EDUCATIONAL DIAGNOSTICIAN CERTIFICATION

Educational Diagnostician Certification

The University of Houston College of Education can help you become a certified educational diagnostician in Texas, preparing you to provide assessments and consultations to support students with special needs. We offer two options:

Master’s degree, plus certification: Our M.Ed. in special populations program allows students to select an educational diagnostician emphasis. Students will expand their expertise in special education, plus be prepared to seek state certification as an educational diagnostician.
- Students should already be certified teachers in Texas. The hybrid face-to-face and online program typically takes one to two years to complete if enrolled full time.

Certification only: If you already have a master’s degree and are a certified Texas teacher, we offer a certification only program to become an educational diagnostician.
- On the online UH application, chose "certificate" for the type of program you are seeking.

Requirements

After being admitted into the University of Houston, you also must be admitted into the College of Education’s educational diagnostician program. This is a state requirement for all educator-prep programs. Students should look for more information from the College after being accepted to UH.

Basic requirements include:

Having a GPA of 2.5 or higher (based on last degree earned)
Holding a valid Texas teacher certification
Having at minimum a bachelor’s degree

UH typically has a high admission rate for those who meet the state requirements.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

Once formally admitted in the certification program, you must complete the following:

200+ clock hours of content and pedagogy (5+ courses)
- For the master's degree, additional courses will be required.
160+ practicum hours
135+ observation minutes by a UH field supervisor

CERTIFICATION

To earn certification, you must:

Successfully complete all coursework.
Complete all required practicum hours and observations.
Complete the degree program.
Have three years of classroom teaching experience in a public or accredited private school.
Hold at minimum a master’s degree.
Pass the state TExES certification exam.
- Learn more about testing and setting up required accounts online.

*Important note: The Texas educational diagnostician exam is changing in September 2020. What you need to know:

The 153 exam still will be available and offered through Aug. 31, 2020.
The new 253 exam will be offered as of Sept. 8, 2020. It focuses more on the new testing standards for the educational diagnostician.