EPI Program Description Contact Information Schedule Costs & Fees Application & Forms Certification

Educator Preparation Institute (EPI): 

Alternative Certification Route

The University of North Florida (UNF), College of Education and Human Services (COEHS), has been approved by the Florida Department of Education to provide an Educator Preparation Institute (EPI) as part of the state’s efforts to address critical teacher shortages. The EPI recruits workforce ready individuals in several areas of teacher certification. UNF’s existing capacity to meet local districts’ needs for highly qualified teachers will be permanently increased through the EPI.

 

What is EPI?

EPI is an alternative teacher certification program, designed to help alleviate Florida’s critical shortage of highly-qualified teachers.  EPI is an accelerated program that provides adults who already hold non-education baccalaureate degrees the coursework needed to successfully complete the components of Florida teacher certification preparation in approximately nine months.  EPI graduates, once certified by the Florida Department of Education, receive a Professional Certificate and may teach anywhere in Florida. 

What are the EPI Admission Requirements?

To be eligible for the EPI program, you must:

• Hold a baccalaureate or higher degree from a nationally- or regionally-accredited college or university approved by the Florida Department of Education (FLDOE),

• Be eligible for a temporary teaching certificate from FLDOE,

• Demonstrate competency in basic reading, writing, math, and computer skills

• Pass level 2 criminal background clearance and fingerprinting, and

• Be approved by the EPI Interview and Selection Committee.

 You do not need to be currently employed as a teacher to be accepted into the EPI program. 

 

 Costs & Fees

You will register for EPI courses through the UNF Continuing Ed program and pay flat $1500 tuition fee for the whole program that covers books, classes, and other associated costs. 

 

What Teaching and Learning Strategies are Applied in EPI Courses?

Your EPI classes are taught using a variety of strategies including traditional lecture, interactive discussion, Web-enhanced coursework, and self-directed study.  A central element of the competency-based curriculum provides you with practical information, blended with essential theory and real-life practice, to provide the knowledge and skills that you will need to be a successful classroom teacher.  Each course addresses one or more of the 12 pre-professional Florida Educator Accomplished Practices and requires that you submit assigned projects for a mandatory electronic portfolio that documents your mastery of the 12 competencies.  

 

When is an EPI Certificate of Completion Issued?

Your EPI certificate of completion will be issued when:

•  You have successfully passed each EPI course,

• You have earned a passing score on each required Florida teacher certification examination as outlined on your Status of Eligibility letter from the FLDOE, which may include the :

  • General Knowledge Exam,

  • Professional Education Exam, and

  • One or more Subject Area Exam(s)

• Competency in each of the 12 Educator Accomplished Practices has been documented through your portfolio products and other methods, and

• All fees and obligations have been satisfied.

 

To learn more about teacher certification in Florida, go to

www.fldoe.org/edcert and www.teachinflorida.com.

 

epi.unf.edu

 

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