Great teachers come from a wide variety of backgrounds and undergraduate degree paths. Whether you’ve been envisioning this career for years or just starting to imagine yourself as a teacher, the School of Education at UW Tacoma is here to provide you with the pathways to begin a rewarding career!
Washington State needs qualified teachers. We especially need teachers who reflect the growing diversity of students in our classrooms. Competitive starting salaries with local districts average $65,000 with added financial incentives of $6,000-$10,000 for completing your master’s degree.
Our Teacher Credential Programs:
- Focus on the whole child: academic and socio-emotional well-being
- Emphasize equity and inclusion pedagogies always
- Promote family/community and school partnerships for learning
- Develop ethical advocates for diverse children, youth and families
Teacher Credential Program Benefits:
- Supportive faculty and staff
- Strong mentorship
- Multiple endorsement options
- High need or shortage area credentials
- Strong reputation with school districts
About the degree
The Bachelor of Arts in Education focuses on preparing ethical and reflective educators who transform learning, contribute to the community, exemplify professionalism, and promote diversity and justice in K-12 education. The program of study includes coursework and fieldwork in partner K-12 districts to merge cutting-edge research and theory with practice. Unique aspects of this program are the explicit integration of anti-racist, decolonizing, equity-centric, and inclusive pedagogies and practices, as well as partnering with communities, families/guardians, and school personnel to support a culturally responsive, holistic, and rigorous education for diverse learners.
This program will prepare students to be recommended for Washington State Residency Teacher Certification in Elementary Education Endorsement and a required choice of a concentration in a high- demand area, a second endorsement, in either Special Education or Teaching English Language Learners. Successful completion of all program and state requirements will prepare students to begin a career as a classroom teacher upon graduation.
UW Tacoma’s School of Education prepares you to enter the teaching profession ready to support students with a wide range of special needs, exceptionalities and learning differences in both special education and general education inclusion settings. We train teachers in specially designed instruction and research-based inclusion strategies to meet the multiple learning and social-emotional needs of diverse children and youth.
We prepare you to support English language learners across language proficiency levels in all content areas. The School of Education trains teachers for this diverse and fast-growing, high-need population by focusing on language growth, dual-language maintenance, academic development and socio-emotional well-being. We provide culturally/linguistically responsive and research-based curriculum and instruction in both coursework and field placements.
How to apply
Applications are currently being accepted.
Application deadlines are:
Autumn: September 15th
Winter: November 15th
Spring: March 10th
- If you are NOT CURRENTLY a UW Tacoma student, you must first apply for admission to UW Tacoma.
- CURRENT UW TACOMA students may complete the BA in Education Application
Questions? Contact Us
- email: uwted@uw.edu
- call: (253) 692-4430
- visit: West Coast Grocery 324 (M-F 9am - 5pm)
Admissions Requirements
Admission to the BA in Education program may be declared if following requirements are met:
- at least 45 credits of completed college coursework
The following prerequisite courses each with minimum grade of 2.0:
- Introduction to Psychology
- Introduction to Ethnic/Gender Studies
- Education Service Learning (direct service to individuals)
- One college-level English Composition course
*Please see your advisor for additional program requirements or for questions.
Curriculum
Pre-Requisite Courses
Psychology
Ethnic Studies Introduction (choose 1)
- T EGL 101 Introduction to Ethnic, Gender, and Labor Studies (2) I&S, DIV
- T EGL 112 Introduction to Indigenous Studies (5) VLPA, DIV
- T WOMN 101 Introduction to Women's Studies (5) I&S, DIV
- T EGL 266 Introduction to Labor Studies (5) SSc, DIV
Service Learning Focus (choose 1)
- T EDUC 290 Introduction to Teaching (5)
- T EDUC 292 Applied Urban Education (5) I&S
- T EDUC 301 Community Education: Learning Beyond the Classroom (5) I&S
English
Breadth Courses | Cognate
Mathematic Cognate
- T MATH 171 Mathematics for Teachers I: Number Systems and Algebraic Concepts (5) QSR
- T MATH 172 Mathematics for Teachers II: Statistics and Modeling (5) QSR
- T MATH 173 Mathematics for Teachers III: Geometry and Measurement (5) QSR
Science Cognate (choose 1)
- T CORE 102 Introduction to Science
- T EGL 304 Indigenous Ethnoecology
- T EGL 365 Indigenous Ethnobiology
- T BIOL 100 Introductory Biology
- T BIOL 102 Infectious Diseases in the 21st Century
- T BIOL 110 General Biology
- T BIOL 120 Introductory Biology I
- TESC 102 Aquatic Ecosystems in Urban Areas
- TESC 201 The Science of Environmental Sustainability
- TESC 345 Pollution and Public Policy
- T CHEM 131 Chemistry and Society
- T CHEM 142 General Chemistry I
- T PHYS 111 Introduction to Astronomy
- T PHYS 121 Physics-Mathematics
- ENVIR 100 Introduction to Environmental Science
Critical Humanities-Ethnic/Gender Literature (choose 1)
- TWRT 320 Rhetoric, Public Life and Civic Engagement
- TWRT 388 Writing for Social Change
- T LIT 230 Multi-Ethnic Literature
- T LIT 320 African American Literature from Slavery to the Present
- T LIT 324 African American Women’s Literature
- T LIT 331 Immigrant and Ethnic Literature
- T LIT 332 Asian American Literature
- T LIT 335 Middle Eastern American Literature (5) A&H, DIV
- T LIT 388 Cross Cultural Studies in Contemporary Women’s Literature
- T LIT 431 Contemporary Native American Women’s Literature
- T LIT 432 American Indian Literature (5, max. 10) A&H
- T LIT 425 Literature of the Harlem Renaissance
- T LIT 476 American Women’s Literature 19th and 20th Century texts.
