With cutting-edge research, expert faculty and varied programs, the UCF School of Teacher Education is prepared to guide students along their path. 

Simply put, the University of Central Florida’s School of Teacher Education wants to help anyone who wishes to become a teacher find the right pathway for bringing that dream to life.

“We pride ourselves on quality programs that focus on teacher needs,” says Andrea C. Borowczak, EdD, director and professor of the School of Teacher Education.

With a mission of promoting educational excellence and community partnerships, the School of Teacher Education is a unit within the UCF College of Community Innovation and Education. It offers myriad undergraduate and graduate programs for both traditional and nontraditional students alike.

Program Offerings

There are four bachelor’s degree programs—early childhood development and education, elementary education, exceptional student education and secondary education—although students do not have to know what path they want to take right away. These programs prepare teachers to work with children from birth to age 18 in every discipline.

“We focus on delivering on quality programs and being there for our students,” Borowczak affirms.

For those students who are unsure, career advice is available at the UCF centralized advising office. The School of Teacher Education is a good place to glean guidance, too.

“Our faculty will always engage with students to ask them questions and help them figure out the best degree to pursue,” says Borowczak. “Then it’s up to the students to make that decision.”

Students can be pending when they start, giving them the opportunity to take a few classes before deciding on a program. And even then, there is never an obligation to stay within that chosen path.

“There’s always the ability to switch,” Borowczak promises potential students.

In addition to offering a bachelor’s degree in many disciplines, the School of Teacher Education also offers a number of minor tracks. Degrees such as K-12 art and world languages as well as 6-12 (secondary) science and mathematics are available. 

And then there are the higher-level degrees: the master’s degree programs, doctoral programs and certificates. 

“There are an amazing number of degrees that sometimes people forget about,” Borowczak says. “Physical education—PE—there are a lot of people that just don’t even realize that is still offered.”

For someone who may already have a teaching degree but wants to switch gears to a new discipline, the School of Teacher Education is well equipped to help them on their educational journey, too.

“We have pathways for people with prior degrees,” Borowczak notes, “and for those who don’t have a degree at all.”

Further, the School of Teacher Education expands students’ world views through its Global Pathways Program, designed for those students who want to complete some of their student teaching in another country.

Unique Pathways

The School of Teacher Education wants to serve its own students and, in extension, the school districts their students will be working for in the future. Because of this, much of its offerings and curricula are influenced by specific student and district needs.

For example, in response to a request by Marion County Public Schools, the School of Teacher Education recently created its Secondary Education MEd Online Mathematics and Science Pathway for teachers interested in teaching math and science but who are currently teaching another subject.

“Any teacher from anywhere can maintain their full-time job and take this program to get their master’s,” Borowczak says.

Similarly, the paraprofessional E2P2 program affords paraprofessionals working in Orange County Public Schools the opportunity to work full time while simultaneously finishing coursework to become an elementary school teacher.

Offering these alternative schooling pathways is essential in tackling nationwide teacher shortages, too, according to Borowczak. 

“In a nutshell, [these programs] revolve around innovation and innovative ways to allow people who would like to be teachers to find a pathway that fits their needs,” she says. “We know that not everyone can do a traditional pathway. There are just things that happen in life, so sometimes you need a different pathway.”

The classic model of higher education—graduate high school, go straight to college for four years and then start a job—is still offered as an option, but it’s not what everyone needs or wants, and the School of Teacher Education understands this.

“With these innovative pathways and spaces, we have to be able to open up doors that might have in the past been closed because we have to think of this as something that’s not necessarily a traditional path,” explains Borowczak. “We serve Florida and the nation, but we also specially serve Central Florida, and we want to be attentive to the needs of the districts.”

Staying Ahead of the Curve

UCF is a research university known for innovation, and the School of Teacher Education is no exception. This gives students an edge, according to Borowczak. The School of Teacher Education has roughly 27 tenure-earning faculty members who are continually exploring research and conducting studies.

“That research leads to the cutting edge of what is happening and why it’s happening. It leads to, basically, helping teachers have the tools needed for the job,” she says.

Being housed in a research space is beneficial to students, since what is being done in the field is being brought immediately into the classroom. Such an approach helps foster an environment that’s both innovative and ahead of the curve.

The School of Teacher Education also keeps its sights set on the future of education by focusing on its five core values: Transformation; Ethics and Excellence; Advocacy; Collaboration; and Human Life.

“In all the decisions we make, we look for high teacher quality. We’re focused on our students,” Borowczak says. “But those core values are what drive the decisions that we make. They drive new programs that we offer. They drive our views of working in an educational space because we are constantly between the practice of the field and the theory of the research.”

Navigating that space, Borowczak explains, is important and critical, but it takes care and caution, too.

“Those core values are like our guidepost,” she says.

Taking that first step

Borowczak encourages interested students to reach out to the School of Teacher Education directly at the number below. They can even contact Borowczak herself, and she will connect them with the person (ste@ucf.edu).

“We want to help people who want to be teachers,” Borowczak says. “So if there’s someone who is interested, all they have to do is reach out.”

The University of Central Florida School of Teacher Education
Orlando
(407) 823-6759
CCIE.UCF.edu/TeacherEd/