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JEP Application Process

All applicants will need to complete the following to be considered for admission to the JEP program. Read all directions before completing this application, and reach out to beateacher@utk.edu or call 865-974-5203 if you have any questions.

  • Complete the Job-Embedded Practitioner Program Application
  • Apply to the UT Graduate School – https://gradschool.utk.edu/admissions/
    • Except for Agriculture & School Library, you will apply to the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences, Department of Theory and Practice in Teacher Education, and choose the Teacher Education MS: Practitioner (Online) program or the Teacher Education EdS: Practitioner (Online) Concentration if you have already obtained a Master’s degree.
  • Background Clearance & Fingerprint Scan
    • Submit an Intent to Hire Form – If you have been hired as a Teacher of Record, the local school district will complete and send the form to beateacher@utk.edu.
    •  Or complete the Background Clearance and Fingerprint Process through UT.
  • Submit a passing Praxis Content Area exam score if your major is not in the content area that you will be teaching.
    • Example: The major listed on your official transcripts is in Biology and you have been hired to teach Biology = No Praxis is needed for admissions.
    • Example: The major listed on your official transcripts is in Health Sciences and you have been hired to teach Biology=Passing the Praxis Content Area exam score needed

Monitor your email for communication from the UT Office of Professional Licensure (beateacher@utk.edu). Add this email address to your address book or “safe” list to ensure that emails will be received (and not sent to junk/spam boxes). Given the application deadlines, if we need to contact you for additional information, we ask that you respond quickly.

Application Process: Professional Attitudes, Dispositions, and Competencies

Please note that this application contains essay questions and a dispositional self-assessment.

The essay questions are as follows:

  • Why do you think that you could become a successful teacher?
  • Why have you chosen to enter this particular field of teaching?
  • What experiences have you had with children and/or youth?

UT expects that the teacher candidate maintains Professional Competencies, Attitudes, and Dispositions (ProCADs) identified as essential to the teaching profession. More information on the ProCADs expected of all teacher candidates can be found HERE. As a part of this application, you will complete a self-assessment relating to your professional competencies, attitudes, and dispositions.

After you have drafted your essay responses and considered your ProCADS, click here to complete the Job-Embedded Practitioner Program Application.

Application Process: Applying to The UT Graduate School

To be admitted to the Job-Embedded Program, you must also be admitted to the UT Graduate School. To apply, please click here. Important Notes on Graduate School Application

  • You will be applying for a Distance Education program (not a campus-based program).
  • Except for the Agriculture & School Library, you will apply to the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences, Department of Theory and Practice in Teacher Education, and choose the Teacher Education MS: Practitioner (Online) program or the Teacher Education EdS: Practitioner (Online) Concentration if you have already obtained a Master’s degree.
  • You will need to follow the directions in the Graduate School application to submit official transcripts of ALL degrees you have received.
    • The TN Department of Education requires that Official Transcripts be issued by the higher education institution and received by another institution. Please reach out to your former institution to have them send an official transcript to the UT Graduate School, gradtranscripts@utk.edu.

Agriculture Education applicants should contact the department directly by contacting the Program Coordinator, Tyler Granberry at tgranber@utk.edu.

School Librarian (Library Information Specialist) applicants should contact the department directly by contacting the Program Coordinator, Scot Smith at ssmith40@utk.edu.

**If you have obtained a degree from an institution outside of the U.S., you must submit an original, course-by-course transcript evaluation of all degrees held, accompanied by copies of the transcripts evaluated by an approved academic evaluation service provided by the Tennessee Department of Education. The following academic evaluation services are members of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (http://www.naces.org), or the Association of International Credential Evaluators, Inc. (http://www.aice-eval.org). 

  • A2Z Evaluations, LLC – http://www.a2zeval.com
  • Academic Credentials Evaluation Institute, Inc. – http://www.acei-global.org
  • American Association of Collegiate Registrars & Admission Officers – http://www.aacrao.org
  • Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc. – http://www.ece.org
  • Educational Perspectives, Inc. – http://www.edperspective.org
  • Evaluation Services, Inc. – http://www.evaluationservice.net
  • Foreign Consultants, Inc. – http://www.foreignconsultants.com
  • Foreign Credits, Inc. – http://www.foreigncredits.com
  • Foundation for International Service – http://www.fis-web.com
  • Global Credential Evaluators, Inc. – http://www.gceus.com
  • International Education Research Foundation – http://www.ierf.org
  • Josef Silny & Associates, Inc. – http://www.jsilny.com
  • SpanTran: The Evaluation Company – http://www.spantran.com
  • World Evaluation Services – http://www.wes.org

For all inquiries regarding Graduate School admission, please contact the Graduate School directly. Their webpage provides instructions on checking your application status. If you need assistance or encounter any issues with your application, you can reach them at 865-974-3251 or graduateadmissions@utk.edu.

