1. Evidence of freedom from serious mental and personality disorders or physical disabilities which would seriously impede effectiveness in the classroom or employment as a classroom teacher. The Education Advisory Council may require that the student, at his or her own expense, take a physical examination and/or submit to a psychological evaluation, which may include tests or inventories. Such evaluation must be completed and a report submitted to the Council by a licensed mental health professional who is acceptable to the University and who is aware of the Council’s concerns with regard to the candidate’s admission to clinical teaching or teaching internship. Students will not be admitted to clinical teaching or teaching internship until the evaluation results are made available to and reviewed by the Council and a final decision is made by the Education Advisory Council. Failure to comply with this process may result in non-admission to or dismissal from clinical teaching or teaching internship
2. No pattern of serious, documented behavioral problems as evidenced by a departmental review of the student’s file.
3. Ability to meet general requirements for the standard teaching certificate, as stated in the “Requirements of the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) for Provisional Certificate” section of this catalog.
4. For clinical teaching: completion of 110 semester hours. For internship: a bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 120 credit hours.
5. Overall grade point average of 2.75 or higher, and will include transfer courses and courses completed at McMurry, as calculated by the Registrar.
6. Grade point average of 2.75 or higher with no grade below “C” in any course listed under the degree requirements for the teaching certification desired.
7. Completion of all courses listed under the Certification degree plan with the exception of 7 hours of clinical teaching or teaching internship, and an additional 3 credit hours.
8. Each applicant will submit three recommendations for review by the Education Advisory Council.
9. Approval granted by the Education Advisory Council.

Criteria listed above in 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 9 will apply, and

Criteria listed above in 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 9 will apply, and

Students will apply in writing for admission to clinical teaching one semester prior to the anticipated semester of clinical teaching. An orientation meeting will be held each semester. Students should contact the C&I Department early in the semester to determine the time and location of the meeting.

In extreme circumstances, applications for fall clinical teaching may be accepted as late as July 1. Submitting a late application carries no guarantee of placement for the fall. Placement in such an instance is dependent upon circumstances beyond the control of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. Students are strongly urged to meet normal application deadlines.

The Department wants each McMurry student to have as much classroom experience as possible.  In many classes, there will be a field experience component that is embedded. This will include hand-on learning experiences in local schools.  The number of hours of field experiences vary by courses.

Prior to clinical teaching and all field-based experiences, students will undergo school district criminal history checks. The state of Texas also requires a criminal background check before an individual can receive a Texas teacher certification. Information regarding requirements for certification may be found on the TEA website.

Texas Administrative Code (TAC) 227.101c) states that a person who is enrolled or planning to enroll in a State Board of Educator Certification-approved educator preparation program or planning to take a certification examination may request a preliminary criminal history evaluation letter regarding the person’s potential ineligibility for certification due to a conviction or deferred adjudication for a felony or misdemeanor offense.

For more information about the Preliminary Criminal History Evaluation, click below.