Communication Studies (Speech) teacher certification

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The College of Arts and Sciences encourages students to explore teaching at the secondary level as a career option. The student’s academic advisor in the Dean’s Office for Undergraduates and Student Advising in GAB, Room 220, can assist students with specific requirements for teacher certification in Speech. Upon completion of this program, students will be prepared to sit for the certification examinations in Speech.

Communication Studies admission and initial requirements

Entering students are classified as majors but must fulfill initial requirements for the degree prior to enrolling in upper division courses in the department. An advisor is available in the department to help students with questions regarding the degree and transitioning from lower division to upper division courses. To progress from lower division course work to upper division course work, students must complete the following requirements.

30 hours of college credit

Complete at least 30 hours of college credit, including:

English composition requirement

Complete the university core English composition and rhetoric requirement with a grade of C or better in each course.

Communication studies (COMM) courses

Complete the following COMM courses with a grade of C or better in each course.

GPA requirement

Have a UNT grade point average of 2.5 or higher.

Major requirements, 39 hours

Initial requirements, 18 core hours

Initial upper-division course sequence requirements

COMM 3010 may be taken concurrently with one other communication course; students may either take COMM 3010 concurrently with their final 2000-level COMM core course or their first enrollment in an upper-division course. If students elect to take COMM 3010 concurrently with their first upper-division course, they may select a course from among the following upper-division courses:

COMM 3120 - Nonverbal Communication
COMM 3260 - Storytelling
COMM 3265 - Topics in Storytelling
COMM 3320 - Communication and Conflict Management
COMM 3720 - Small Group Communication
COMM 3760 - Performance Methods
COMM 3840 - Argumentation and Debate
COMM 3860 - Group Performance
COMM 3920 - Organizational Communication
(Students who do not complete COMM 3010 with a grade of C or better are prohibited from enrolling in other upper-division communication courses until they have completed COMM 3010 successfully.)

9 hours distributed

One course taken from each group:

Group A

Group B

Group C

3 hours of theory, chosen from

3 hours capstone experience

COMM 4810 - Communication Research and Praxis

6 additional advanced hours in communication studies (COMM) courses

Chosen in consultation with an advisor.

See major for additional course work and GPA requirements.

Additional requirements

Majors are required to complete COMM core courses before registering in upper-division courses. Students who register for a course for which they have not completed prerequisite(s) with a grade of C or better are subject to being dropped from the course.

Because of the high demand for many COMM courses, students who miss the first class day without prior consent are subject to being dropped from the course so that other students may be added. It is the student’s responsibility to secure prior consent of the instructor.

Students must also complete the required 21 hours in upper-level education courses (EDSE 3800 , EDSE 3830 , EDSE 4060 , EDSE 4070 , EDSE 4108 , EDSE 4118 , EDSE 4840 ) and meet all GPA requirements to apply for state certification. In order to enroll for the first required education course, the student must make application to the certification program in the College of Education in Matthews Hall, Room 105.

All state certification requirements and information on required examinations is available on the web site of the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC), www.tea.state.tx.us.