The education and licensure of teachers is of great interest to policy makers and accreditation bodies. In fact, WSU does not license teachers but rather recommends individuals to the Utah State Office of Education (USOE) for licensure. Utah and the Federal government both have interest in insuring that all children are taught by well-prepared, highly qualified teachers. Formal admissions policy demonstrates the Department’s commitment to attracting, admitting, and preparing quality teachers.
How do I become admitted to Teacher Education Licensure Programs?
Provisional
admissions to licensure programs is
on a competitive basis. The Teacher
Education Admissions and Retention
Committee is given the charge of
screening program applicants.
Members of the committee are made up
of faculty and staff in the
Department of Teacher Education as
well as faculty in WSU arts and
sciences departments. The
admission/retention committee
provisionally admits and then
monitors student progress throughout
programs of study. After candidates
have completed several semesters and
demonstrated professional knowledge,
skills, and dispositions, they
become candidates for licensure and
become fully admitted to a licensure
program.
What types of licensure programs does the Department offer?
The Department
offers licensure programs in the
following areas: Elementary
Education, Early
Childhood/Elementary Education Dual,
Elementary/Special Education, and
Secondary Education. For additional
information regarding these
programs, please visit the Teacher
Education Advisement Center on the
second floor of the McKay Education
Building.
Is a Utah Teaching License good in other states?
Teacher
licensure is the responsibility of
the individual 50 states. However,
Utah has entered into reciprocal
agreements with 36 other states
where a Utah teaching license would
enable an individual to receive a
license from the target state with
little or no additional coursework.
If you are interested in teaching in
another state, you will need to
contact that state’s education
office for further details.
What is the job outlook for teachers in Utah?
Utah, as well
as other states, has critical
teacher shortages in the following
areas: special education,
ESL/bilingual education,
mathematics, and the sciences.
Individuals in these areas typically
have little difficulty in finding
jobs. However, there are teaching
openings in almost all other areas.
WSU career services estimates that
90 percent of teacher education
graduates will find jobs.
How much are teachers paid?
It depends on the experience and amount of training a teacher has. A new graduate, for example, would begin as a first year teacher with a bachelors degree. An experienced teacher may be in their 12th year of teaching with a masters degree and thus would be on a higher salary schedule. To find out starting salaries, please contact your local school district’s human resource department.