Application Process: Background Clearance & Fingerprint Scan

Tennessee Code Annotated (TCA) 49-5-5610 requires all students who wish to be admitted to teacher preparation programs to complete a background check.

Intent to Hire Form

If you have been hired as a Teacher of Record by a school district/school, then the school district/school will need to complete the Intent to Hire form. The school district/school will confirm that a background check has been conducted in accordance with T.C.A. 49-5-5610 and that the applicant has been cleared to be hired as a Teacher of Record. The form also requests Endorsement and Mentor information. For a copy of the Intent to Hire form, please contact beateacher@utk.edu. 

Candidates seeking admission before being hired by a school district must: 

  • Sign an authorization and release form authorizing a qualified Tennessee-licensed private investigation company by and on behalf of the board to complete a criminal history records check.
  • Agree to the release of all investigative records to the administrator of the selected teacher training program, and;
  • Supply a fingerprint sample and submit it to a criminal history records check to be conducted by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

Please complete these steps exactly as they are below. Not following this order can cause a delay in processing your application. 

  • Complete the Background Check Authorization Form. 
  • Complete and Upload your signed VECHS Form – this is included in the Background Authorization Form. If you need assistance signing a PDF form using Adobe Reader, please use the Adobe Help Link. 
  • Complete the Fingerprint Process. Instructions for this will be emailed to you when you have completed the above steps. Please note there is a cost associated with the fingerprint process. 

NOTE: If you are an out-of-state applicant and not admitted or currently enrolled at the University of Tennessee, please contact beateacher@utk.edu for directions specific to your state to complete the background check.

Your application will not be considered complete until UT receives your background clearance. Please ensure this process is completed at least four weeks before the application deadline. Your application materials will not be reviewed for admission until the background clearance is received. If clearance is not received by the deadline, your application will not be considered for your selected entry term. You will need to contact the UT Graduate School to update your entry term.

Application Process: Praxis Content Area Exam

For admission into the Job-Embedded Program and for us to issue a TN practitioner license, you must submit documentation that you are proficient in the content area that you wish to teach. According to the TDOE, acceptable documentation includes obtaining a passing score on the Praxis Content Area exam OR having a Major in the content area. 

Option 1: Obtain a passing Praxis Content Area Exam Score: Please look at the Educational Testing Services (ETS) TN Website, https://praxis.ets.org/state-requirements/tennessee-overview.html, to determine what tests are required for licensure.

  • You can view the licensure areas by clicking “Required Tests” at the top of the page, and then scrolling down to Content Knowledge Assessments for Specific Endorsement Areas. If your endorsement area requires the 5205 Teaching Reading Praxis, you do not have to take this exam for admission into the program as it is a requirement for program completion. 
  • When you register for your exam(s), you MUST provide your full Social Security Number and identify the University of Tennessee Knoxville (1843) and the TN State Dept. of Education (8190) to receive your Praxis scores. If a Praxis Content Area exam is taken in a state other than TN, test scores will not be sent to the TN State Department of Education. ETS will charge a fee to send scores after the initial registration.

Option 2: Major in Content Area: Your Major must contain the same word as the area of licensure that you wish to receive. Major refers to a standalone baccalaureate major or master’s degree and not within the Colleges of Education. Additionally, you must have a 3.0 or higher GPA on major-related courses. Under the Professional Assessments for Tennessee Educators Policy (5.105), the following endorsement areas are considered qualifying majors for not having to take a Praxis Content Area Exam: American Sign Language, Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, Economics, English, French, Geography, German, Government, History, Latin, Mathematics, Other World Languages, Physics, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, and Spanish. 

  • Example: If the MAJOR listed on your transcript states, “Biology,” and you were seeking the Biology 6-12 endorsement, then you would not need to take the Praxis as your major proves your content area knowledge.

**World Language JEP candidates have the option to take the ALTA exams instead of the Praxis. These assessments are administered by the Tennessee Language Center. To register, candidates should visit Tennessee Language Center.

Application Process: Board of Admission Review

After all materials are received, the Program Coordinator will review your application materials for admission into the Job-Embedded Program. The Program Coordinator will reach out to you directly if they have questions or wish to conduct an interview. 

Application Process: Obtaining your Licensure

The Job-Embedded program is a collaborative effort between the University of Tennessee, the Tennessee Department of Education, and the school or school district where you seek employment. As a result, multiple requirements must be met. While UT is committed to assisting you throughout this process, please understand that many of these requirements are beyond our control.

To obtain your Practitioner Teacher Licensure, you must demonstrate content knowledge by passing the Praxis Content Area Exam or having a major in the content area endorsement and securing Intent to Hire documentation from your local school district. Additionally, be aware that there may be other state assessments required for program completion.

Application Process: Plan of Study

After being admitted to the program, you will meet with your Licensure Specialist and/or Program Coordinator to review your Plan of Study. This plan outlines your program timeline, including required Clinical Experiences, Core Educational Courses, and Specialty Area Courses. It also details additional program requirements needed for completion.

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