Teacher Education Program Highlights

Teacher Education Program is No. 1 in Texas and No. 2 in the United States
The teacher education program at Texas State University is the largest university–based teacher preparation program in Texas. In the 2012-2013 academic year, 904 candidates completed the teacher education program. Teacher education has been a central mission of the university since 1899 when the institution was established as Southwest Texas State Normal School. The teacher education program has received both state and national recognition and has strong working partnerships with the many central Texas school districts that provide the clinical settings in which the preparation program is delivered and, ultimately, employ program graduates.
The teacher education program consists of elementary, bilingual, special education, middle school, secondary, and all-level programs leading to teaching certificates in 32 different areas. The program is staffed by 78 faculty members who teach the 89 different teacher preparation courses and approximately 20 faculty members in the various departments across the campus.

Teacher Education is Responsive to Diverse Needs of Society
The mission statement of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction is to “prepare knowledgeable and effective teachers who are responsive to the diverse needs of society.
Through school and community partnerships, we advance research-based inquiry and instructional approaches that influence practice and policy.” We prepare our future teachers to understand, expect, and embrace diversity in the schools and communities where they teach.