- T LAX 277 Latin American Literature (5) A&H
- T LIT 487 African Folklore and Literature (5) SSc
- T LAX 250 Latinos/as in the Media
- T LAX 267 Introduction to Chicano/a Literature (5) A&H, DIV
- T LAX 355 Migration and the Transnational Family in Latino Literature and Film
- TLAX 360 Latinx Performance Histories
Ethnic Studies/ Socio-Cultural (choose 1)
- T EGL 301 Introduction to Indigenous Women and Feminism
- T EGL 302 Tribal Critical Race Theory and Critical Race Theory
- T EGL 303 Introduction to American Indian Education
- T EGL 305 The American Indian Movement
- T EGL 306 Indigenous Peoples of the Pacific (5) SSc, DIV
- T EGL 340 Intersections: Race, Gender, and Sexuality in a Global Perspective
- T EGL 419 African-American Culture and Consciousness
- T EGL 380 Gender and Sexuality Across Cultural and Historical Contexts
- T EGL 310 Intersectional Feminisms
- T EGL 435 Migration in the Modern World: Migrants, Immigrants, and Refugees (5) SSc, DIV
- T HIST 416 Life and Thought: Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, and Angela Davis
- T HIST 440 Black Labor in America (5) SSc, DIV
- T HIST 441 Black Freedom Movement in Perspective
- T LAX 225 Latinx Cultural Expressions
- T LAX 238 Latinos in the United States
- T LAX 290 Latinx Social Movements
- T LAX 333 Latino Histories
- T LAX 356 Latinx Urban Communities
- T LAX 380 Latinx Sexualities
- T LAX 400 Afro-Hispanic Culture
- T LAX 410 Caribbean Basin: Selected Topics (5, max. 10) SSc
- T LAX 461 Contemporary Mexican Culture (5) A&H
- T SOC 265 Race and Ethnicity in the U.S.
- T SOC 270 Introduction to Asian American Sociological and Interdisciplinary Perspectives
- T SOC 434 Women, Race and Class: Identity and Intergroup Relations
- TWOMN 345 Women and Work in the United States
Psychology Cognate (choose 2) (1 must be a development course)
- T PSYCH 220 Lifespan Development
- T PSYCH 306 Community Psychology, Research, and Action
- T PSYCH 319 Child Development
- T PSYCH 320 The Race, Class, and Gender Contexts of Child Development
- T PSYCH 321 Adolescent Psychology
- T PSYCH 345 Stereotyping, Prejudice, and Discrimination
- T PSYCH 400 Psychology of Gender (5) SSc, DIV
- T PSYCH 407 The Cultural Context of Developmental Psychology
- T PSYCH 418 Lifespan Imaginative Play
- T PSYCH 455 Immigrant Youth and Families
- T PSYCH 461 Asian American Psychology
Education Core
Cohort & Field Experience
Spring (Year 3)
- TEDUC 410 Science Methods K-8
- TEDUC 449 Teaching & Learning in Inclusive Settings
- TEDUC 460 Mathematics Methods I
- TEDUC 474 Native American Education Narratives & Centering Tribal Sovereignty
- TEDUC 441 Reading Methods and Interventions
Year 4
Autumn
- TEDUC 448 Classroom Management for Equity & Justice
- TEDUC 461 Mathematics Methods II
- TEDUC 464 Methods & Curricula in ELL Literacy Instruction
- TEDUC 462 Social Studies Methods
- TEDUC 487 Field Experience
- TEDUC 490 Reflective Seminar: Essentials of Teaching Practice
Winter
- TEDUC 426 Arts in School
- TEDUC 488 Field Experience II
- TEDUC 490 Reflective Seminar: Essentials of Teaching Practice
- TEDUC 463 Cultural & Linguistic Contexts for Instructing ELLs
- TEDSP 450 Special Education Principles & Practices I
Spring
- TEDUC 489 Field Experience III
- TEDUC 490 Reflective Seminar: Essentials of Teaching Practice
- TEDUC 419 Linguistics for Teachers
- TEDUC 465 Research & Methods in Mathematics & Science Instruction for ELLs
- TEDUC 469 Testing & Evaluation for ELLs
- TEDSP 443 Math Methods & Interventions
- TEDSP 444 Special Education Assessment & Evaluation
- TEDSP 447 Special Education & the Law
- TEDSP 451 Special Education Principles & Practices II
