificate	Any Gifted and Talented program at the same grade levels and in the content area(s) of your base certificate.
Special Education	Special Education (EC-12)	Any Special Education instructional program for eligible students aged 3-21. However, if providing content instruction in a special education setting, an additional valid certificate in that subject and grade level is also required.
Special Education Supplemental Certificate	Any Special Education instructional program at the same grade levels and in the content area(s) of your base certificate.

Career and Technical Education

These certifications allow you to teach career and technical education subject areas at the middle school and high school levels.

Subject Area	Certification Area, (Grades)	Subjects
Career and Technical Education	Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources (6-12)	All agricultural science and technology courses
Business and Finance (6-12)	All business and finance courses
Family and Consumer Sciences, Composite (6-12)	All family and consumer sciences courses
Health Science (6-12)	Health science courses in approved skill areasNote: 2 years of full-time paid experience and current licensure by a nationally recognized accrediting agency as a health sciences practitioner are required for this certification area.
Hospitality, Nutrition, and Food Sciences (8-12)	Culinary Arts, Food Science, Hospitality and Tourism, Lifetime Nutrition and Wellness, Retailing and e-tailing courses
Human Development and Family Studies (8-12)	Human Growth and Development, Human Services, Lifetime Nutrition and Wellness, Counseling and Mental Health, Dollars and Sense, Education and Training courses
Marketing (6-12)	All marketing coursesNote: 2 years of full-time paid experience is also required for this certification area.
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (6-12)	All science, technology, engineering, and math cluster courses
Technology Education (6-12)	All technology education courses
Trade and Industrial Education (6-12)	Trade and Industrial courses in approved skill area.Note: At least 2 years of full-time paid experience and passage of a recognized test or measurement in that occupational area are required for this certification. With 5 years' paid experience, a high school diploma may be sufficient.

Your Pathway to Teaching

With requirements under your belt, you're ready to start your journey to becoming a teacher in Texas.

Gain admission into an accredited university and earn a bachelor’s degree.
Texas accepts degrees from a large number of universities, but you should confirm that yours is accredited by one of the Texas-approved accreditation agencies.

Note: If you have a bachelor’s degree from outside of the U.S., it is possible to meet this requirement if the educator preparation program you apply to deems your degree from a foreign credential evaluation service equivalent to an accredited program.
Gain admission into and graduate from an approved Texas educator preparation program.
You can meet this requirement either as part of your undergraduate coursework (e.g. earning a BA in Education) or by applying to and graduating from a post-baccalaureate educator preparation program after earning your BA degree.

Browse programs now with the Houston Program Explorer.
Pass Texas certification exams.
You’ll have to pass one or more exams that evaluate your knowledge of teaching and the subject area(s) you wish to teach. Depending on your education preparation pathway, passing this test might be an eligibility requirement to apply to a program, or you might end up taking it after enrolling. Tests usually cost $131 each, and you are allowed up to five attempts to pass.

Pro Tip: You may see these exams referred to as the Pre-Admissions Content Test (PACT) and the Texas Examinations for Educator Standards (TExES), but they are exactly the same. The different names just refer to when you take the exam: If it’s prior to admission, it’s referred to as the PACT, but otherwise it’s called the TExES. See Texas Educator Certification Testing for more details.
Submit a state application.
After you meet the three requirements above, it’s time for you to formally apply for your teaching certificate. First confirm with your educator preparation program that you are eligible to apply and utilize any supports they can provide in the process.

Pro Tip: Download this resource from the TEA for instructions on creating an account and applying through the online portal.
Complete fingerprinting for a criminal background check.
You are required to complete a fingerprint check for $49 (initial payment through the TEA online application portal), and any criminal history you have will be evaluated on a case by case basis by the TEA.

Additional Resources

Looking to dive a little deeper? ?

About Post-Graduate "Alt Cert"
Dig into the details about the post-graduate alternative certification route. Learn more.
Learn More
About the Residency Model
Read the National Center for Teacher Residencies's resource on the residency model in general, as well as residency programs available in Texas. Learn more.
Learn More
Texas-Approved Prep Program Database
Access a full database from the Texas Education Agency of all Texas-approved educator preparation programs. Learn more.
Explore

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Which statement fits you best?

Choosing a Certification Area

Your Pathway to Teaching

Gain admission into an accredited university and earn a bachelor’s degree.

Gain admission into and graduate from an approved Texas educator preparation program.

Pass Texas certification exams.

Submit a state application.

Complete fingerprinting for a criminal background check.

Additional Resources