Department of Curriculum & Instruction 
Education is a vital force in the Rio Grande Valley, affecting just about every aspect of the social and economic fabric of our communities. Thus, the preparation of teachers, which is our unit’s primary role and responsibility, is tantamount to constructing new bridges and highways, except that in our case these venues lead toward a future where our children are at stake. It’s not surprising that our mission and goals are closely aligned with the University’s. After all, we pride ourselves for having a curriculum that is student-centered and focused on a framework that includes the social and cultural contexts of education, preparing our students for the challenges of tomorrow’s global society.

Our excellent teacher preparation program is a result of the collective energy and efforts of our faculty. Our dedicated faculty members challenge our students at every “benchmark” step of the way. Equipped with pedagogical understandings and perspectives, we use constructivist approaches to build upon our students’ linguistic and cultural resources. Our students achieve their optimal goals because we maintain high expectations for their success and we genuinely care about their professional lives.

I’m very proud to be a new member of the UTPA academic community. As the Department head, my goal is to facilitate the success of every member of our faculty. We take our leadership role very seriously and we aim for success, one student at a time.

The Department serves undergraduate students in the following teacher preparation programs: