Apprentice (Student) Teacher Candidates

In the UTeach Program, the final course before graduation is Apprentice Teaching. The course consists of a one-hour, weekly seminar (UTCH 4101) taught on the Brownsville or Edinburg campus by UTeach master teachers and a 15-week, full-day placement (UTCH 4601) in a local high school or middle school science or mathematics classroom under the guidance of an experienced teacher and a UTeach master teacher serving as the university supervisor.

It is highly recommended that students complete all coursework for their degree before taking Apprentice Teaching.

Apprentice teachers will begin the semester as observers of the classroom teacher. By the end of the semester, they will be teaching multiple classes each day. One day per week, they will return to the university campus for the seminar. Their final project in the seminar course will be to submit a portfolio of their work in the UTeach program.

During the week of final exams at the end of the fall and spring semesters, a graduation banquet is held on each campus to celebrate the completion of the program by apprentice teachers. A total of 123 students have graduated from the program since spring 2014.