Becoming a teacher requires a degree with an academic major and completion of a teacher education program. Sixty-nine colleges and universities in Texas offer teacher education programs for undergraduate students. Most of these colleges and universities as well as several Regional Education Service Centers and a few school districts also offer teacher certification programs for people who already have a degree. After deciding to be a teacher, a first important step is to decide what age group of children to teach. In Texas, four different certification levels are available.

Early Childhood through Grade 4

Teachers of students in these grades are usually responsible for all children and all subjects. The two certificates available at this level are the Generalist and the Bilingual Generalist. At Texas State, the degree used to obtain this certificate is the Bachelor of Science degree with a Major in Interdisciplinary Studies.

Grade 4 through Grade 8

Teachers of students in these grades, usually called middle schools or junior high schools, may choose to be broadly educated in order to teach self-contained classes at the lower grades in the range, or they may elect to specialize in one or two teaching areas. The certificates available at this level are: Generalist, English Language Arts/Social Studies, Mathematics, Science, and Mathematics/Science. As with the EC-4 certificate, the degree used to obtain one of these certificates is the Bachelor of Science degree with a Major in Interdisciplinary Studies.

Grade 8 through Grade 12

Teachers at these grades enjoy working with adolescents to help them reach their academic goals and to prepare them for post-secondary lives. To prepare to become a teacher of grades 8-12 at Texas State, students select a degree and a major and minor in one of several academic departments that offer teacher education programs. For example, if a person wants to be a teacher of English, then that person will select a Bachelor of Arts Degree with a Major in English and a suitable minor.

Similarly, if a person wants to be a Mathematics teacher, then that person will select either a Bachelor of Science Degree or a Bachelor of Arts Degree with a Major in Mathematics and a suitable minor. The teaching certificates available for grades 8-12 are: Foreign Languages (French, German, and Spanish), Dance, Speech Communications, English/Language Arts, History, Mathematics, Social Studies (History, Geography, Government, and Economics), Computer Science, Family & Consumer Science, Agriculture Science, Industrial Technology, Business Education, and Journalism.

All-level

In a few cases, teachers are prepared to work with students at all grade levels and ages. The teaching fields available are: Physical Education, Health, Special Education, Art, Theatre, and Music.